Creating a Smart Heroineby Alison Henry This article originally appeared in the October 2005 issue of Rumpled Sheets, newsletter for MoRWA (Missouri chapter of RWA). It may be reprinted by sister chapters of RWA, provided appropriate credit (byline, author bio, and originating chapter) is given. Silly heroines. Admit it; you've seen them. The contemporary heroine who vows to confront a serial killer. Never mind that she has no military or law enforcement background. She's going to single-handedly accomplish what the police could not. Or take her medieval sister, who slips out of her besieged castle to gather some herbs. It's only for a few minutes, after all. And she really needs those herbs. Certainly none of those besiegers would be so rash as to kidnap her, right? Cringing now? Rolling your eyes? Afraid your heroine is like this? Take heart. Follow the tips below, and you'll create a heroine who excites the reader's interest and not her scorn. Endow your heroine with common sense. This is the most important attribute she can have--far more important than her looks or her profession. She should react to events like any ordinary person would. If you absolutely must have your heroine do something foolish--like take on a serial killer--use the plot to take away every other possible choice. A heroine forced into a foolhardy act has our sympathy. One who chooses such an act does not. She runs the risk of losing our respect, and our interest in her story. Give us truth in description. If your heroine is a cop, she should think and act like one, both on and off the job. There's nothing more jarring than being told one thing about the heroine, but being shown the opposite. It destroys her credibility. She doesn't have to be perfect at what she does, but she must be consistent. A cop who hesitates to fire--or who fires too soon? Believable. One who objects to carrying a weapon? Unbelievable. Speaking of an unbelievable heroine brings me to my next point. Please. I'm begging you. Have your heroine keep her wits about her when she's around the hero. Mental lusting is fine and encouraged, but do not turn her into a blithering idiot when she's with him. If she can't put two words together when she's talking to him, if she gets so flustered she can't even remember what he just said to her, then she really shouldn't be allowed out of the house. It's a demeaning portrayal. You can show her aware of and affected by the hero's virility, but with her intelligence and faculties intact. Don't make her a super-feminist. You know what I'm talking about—the heroine who won't listen to any man, who disputes everything she's told to do, and who inevitably gets in trouble when she tries to do it all herself. A little assertion goes a long way. A heroine who stands up for herself, but who can work with the hero when circumstances dictate, is more engaging than one who must be rescued from herself. Respect your readers' intelligence. Give them a heroine they can respect. * * * Alison is a member of the Missouri chapter of RWA (MoRWA), and has written for several years. She is careful to avoid the above pitfalls when developing her heroines.
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