Writing the Difficult Heroine
- Cover of Born Yesterday
I believe many readers think romance authors channel themselves into their heroines. Me, I like to channel myself into my villains. When I’m reading my finished books, I truly believe there’s little of me in my heroines (though my heroes are always somewhat like my husband).
Right now I’m writing about Daphne Farnham in the early 19th C. To get the right feel for Daphne I’m trying to channel Judy Holliday in Born Yesterday, Reese Witherspoon in Legally Blonde, Alicia Silverstone in Clueless and every ditsy, screwball heiress from the classic comedies of the 30s and 40s.
I’ll know more if this is working for me when I run the manuscript past my beta readers, but I have to say that writing about women pirates (Pirate’s Price) and tough con-artists (The Bride and the Buccaneer) was a snap compared to Daffy Daphne, and I’ve never been a con artist or a pirate!
Writing about an airhead whose life revolves around fashion and parties is difficult because I occasionally find her saying something cutting and sarcastic, and I have to stop and say, “No, that’s not Daphne, that’s Darlene.” Daphne is sweet and likes to draw rainbows in the borders of her correspondence. Darlene, not so much. Daphne thinks the key to happiness in life is having the proper accessories. OK, Darlene likes the proper accessories too, but she doesn’t obsess over it!
When I’m writing scenes in Daphne’s POV it’s a challenge, but I have to admit, it can also be fun trying to think to myself, “What Would Daphne Do?” I want to push myself to do things differently, to make each of my novels stand out. If I can pull it off with Daffy Daphne and Dr. Murray in Castaway Dreams, then I’ll feel like I’ve succeeded.
And to celebrate, I’ll make a big bowl of popcorn and watch Bringing up Baby.
Villains are fun to write. I think a lot of writers feel the same as you do. Getting attuned to a villain offers the same opportunities for authors as a good villain roll offers for a movie actor: a chance to challenge one’s talents.
Malcolm
I’m having so much fun with my current villain I’m going to make him the hero of my next book. Of course, my heroine will run rings around him. She’s going to be the anti-Daphne and I’m already looking forward to her.[g] But Daphne and Alexander deserve their own HEA, and I’m inching my way there.
I love ditzy heroines like Marilyn Monroe in 7 Year Itch!
Lyn–Me too! I definitely had Marilyn’s “look” from 7 Year Itch and Some Like it Hot in mind when I was envisioning Daphne. Here’s the hero’s first impression of her:
“Miss Farnham had been gifted with nature’s bounty in all areas, save one: It was his considered opinion that she lacked a brain. Her only purpose in life, as far as he could determine, was to be ornamental.”