My Favorite Hero

So, this week's topic is on our favorite heroes, hmm? Like Cameo, I'll focus on my heroes instead of those written by other authors. But instead of telling you about the heroes I've already written, I'll tell you about the heroes I'm currently working on. And yes, you read that right: heroes, as in plural. No, I'm not working on a menage (well, there is that one I started... hmm, I need to go back and work on that one, too), but rather two different heroes from two different stories. I flip back and forth, sometimes as much as a month in between, but these two men have me riveted.

In (tentatively titled) Burned and Broken, we have our hero Marcus Dade. Marcus is a firefighter who, as most alpha males are prone to do, has made his share of mistakes in the past. He left his small hometown five years ago, but he's back now for two reasons: to set his past right and to win the heart of the woman he never stopped loving. Of course, trouble dogs him every step of the way... Poor guy. :)

I think the reason I love Marcus so much is because he knows the majority of his problems are due to the bad choices he made in his past. To set his life right, to make up for the hurt he's caused, he has to own up to those choices. Owning who you are and what you do is something I believe very strongly in. Nobody is perfect, but it's how to take ownership for your mistakes that makes all the difference in the world.

~~~*~~~

In (also tentatively titled) All Tyed Up, I switch gears a little. Yes, Tye Carter works in the public eye as County Sheriff, much like Marcus, but it's not Tye's past that haunts him. It's the woman who needs him now that has him reeling. County Attorney Laine Morgan has been attacked, and it's up to Tye to find the man who did it. Along the way, he ends up taking her on a journey that neither of them expected. Of course, there's a little kink and bondage thrown in for good measure :). Tye's a bit of a cowboy, too, which adds a rough, alpha-ness to his persona. He's one of the good guys, and he'll do anything (and I do mean anything) to help the woman he loves.

I'm working diligently on these two books and loving every inch of these men along the way. I've always loved the strong, alpha male type, and these two fit that bill -- and then some!

Have a great weekend!

Kristin
www.kristindaniels.com
www.facebook.com/authorkristindaniels
http://twitter.com/Kristin_Daniels

Instinctive Characterization

How do you create characters? Some people do interviews or questionnaires, others just sit down and write, letting the story unfold. Some people use astrology or other methods.

Often, the first time I see one of my characters is in a scene playing out in my head. Action is taking place, characters are talking, certain emotions are involved. I have a vague idea of setting and atmosphere. I’m usually able to catch a glimpse of the character at least. Perhaps I can’t even see the color of his eyes yet, but I sense his mood and facial expression. This is like the germ of a story idea and character.

When you do something instinctively, you do it naturally. It’s something that comes from within you. It isn’t something you force with your autocratic rational side. I’ve tried to force my characters to come into existence or to be a certain thing, and I know it doesn’t work. (At least for me it doesn’t.) In my experience, a stubborn character will only become more stubborn if you try to force him into a mold he can’t fit into. Like your mom trying to make you take piano lessons when you hate piano.

A character comes from your own psyche. Likely there will be some tiny trait from your personality in your character. In many ways, a character is an extension of you. And you need to understand your character from the inside out. You need to know your character down to his soul. The only way to dig down that deeply is to let things unfold naturally, instinctively. Your subconscious needs to get in on the process. That’s when your character and your story will “feel” right. That’s when your character will feel real.

How do you develop your characters and get to know them? Do you have a specific method or technique? Do all of them pop into your head fully formed or are some of them stubborn? If so what do you do to coax them out?

The above post is an excerpt from a workshop I’ll be teaching on characterization starting June 1.

Workshop - Instinctive Characterization: How to Create Sexy Heroes and the Strong Heroines Who Love Them
Instructor: Nicole North

Date: June 1 - 30

Fee: $25

The romance genre is primarily character driven and those characters need to feel as real as you or I. How do you create characters the reader will fall in love with? If characters don't magically pop into your head fully-formed and three-dimensional, how do you help them come to life without forcing them to be someone they're not? We'll use several tools and methods to develop characters instinctively including:

How to use GMC (goals, motivation and conflict) to create active characters
Discovering and using our character’s backstory
How do you make characters empathetic and likable?
What is a great (real life) personality test to use for character development?
How do you use archetypes?
What is a fatal flaw?
Characters and conflict
Characters and deep POV
What makes a hero sexy and a heroine strong?
Describing and naming characters
Villains
...and more

This is a new, interactive online workshop with exercises and critique/ feedback from the instructor. It is a private workshop held in a yahoo group. The lessons will come to your email inbox.

To register or read past student testimonials about my other workshops please visit my website and click on "workshops" on the menu:
http://www.nicolenorth.com/

About the presenter: Nicole North writes sensual and erotic romance novels and novellas. She is the author of paranormal erotic romance novellas Beast in a Kilt, Red Sage Secrets Volume 29, Indulge Your Fantasies, July 2010; Devil in a Kilt, Red Sage Secrets Volume 27 Untamed Pleasures, July 2009; and Kilted Lover, Red Sage, November 2009. She has finaled in over a dozen writing competitions and won several awards. Reviewers have said her stories contain "heart and heat, killer love scenes, magic and extraordinary characters." She has a BA degree in psychology but writing romance is her first love.

To register, please visit http://www.nicolenorth.com/ and click on "workshops."
Or email: nicole (at) nicolenorth.com
Thank you!!
Nicole

P.S. I donated a copy of each of my anthologies to Brenda Novak's Online Auction to Benefit Diabetes Research. Please click to check them out or bid:

Secrets Volume 27

Secrets Volume 29 (due out July 1)

Thanks!

Discovering Romance with Sourcebooks

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Hmm, from sexy shapeshifters, to guys who definitely need a good soak in a hot tub to remove the dirt and uncover those hunky muscles in 10,000 BC, there's nothing like an alpha male to stir up a girl's heart.

So what do you like? The hero who is all confident, secure, alpha through and through, or a little bit beta--with definite reservations about his hero qualities--like our reluctant hero in 10,000 BC.

Well, Devlyn Greystoke in Heart of the Wolf is not a reluctant hero, quite the contrary, but he does have issues with his ability to best the devil alpha pack leader! But to win Bella Wilder's love, he'll have to fight to the death. And what's not to like about a hero like that?

So what can the "early man" hero do but rescue his blue-eyed goddess against insurmountable odds in 10,000 BC? Love will conquer all, right? At least we hope so!

Terry Spear, Heart of the Wolf (Coming April 1!), Don't Cry Wolf, http://www.terryspear.com/