Guest Blogger: Juliet Marillier

Heroes by Juliet Marillier

Last week I sent a proposal for a new series to some writer buddies for critiquing, and one pointed out that the principal male character shares some qualities with a couple of my past male protagonists. That set me wondering how writers of romantic fiction go about creating a hero, and how we can avoid getting repetitive. If we admire a particular kind of man in real life, we may find that too many of our book heroes are conforming to the same pattern.

I write novels that sit somewhere between fantasy, romance and historical fiction. My readers have come to expect a strong love story in each book. As a reader I like a good romance, one with a pair of interesting, multi-layered characters and a relationship that develops without too many of the romance clichés.

The current trend in fantasy novels is for urban fantasy, often with kick-ass women in central roles. That sub-genre that does not lend itself to romance especially well. The other hot trend is paranormal romance, and vampire romance in particular. Undead lovers are a whole new ball game, and I won’t get into that here – the reasons why this kind of story is crowding all others off the bookshop shelves deserve a blog post of their own.

Back to that hero. My male protagonists generally come from the gritty, physical world of the early medieval era, somewhere in chilly northern Europe. My fictional version of the real world includes uncanny elements, so there’s the potential for any character to be human, fey, or a mixture. I’ve chosen to make most protagonists human. It’s easier to present a character with challenges if he is not too powerful, and magic tends to give a person an advantage (though it can be burdensome, too.)

In my writing I tend to favour the enigmatic outsider, a man who is arrogant, aloof and/or socially awkward. He may have unresolved past issues. He’s the Mr Darcy sort of hero. Cathal in Heir to Sevenwaters is this type. In real life I’d probably find him insufferable! My ideal is represented by Hugh of Harrowfield, nicknamed Red, the hero of my first book, Daughter of the Forest. Red is quiet and deep, always there for the damaged heroine, patient, kind, loyal to his comrades, ready to stand up for what is right. He’s also physically strong and will fight if he must. Too good to be true? I refuse to believe it. Men like that may be hard to find in the real world, but they do exist.

I did some stats for my twelve novels to date, to find out whether I’m over-fond of certain characteristics in my heroes. The field is 11, because my most popular male character, Faolan, is the protagonist of two books.

Height:
Tall 5
Medium 5
Very short 1 (until he turns from frog to man, then he’s tall and lanky)

Build:
Average / athletic 4
Average to slender 2
Big and muscular 2
Spare / rangy 2
Uneven (physical disability) 1

Hair colour:
Brown 4
Black/dark 3
Red 2
Shaven head with tatts 1
Fair 1

Eye colour:
Blue 5
Grey 3
Green 1
Brown 1
Black/dark 1

Temperament:
Brooding / difficult 4
Equable / controlled 3
Explosive / depressive 1
‘Boy next door’ 1
Kind / sensitive 1
Humorous / sensitive 1

Occupation:
Nobleman / chieftain 3
Warrior 3
Musician / horse trainer 1
Bodyguard / dog breeder 1
Assassin / spy / bodyguard 1
Unemployed 1
Frog 1

Age group
All are in the age range 18-30

Biology:
Human 10
Fey/human 1
Amphibian/human 1

There, I’ve surprised myself – there’s more variety than I thought! However, the Mr Darcy temperament is definitely the most common among my guys. I ask myself how far I would have got through Pride and Prejudice if Elizabeth had fallen in love with Bingley, or through Jane Eyre if (perish the thought) St John Rivers had been the object of Jane’s passion. As for the high incidence of occupations involving combat skills, that’s a reflection of the times and cultures in which the books are set. A character’s colouring and build should be appropriate to his ethnicity; a prevalence of Picts and Gaels means more red or dark hair, less fair. Most important of all, a hero is created as a good (eventual) fit for the heroine, who in my books is usually the central character and narrator.

I’m happy to say that the hero of Seer of Sevenwaters, to be released in December 2010, will add a new occupation and temperament to the heroes list. As for the fellow in the proposal mentioned above, the statistics suggest I should turn him into a short, tubby, grey-haired farmer.