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What shall I fear?

By on January 28, 2008 in Nurturing the Soul

“Mom, can you read this?” I look up, and there is my 16 year old, holding his newest chapter to the book he’s writing. He gives me a tentative smile, and I know I need to ask the question: “As your mother….or as an editor?” Let’s face it – it’s scary to write a book. Oh, not necessarily to put words on the page (although for some people that is scary!), but to show them to others. Especially a picky book doctor mom. I had to admire his courage when he answered, “As an editor.” O-kay! We spent the next three hours going over his story. And when we finished, he said, “Well, that was painful. But good, even fun.” Facing our fears is so much like that – painful, […]

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Flaws: Examples and other stuff

By on January 25, 2008 in Heroes, House Calls, Protagonists: The Basics

Raise your hand if you’ve seen 27 Dresses. Such a cute movie (and in this one we DO fall in love with James Marsden!). Love the premise, and there is so much inner conflict potential! But what does that have to do with flaws? You’ll have to see it to understand, but there is a BINGO moment, where the heroine nails the hero’s backstory, and reveals the why of his flaw, which is cynicism. I’m not going to wreck it for you all, but the thing is, when a woman does that in your story, everything changes for the hero. Suddenly he’s found a woman who can understand him. And that makes all the difference. So, let’s take a look at some of the excellent examples sent in: (As a […]

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Flawed….but we love them anyway!

By on January 24, 2008 in Heroes, Protagonists: The Basics

I hope you’re having fun finding all the flaws in your hero. C’mon, really, it’s okay. You’re not saying you don’t love him! Just being….realistic! For example: We still love Braveheart, right? And Wesley (from the Princess Bride), and of course, Benjamin Franklin Gates (National Treasure!) And they’re all flawed. Really. Take Braveheart. Having witnessed his family being killed when he was a child, he has a little problem with authority. Of course, this makes him rebellious, and instead of obeying the rules, he pushes against the system, which means he has to hide out as an outlaw. Of course, this also means that he’s not around when his woman is killed. He’s got serious revenge complex, and while yes, that’s what the story is about, it surely doesn’t make […]

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Hunting for Flaws – Step 2 in building your Heart-Throb Hero

By on January 23, 2008 in Heroes, Protagonists: The Basics

Nope, he’s not perfect. Which is something every bride realizes about two weeks into her marriage, but hopefully something she’s figured out LONG before that (otherwise, well, it’s a rough first year!). We all know there are tell-tale signs to your hero’s imperfections… Today we’re going to figure out HOW to build in imperfections or FLAWS into your perfect hero. What are flaws in character? Well – we’d all be perfect if we could, and frankly, many fellas think they are (which is why we ladies come in handy). They don’t look at FLAWS like negative. They look at them as survival tools, or even power areas. Of course, they aren’t conducive to healthy relationships. But your hero will learn that as the story goes along. Meanwhile…how do we find […]

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