I've been pondering on what it is I think makes a good fictional romantic interest, from a reader's perspective. I know what I find boring. Over the years
I’ve made my way through a string of fictional
boyfriends. This probably sounds peculiar to those who don’t read a lot of
fiction. Those of us that do know a good story should have us investing our emotion in its participants. When
reading to escape, you often encounter romance on the way. You don’t have to
actually fancy someone in a book; you can just fall in love with the romance they’re
in. For the record, I have in actual fact properly fancied fictional
characters. I am a book geek, and I am proud of it.
It began twenty or so years ago, reading bubble-gum
trash for tweens/teens. As I matured, so did my library, introducing me to
whole new ways to escape. However, of late I find I’m easily bored, and flit
from one book to the next, desperately seeking my next fictional Mr Right. The
problem is it’s the same characters that keep turning up. It’s as though a
certain heartthrob formula is now being subscribed to. Bad move. Formulaic
characters always end up 2 dimensional, simply because they have no personality
of their own. When it comes to Young Adult books, I’ve observed this to most
definitely be the case.
For your amusement, I’ve compiled a list of some of the
typical characters and romantic situations I keep encountering in YA books. If I’ve missed any out, please make sure to add them in the comments at the bottom.
The Shell
Of the cliché’s, this is the one I see most often in
YA romances. It’s a main character who’s deliberately created to be generic. Not
to be mistaken with The Ordinary Girl/Boy (see below), there’s little to know
about them: nondescript looks, life, personality… The idea is that the reader
finds it easier to see themselves in the role; slipping it on like a wetsuit and
viewing the world through the characters eyes. As a result of Love at First
Sight they end up in a romance with The Beautiful, The Goodie, The Unbelievable
or The Misunderstood. The problem arises whenever The Shell actually does
something, which ends up being so out of character - and more often than not, stupid and highly
irritating - that you end up detesting them.
The Ordinary Girl/Boy
They’re just like you and me. In fact they could be
you or me. Except something incredibly spectacular happens to them, and they fall
in love with The Beautiful, The Goodie, or The Misunderstood. Yeah, right. Is that ordinary? No.
The Unbelievables
These characters are always created by authors who
clearly have limited understanding of the opposite sex. Ther are many examples of this. Think eighteen year old boy who talks like a thirty year old woman. Not realistic. On the other side of the coin, there’s
the archetypal icy females, who are effortlessly calm, show few emotions, and
always say smart things. Again, not realistic. If you’ve ever met a woman you’ll know we’re
all bat shit crazy. Some hide it better than others, is all. No matter how smart
and calm we are, neurosis gets its claws into us eventually. These characters
are created purely to indulge the reader’s fantasies, but it’s a romance that’s
ultimately unsatisfying. Why? Because it’s not convincing.
The Beautiful
The Beautiful romantic interest is very much like
The Shell, in that they have nothing going on in the personality department. Sculpted
by the very Gods themselves, these characters are so heartbreakingly gorgeous,
their impressive looks need describing in great detail at the slightest opportune
moment. Sadly, their wit, intelligence and integrity are rarely discovered. Probably
because they don’t have any. These beauties usually promise undying love, repeatedly, but that’s about as deep as
it gets. Probably because the author continually distracts you by mentioning
their cerulean blue eyes every five seconds. What I’ve noticed about The
Beautiful is that they can pretty much get away with anything in a
relationship, like continually lying, or disappearing mysteriously with no word
of why. Of course, they’re forgiven simply for looking sexy with their cerulean
blue eyes. Did I mention the cerulean blue eyes?
The Love at First Sight
It doesn’t matter what either person in this
relationship does, Shell, Beautiful, Misunderstood or otherwise. If they fall
in love at first sight then they’ll forgive each other anything. That’s right! Being
rude to each other’s friends, frequent arguing, and having completely opposing views/morals/opinions
doesn’t matter to these lovebirds. Anything goes. Granny mugging too, no doubt.
The Love Triangle
Usually happens to The Shell or The Ordinary Girl/Boy, who must decide between The Beautiful/Unbelievable/Misunderstood, and The Goody. Then there's the whole "Which one will they pick?" Obviously, the outcome is predetermined in the case of Love at First Sight.
The Goodie
Also known as the boy/girl next door, these
characters are sweet, kind, and always do the right thing. You know they’re the
one, but it normally takes dealing with a total bitch/jerk before you realise how good they are. It’s their unfailing goodness that makes them
so lovable (Gag). At least there’s more chance of a well-rounded personality with
The Goodie. After all, you need to know something about their personality to
know that they’re a good person, and not just The Ordinary Girl/Boy or a Shell. Most of the time, The Goodie is cute. However, if they are too good looking it ends up overshadowing their personality, turning them into The Beautiful.
The Misunderstood.
You suspect they’re no good for you, but you want
them anyway. They’re so damn mysterious/brooding/shy. You know you mustn’t fall
for them, as they’ll probably break your heart. But you can’t help yourself. Of
course, eventually they let you in, open up about their feelings, and
that deep dark secret which is tearing them apart. These characters are usually
great fun to crush on, but they’re also highly unrealistic. For example, what
happens when they cheer up? When they have their love reciprocated and turn into love-sick, gooey-eyed sweet-talkers? Without their moody brooding they don’t
have much else going on. Once their dark past troubles them no more, they
invariably turn into either The Goodie, The Unbelievable or The Beautiful.
So What Works?
Of course, there’s a lot to be said for being able to identify
with a character so as to indulge in their romance and fantasy, but surely not
at the cost of their personality. This continual rehashing of the same, garden variety characters and scenarios really grinds my gears. What then makes a good romantic interest? The
answer is simpler than you might expect. A little moodiness, reasonable good looks, and
a good heart can go a long way. When these traits are stretched to their stereotypical extremes they leave little room for a well-rounded personality. Individuality,
originality, confidence, flaws; these are the things that time and time again make us
fall in love, with either a character or a romance in general. A little
mix of the above, with a selection of foibles and quirks, can make any romantic
interest someone who stands apart from the crowd. It’s the one-offs that make
the difference, not the bog stantard. As an author I can tell you that it's easier said than done to create such a character. But as a reader, hell, that's not my problem!
They are out there, folks. We just need
to keep on searching. Until next time.
Remember, if you have something that you think would be of interest to ROYA,
email me at merrybawz@hotmail.com with ROYA and your name
as the subject.
There’s certainly something to be said for quick and easy
reads. I’m not alone in my opinion. Tabitha’s sales sheets are testament to this.
Her shorts are selling like hot cakes. I asked her what it was about them that
held so much buyer appeal. “They are wonderful companions on those long bus or
train rides.” And when they cost as little as $0.99, you can’t complain. “ I
plan to continue writing horror short stories. One of them in particular, The
Corpses of Old Farm Hill Road, is the first in a series of shorts about an
all-female serial killing family. When I've completed the series, I intend to offer
it as a collection.” 
I recently purchased Her
Sister's Murderer, the product of Tabitha’s curiosity in psychic abilities.
It’s a YA thriller about a girl who visits a psychic, only to have old memories
resurface regarding her sister’s disappearance. With a chilling and intriguing cover design, I can't help but feel drawn to it. “It was originally intended for
National Novel Writing Month (November) of 2011. I wasn't able to finish it in
time, so I stopped writing it about ¾ the way through. After a few
unsavory events with a publisher, I decided to publish it myself. I finished it
and created the book cover using stock images, stock Photoshop brushes and
photos I'd taken myself. I must have done something right, because the book
placed both 18th and 8th on the iTunes charts in December
2012, ranking higher than popular authors like David Baldacci and Lee Childs.”
New Stylings 
Ninety years ago, Gabriella di Luca promised to protect the family of her dying lover. She failed to keep that promise. She was too far away to stop the devil that murdered the eldest Van Helsing son. Years later, Gabby learns the devil has resurfaced. She arrives in Hampton, TX, determined to stop the devil before it can lay a bloody hand on the remaining three brothers.
Noree Cosper loves writing about magic in the modern world. While growing up in Texas she constantly searched for mystical elements in the mundane. She buried her nose in both fiction and books about Wicca, Religion, and Mythology. Everyday became an adventure as she joined a group of role-players, acting out her fantasies of vampires, demons, and monsters living in the world. She embraced her nerdom wholeheartedly. Noree grew, but never left her love for fantasy and horror. Her dreams pushed her and her hand itched to write the visions she saw. So, with her fingers on the keys, she did what her heart had been telling her to do since childhood. She wrote.
At twenty-two, practicing Wiccan Sophia Parsons is scratching out a living waiting tables in her Rocky Mountain hometown, a pariah after a string of unsolved murders with only one thing in common: her.
We all know the story Hansel and Gretel, and the wicked witch
in her house of candy. But what do you suppose happened to the children after they
killed the witch and escaped? They turned into ass-kicking witch hunters, is
what. Armed with an impressive arsenal, they make their living going town to
town, taking out witchy scum. Jeremy Renner (Avenger's Assemble) and Gemma Arterton (Prince of Persia) play the fairy tale
siblings all grown up, while X-Men's Famke Janssen
plays a high witch hell-bent on enacting her cunning plan. 
