Crafting the Hero––Part II
We’re crafting both our romantic heroine and our hero. Our heroine is Tovah, a Jewish rabbi who fears rejection because of being dumped by a boy while she was in high school. Judah is going to be the man for Tovah. Adding complementary, yet opposite characteristics to your romantic lead characters will either bring them together or split them apart. Click to Tweet #amwriting #WritingRomance101 #CraftingTheHeroine
Hero Types
Alpha: The alpha male is all masculine. As soon as he enters a room, he takes charge. To many people, he might seem rigid and dictatorial. Why would our heroine love this kind of man? He’d have to have a tender side, that only she sees, because she’s the one that brings it out in him. More of a loner type, the heroine will get to him in a way that only she could.
Beta: The beta male will interact more with the heroine, rather than barking out orders. He’s no pushover, though. He could be of any profession, come from a large family or other type of support system. Where the alpha male may hide his issues, the beta male is more likely to share his issue, bit-by-bit throughout the story.
Judah’s Backstory:
Let’s discover a bit about Judah. Since Tovah’s a rabbi, let’s make Judah a businessman. Maybe he owns a corporation that just established its U.S. headquarters. I see Judah as a beta male, though in America, he’s pretty much by himself. His family still lives in Israel.
He’s gregarious, with good humor. A great leader with a calm and pleasing personality.
Maybe he’s moved to the United States from Israel, now that his military service in IDF is completed. His father could be the CEO of the Israeli corporation and has sent Judah to launch a U.S. branch. We can determine what kind of business later, but I’m leaning toward a medical research firm…because I know that Israel is on the leading edge in medical research.
What if he thinks he’s a hothead? He tries to keep his temper under control, but after being forced to kill in the IDF, he’s afraid of killing again, even though he’s out of the service. He could also suffer from PTSD.
But he loves God and knows the Torah. He’s devout, yet he has trouble understanding his inward self. He never thought he could kill, even when faced with death. We’ll continue to build our hero next time.
Two types of males make up a romantic hero. Will the hero of your story be an alpha or a beta male? A bull in a china shop or an artsy sensitive guy? Click to Tweet #amwriting #WritingRomance101 #CraftingTheRomanticHero
Donna L.H. Smith 