While nothing starts my blood pumping more than a devastatingly handsome hero, say, one with the keen sable eyes of a panther, sensuous lips, and rock hard abs—or were you thinking more along the lines of his firm, broad thighs and taut buttocks? Yeah, me too! However, I’d like to focus on one part in particular—ahh…hehehe…no, not that one. Earlobes have been done to death.
Okay, let’s try this again. I just finished a book—okay, since you twisted my arm—it was THE OUTBACK STARS by Sandra McDonald. The story offers lots of adventure, romance, and mystery, and I consider it a science fiction romance. Now, the hero in this exciting story is Terry. So here’s my point about Terry:
I didn’t care about what he looked like.
To clarify, it’s not that I didn’t care for his looks—the author described him as a handsome man. Various bits about his appearance emerged for the reader over the course of the book, and every inch sounded scrumptious. But as I delved more deeply into his character development, I discovered that any description of his physical features actually built emotional tension for me.
Why? Because I was so utterly fascinated by his personality.
The tension arose because even though he came across as alluring, those moments still represented one less line or paragraph devoted to his thoughts, words, and emotions. I consider this a compliment because the author crafts a hero so compelling I actually forgot to think about his physical attributes. I just wanted to crawl into Terry’s mind and stay there.
Part of this experience is the attitude I brought to the story. As a reader, I’m satisfied with just a few key details regarding character description. Less is more. The other part of the experience is what Sandra McDonald brought to the table. Her approach to character development was subtle, deft, and all about showing.
In fact, she revealed so much about who Terry was by his introspection and behavior that his outward appearance paled in comparison.
Therefore, I’m curious about what you think. Have you ever experienced a romance hero whose personality was the hottest thing about him? If so, who? In general, what do you think about the hero’s physical description in romance books—too little, just right, not enough?
This post was submitted by Heather Massey.
Oops-I need to amend that last sentence to read “too little, just right, too much?” At any rate, I think you know what I mean to ask!
by Heather October 12th, 2008 at 7:55 amGreat column, Heather!
Personally, the author has to create and reveal the Hero in such a way that he’s believably real, as well as appealing. Too dark, too handsome, too Alpha Male and I’m bored. It doesn’t matter how taut his buttocks are and I much prefer them to washerboard abs.
I understand the need for Fantasy in the Romance genre, but I’ve known true heroism and love in Real Life. Too much fantasy in a Romance novel is going to make me gag, groan, and toss the book.
Oh, I wish I had the time for OUTBACK STARS! Laurie from Spacefreighters’ Lounge graciously allowed me to cut-and-paste her review of it for Enduring Romance.
by Kimber An October 12th, 2008 at 9:18 amThanks, Kimber An! I think rendering heroes believably makes them accessible and easier to engage with, too. Sometimes I want them to be superheroes, but other times I crave characters that are more grounded.
And you’re right about Laurie’s review, she did an excellent job. Here’s the link in case anyone wants to read it:
http://spacefreighters.blogspot.com/2008/07/review-outback-stars.html
by Heather Massey October 12th, 2008 at 9:33 amMy favorite romance hero is still Emerson from Elizabeth Peters’ Crocodile on the Sandbank and all the rest of the Peabody/Emerson series. (OK, technically they’re mysteries with romantic elements, but who’s counting?) And I definitely love him for his personality: his acerbic brilliance, his social ineptness, his wit, his sarcasm, his crusty exterior that covers a big, marshmallow-like heart where his family and any child or small animal are concerned. Yes, he’s described as hot in a way that appeals to me (solid and with piercing blue eyes) but it’s also clear that the description is through Peabody’s eyes and she’s more than a little biased; you’re never sure if he’s really All That or if she’s seeing a merely decent-looking guy through eyes of love.
by Teresa Noelle Roberts October 12th, 2008 at 9:52 amI don’t care what the hero looks like
(unless he has a scar, yum!).
In my mind, the heroes look kind of like my hubby
(tall, dark, and Asian).
Nope.
I’m all about the personality.
That’s why I can read the same plot
(Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella)
and still love, love, love the books.
Give me a ‘real’, unique hero
by Kimber Chin October 12th, 2008 at 11:21 amwith flaws and fears
and hopes and dreams
and I’m happy.
I have my own kinks when it comes to physical appearance, and I’ll happily substitute them whenever the writer’s description clashes. (Let’s just say I’m not into 6′7″ hulk-dudes carrying 300 pounds of bulging muscle. [eyeroll]) So I’m with you in that I really don’t care what the writer has to say about a guy’s appearance, past a certain point. A few key features, especially if they’re different from what every other writer is using in their descriptions, can certainly work, but in general I don’t need an inch-by-inch and shade-by-shade inventory of every feature and tone.
Have you ever experienced a romance hero whose personality was the hottest thing about him? If so, who?
The first guy who came to mind when I read that was Miles Vorkosigan, from Bujold’s SF series. Massive yum!
And he’s definitely not a Mr. Universe type. [grin]
Angie
by Angie October 12th, 2008 at 11:37 amTeresa, love the contrast you describe with the crusty exterior and “marshmallow-like heart.” That sounds like a character with depth. And gooey sweetness.
Kimber Chin, right there with you on the scar! Beauty and the Beast is one of my favorites, too, now that you mention it. I think there’s a book version where the prince stays a beast at the end…? But I’d love to see a film show that, too, with an emphasis on Beauty having fallen in love with his personality. Whatever version I watch, the prince’s original appearance never seems quite as interesting to me as his beast mode.
Angie, good call! Miles has one of the sexiest brains around.
by Heather Massey October 12th, 2008 at 11:59 amI have to go with you and Angie on this one. It’s all about the personality. Even as a writer I find myself doing this–spending more time on fleshing out the interior than the exterior. As a reader, getting pounded over the head with how hot, how tall, how sexy, how big etc. just annoys me.
by Amie October 12th, 2008 at 12:55 pmI get tired of overly-detailed physical description, particularly in romance. Describing the hero isn’t enough to convince me that the heroine desires him, and it certainly doesn’t tell me much about his personality.
I love description that reveals something about personality (his or hers), backstory, or the relationship. Does he focus intently on whoever’s speaking? Does his cowlick remind her of her brother? Is he comfortable carrying her purse, and does it look silly on him? Are their running shoes identical even to the size? Does the set of his mouth make her wonder if he smokes?
by RfP October 12th, 2008 at 1:30 pmI like the less is more approach to hero description. To me it seems that many heroes are interchangeable when it comes to appearance. If there’s something about the appearance that annoys me, I substitute in my mind anyway.
Give me personality every time because looks fade. I want a man I can talk to, one who is interesting and yes, someone to grow old with. I’m sure the heroine feels the same way!
Great post, Heather.
by Shelley Munro October 12th, 2008 at 3:42 pmAmie, thanks for commenting! You bring up a good point about show vs. tell. I think there are lots of ways to demonstrate how beautiful a man is other than just listing the attributes and I get excited when I see authors exploring different avenues. It’s the interior that makes the exterior that much more alluring.
RfP, glad this piece connected with you. It’s very challenging to try and engage with a list of physical attributes. That’s not a complete character. You make great points about personality description. It’s a mystery of its own, with an author layering in details as the story progresses that build up to a whole person.
Many times I’ve read identical descriptive passages (across various romance genres) about a hero and wondered why a few of those couldn’t have been devoted to personality development.
Therefore, when an author nails a well rounded hero, I’m smitten.
by Heather Massey October 12th, 2008 at 3:55 pmThanks for stopping by, Shelley! The “interchangeable” factor is another reason good character development is so important. I for one am going to remember a hero’s personality far more than I will his looks. Heroes with vivid personalities are the characters I think & talk about long after I’ve finished a book.
by Heather Massey October 12th, 2008 at 4:00 pmHave you ever experienced a romance hero whose personality was the hottest thing about him? If so, who?
LOL I had the same thought as Angie. Miles Vorkosigan.
And the second one was another Bujold hero, Dag in The Sharing Knife books. Talk about opposites in personality. 
by Kathleen Dante October 13th, 2008 at 9:01 amKathleen — definitely, and you’re right about Dag too.
Bujold has an awesome talent for coming up with wonderful guys, even if they don’t come in the classic “Romance Hero” package. 
Angie
by Angie October 13th, 2008 at 9:09 amOh, dear, I forgot to add Bujold to my Greats list to review at Enduring Romance!
I’ll pop over to Galaxy Express and Science Fiction Romance right now to find which of her titles is considered the best. 
by Kimber An October 13th, 2008 at 9:19 amI think Teresa had a good point when she said that in the Ameilia Peabody books we always see Emerson through Peabody’s eyes. We think he’s dashing because she does not because of any physical trait he has. It’s a problem I often have with romance genre. Personal tastes differ so much yet Romance writers seem to always go into exact details about their heros. Far better to leave the details for me to fill in, I know what I think is sexy and it’s not muscles. I gew up with theater people you don’t get perfect bodies osix pack abs unless you are self-centered and spend your life in the gym. To look like the muscle heads on Romance covers you don’t have any time or energy left to care about anything but your looks.
by Mfitz October 13th, 2008 at 9:35 am[...] read two great posts about characters/heroes over the last two days. At Romancing the Blog Heather Massey talks about a hero’s appearance versus his [...]
by Shelley Munro Blog » Blog Archive » Calling Mr. Hero October 14th, 2008 at 6:29 amI’ve been out of town and out of Internet access, and am only sneaking into a few blogs and not even trying to catch up on the entire week I was gone, but this one caught my eye, because Sandra McDonald is the author I met on line when she introduced me to Highlander fanfiction and is my first and dearest writing mentor who insisted I turn a silly short story into something that actually contained elements of the writing craft. Without her support, I wouldn’t be here. And I had the privilege of watching OUTBACK STARS take shape.
I’m a big fan of general descriptions and letting the reader’s own imagination fill in the details.
And, for the record, this blog was posted on Sandra’s birthday. Happy Birthday mentor!
by Terry Odell October 14th, 2008 at 1:53 pmMfitz (and I just now realized I always forget to include the “i”!–sorry!), thanks for your thoughts. I love it when I can learn something really insightful about a hero–well, any character, really. While physical attributes can certainly make an impression, I’m reading the story for *who* the hero is and his character arc.
And I don’t even mind exact details as long as they’re balanced with exact details about his personality!
Shelley, thanks for the linkage!
Terry, thanks so much for commenting. Best of luck with your projects. That is so cool about Sandra’s mentoring. And I had no idea Sunday was her birthday. Happy belated!
by Heather Massey October 14th, 2008 at 7:45 pm