Some of my favorite romance heroes cannot by any stretch of the imagination be considered nice guys.
(notice I say my favorites so you won’t think I’m dissing yours)
Arrogant? Yes.
Hot stuff? Absolutely.
Testosterone laden? Positively oozing from every pore.
Protective and possessive of those they care about? Without question.
Nice guys? Probably not.
This is on my mind for two reasons - reason one: the hero of the book I just finished (oops! Finished Reading!) is a nice guy. He’s a flat out nice guy and he’s sensitive. When I describe him as sensitive, I mean sometimes, well pretty much all the time, he acts, talks and thinks (vis-a-vis internal dialogue) like a woman. In other words, I read him as a female character. From my perspective, at best he’d be a really good guy friend or a brother. Except he’s less protective than a brother because this character is so sensitive. He spends an inordinate amount of time nursing hurt feelings and he keeps giving the heroine space whereas a not so nice guy would think to himself, she doesn’t need space, she needs me. ME. ME. ME. Depending upon the quality of the writing, I’d probably agree. I liked the character, but I sure as hell wouldn’t fantasize about him because that would be exactly like fantasizing about my brother…if I had brother…ewww.
Hey…there is nothing wrong with fantasizing. I don’t only fantasize about romance, I fantasize about hero stories and mythology and scifi - have since I was a little kid. Don’t knock internal fantasy. I think it is the mother/father of creativity, the crucible in which our stories are mixed and melded.
Reason two: I just watched Predators last night - the updated Predator. I really liked it. Nobody is a nice guy. Yet there is a hero, an alpha male who stands head and shoulders above the rest. He’s competent. He’s a survivor. He’s arrogant and has little use for human frailty. He does not suffer pangs of conscience, but neither is he sadistic or cruel. In the end, he does what every romance hero/alpha male does - the right thing, the good thing. At first I thought Adrien Brody was miscast as an unlikeable, not nice, alpha male hero, because I can’t help but remember him in his genius role as Wladyslaw Szpilman in the movie, The Pianist. But he filled some big alpha shoes, and he did it convincingly.
Tomorrow - Why Predators provides a perfect vehicle for the archetype of an Alpha Male, and a few other not-so-nice Alpha Males in romance literature.
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I actually got this comment on one of my manuscripts that I submitted to a contest….(in reference to a bit of dialogue)….”This isn’t nice. Heroes should be nice.” I cracked up. I guess I missed that memo. hee hee……..
Come back tomorrow and we’ll continue this discussion, Penelope. I like a bad boy with a generous heart when it comes to his love interest and his family. Your comment makes me laugh. Most of the heroes I know are really good guys, but not necessarily nice…
Who said this? Was it Roseanne Roseanna Danna? It’s nice to be nice to the nice.
Every “good” hero’s got to have just a smidgeon of “bad”. That’s what makes them yummy!
Maeve - I agree!
I inadvertently created an antagonist — a very ‘not nice’ guy, who is absolutely the most sexiest guy in the book. And I think the next time I want to create a great hero for my story, I’m going to start by thinking of him as the antagonist.
Suzanne Brockman has a wonderful pamphlet where she talks about how to create a great hero for the story, and the ‘reluctant’ good guy, according to her, is always the most attractive. The difference between Han Solo and Luke Skywalker.
Okay, I’m not sure if a romance writer should admit this, but this whole alpha-male thing totally confounds me. Wait. Wait. Before you roll your eyes just hear me out.
I love writing from the hero’s perspective in my books. I don’t think they sound prissy or female. They sound like men … but not jerks. When I think of the alpha I think of the guy at the bar surrounded by his cronies thinking that you should be so lucky to have him talk to you. I don’t want that guy. Not in real life and not in the pages of the stories I read. I know, I know … it’s not who you’re talking about per se, but it’s the image that clouds my brain.
I’ve had this discussion on my blog about alpha vs beta vs gamma. I’m still wrestling with the whole thing myself.
Great discussion.
Claudia - what a perfect example. I love the concept of the reluctant good guy - which is exactly what makes Han so sexy and Luke so brotherly!
Nina - I’m getting to the beta or gamma later this week.
I don’t mean an alpha surrounded by his buddies, the man who thinks so much of himself that he believes all the women want to get with him and all men want to be him…that’s just your average run of the mill jerk. I’m thinking more of the loner, self-contained, not necessarily nice guy, alpha - who gives off a bit of a scary vibe - scary yet very sexy for the right woman.
I’ve had a problem with writing a minor villain whom I intended to kill immediately, but that Bastard stole the show. I found myself far more interested in his bad behavior than anything else. Two WIPs later he’s not dead yet.. he’s taking over.
In fiction I love “bad” and heros who aren’t overly nice.
XXOO Kat
I love the Predator and Alien series, and I definitely agree with you. I just can’t fantasize about a soft guy. I need a manly man. If I were ever in trouble, I don’t want to have to mentally assess whether I’d have a better chance at saving us. Darn it, I want to be saved! Lol.
Kat - don’t you just love a complex villain? I can’t wait to read this villain!
Zee - I so love Predator and Alien. I sort of like to save myself, but I don’t mind having a guy around who is equally competent! And yeah, I need a guy tougher than me!
The only trouble with the Alien series is that the alpha male is Ripley.
Ah heck, Pat, I’d want Ripley to be the one saving me! She gets the job done. I love her so!
Funny you should blog about this. I just released a book called The Bastard Preacher, where the protagonist, (I just can’t call him a hero) is only out for number one.
Here’s a couple comments I’ve had
“This guy Jamie is outrageous – but you’ve kept him grotesquely REAL, when he could have become a characature rather than a character.”
“Wow! Jamie Lee. What a despicable character. Guys might admire him, but right from the gitgo I detested him, and that is good writing”
Just goes to show you, some of our heros can be real assholes, just like in real life.
Gook luck with your book.
I like a strong alpha male. I have one story I wrote that the hero is a beta and I think that’s why it never sold. My alphas are much better written, in my own opinion! LOL! Jillian
Personally, I can’t stand a hero who is as Dee says, an ‘asshole’. I won’t read those books, unless there’s a REAL good reason for his assholeness. On the other hand I CAN’T STAND an effeminate hero, either. I won’t read those, either. Ick! Good god, give me a break. I want a real man!!! And, yeah, a real man isn’t always nice. He’s not supposed to be. He supposed to be rough and tough when it counts, and protective and loving when it counts, too. He’s supposed to get the job done in life.
As far as Han Solo and Luke Skywalker, I loved both of them, and always thought I’d want to meld them into my personal hero.
The thing I love about a true alpha hero is that he doesn’t think of himself as a hero. He’s the guy you need to get the job done and that’s all he’s concerned with. It’s all about what someone else needs and that’s sexy to me:-)
Well said. We all like our heroes to have a bit of tough guy in them.
I just wrote a story about a not-so-nice heroine and her metamorphosis into a woman worthy of the hero. I love stories where either/or isn’t a nice person at all ’cause as the hero/heroine falls in love so does the reader.
Hey guys, sorry to get back so late but this has been crazy day!
Dee - I’m so glad you stopped by! Yes, a hero can still be an asshole and if you can make it work, bravo!
Jillian - I do like Alphas, but I think a Beta works, especially in a comedy. I’m discussing Betas on Wednesday.
I like your comment Savanna - a real man isn’t always nice - he’s not supposed to be! Perfect!
Paris - I’m kind of talking about that tomorrow - a hero does what needs to be done, not always for the right reasons, but he does it.
Hey Sandra! How you doin’ girl? I like a tough guy who has a tender side for the people he loves. Like I find nothing sexier than a tough guy holding a baby. I’m a sucker for those commercials.
Beth - I can get behind a not-so-nice heroine too! You’re right, as the hero or heroine falls in love, so does the reader.
Ah, not Roseanne Roseanna Danna! Thanks, Yoshi. You’re right, Frank Burns said that - perhaps the least alpha male in television history!
“It’s nice to be nice to the nice.” shamelessly uttered by everyone’s concept of what a alpha male should not be, Frank Burns (M.A.S.H.).
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Great topic Julia.
I think it goes without saying that alpha men are virtually a staple ingredient in erotic romance heroes. Mine are all alpha and although you can find varying degrees of alpha or bad boy traits out there, I’ve yet to come across an evil alpha hero, nor would I create one. My men are all the characteristics you mention plus sexually dominant, excellent lovers and always mindful and respectful of their woman.
The alpha hero challenges the heroine, creates tension, both emotional and sexual. If he agreed with everything she did or said, I don’t see how the story would appeal. I’d say this last bit applies to betas too.
Evie Balos