Ahhh...I bet he still tells her how beautiful she is...
As most questions, I answered with my
heart not my head, so my answer was quick and straightforward.
Before I tell you my
answer, though, I’ll tell you why it came out so quickly. Not only do I read A LOT
of books—of course, I remind you that every time we meet—first and foremost, I’m
a reader. I may write four books a year, but when I’m not crazy busy with life,
I read close to 150 a year.
And what’s more…I promote a book or
two almost daily. Since I obviously can’t read every book I promote, I rely on
readers’ reviews. That’s okay, though, because my websites are about great
books that have achieved great feedback, not about books I’ve reviewed. Since I
promote those books, I have to read reviews—lots of them. Lately, there’s been
a new trend about dogging the author when the reader feels the characters are
too beautiful. My guess is that when readers feel that way, they’re probably buying
books in the wrong genre.
Here’s what I mean… In most books and
movies, the main characters’ looks are not central to the theme, the story is.
Unless the book is about a character who is struggling with personal issues of
weight, scars, deformities, and they are learning how to overcome their own
fears and perhaps meet the person who only sees their inner beauty, most
protagonists are described as beautiful…
Why?
Here’s my answer finally… Often, the
main protagonist is the character describing the other lead characters. So tell
me, when you got married…didn’t you think your husband was the most handsome man
on earth? Did you point out that his nose was a little too long, his hair was too thin, that he could be a tad bit taller?
No—or at least I hope not—what you
saw was everything that you loved about him, and hopefully, he did the same
thing.
Again, unless a body flaw is a
relevant issue to the story…do you really want the author to have the male
protagonist think, ‘Man, she could lose some weight!’ Nope again, I hope. That's the ex-boyfriend! LOL!
Anyway… I hope this makes sense, and
that you’ll understand why I write beautiful characters. But no, they’re not
perfect. Often, my characters try to cover their bodies, lace their hands over
their tummy… But then, I have the male character move her hand away and tell
her that she’s beautiful, all of her.
Why?
Because that’s what my husband of twenty-four
years has always told me.
Happy reading, my friends!
Carmen
Thank you
for stopping by my place and reading my musings. Remember these are just my
opinions and shouldn’t be taken too seriously. If you have questions, please
feel free to leave them in the comment section, and I promise you I will
answer. If you’re curious about what I
write, please visit my author page, where you can read all about my novels and
short stories. And hey, I’ll even give you a free book, just for
stopping by.
For full description or to download, visit:
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available free in your area, use…
Such a perfect answer!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Darcía! Of course, with limited characters at my disposal via my usual places, my actual answer was a little more curt, "Doesn't your hubby think that you're the most beautiful woman in the world?" LOL!
DeleteThat's what's nice about a blog. If one reader had that question--plus, as I said, I've read it several times in reviews--I can offer up a more detailed answer here.
I really do feel that way... I purposely write imperfect characters...but yes, just as a mom sees her baby as the most beautiful baby in the world, when my characters find their truelove, they do see them as beautiful.
Thank you for stopping by, my friend! :)
Good answer.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Joy! I'm glad you enjoyed. :)
Delete