A reader asked me once, 'Why are your characters always beautiful?'

  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 moreI 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 marrieddidn’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 storydo 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. 


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4 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Thank 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!

      That'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! :)

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