tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1625093777073151860.post6299087556985230063..comments2024-03-26T16:52:31.007-05:00Comments on Smart Girls Read Romance: DO CHARACTERS HAVE TO BE LIKABLE?Joan Reeveshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17622809465767116747noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1625093777073151860.post-9546022345789517672014-09-25T21:26:29.216-05:002014-09-25T21:26:29.216-05:00I hope you like the book when you get around to re...I hope you like the book when you get around to reading it, Lisa. There's a lot more to my H/H than I wrote about here. I wanted to focus solely on the "likeable" angle. Sorry about the bashing you've received from reviewers. Sometimes it's a matter of opinion and who gets to state their opinion of someone else's work.<br /><br />BarbaraBarbarahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08939412635628456635noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1625093777073151860.post-23578600069210898302014-09-25T21:24:14.905-05:002014-09-25T21:24:14.905-05:00Jana, the problem sometimes is who is defining &qu...Jana, the problem sometimes is who is defining "likeable." I thought readers would still like my heroine even though in the first version she tried to steal her best friend's boy friend because she thought she was doing it for her friend's benefit. Others didn't see it that way, which is why the change of story line. <br /><br />BarbaraBarbarahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08939412635628456635noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1625093777073151860.post-86185990016187402412014-09-25T21:21:50.483-05:002014-09-25T21:21:50.483-05:00Thanks for stopping by and commenting, Beth. WRP a...Thanks for stopping by and commenting, Beth. WRP authors are so supportive of each other. I hope you asked to be notified if anyone responded to your post, because I just got back to this blog today after taking a day off. I'm vacationing in Arizona, but as a pubbed author, you can't just leave things completely alone. <br /><br />BarbaraBarbarahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08939412635628456635noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1625093777073151860.post-82968826817651988452014-09-24T03:38:24.099-05:002014-09-24T03:38:24.099-05:00This looks so good! Added to my tbr list. I can re...This looks so good! Added to my tbr list. I can relate. In all of my books the heroine is a work in progress. Even though later in the book she learns from her mistakes, she takes a bashing from reviewers. I just keep writing the flawed heroine, to me she's real.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02023489468318591642noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1625093777073151860.post-81338210005845357752014-09-23T16:47:17.566-05:002014-09-23T16:47:17.566-05:00Characters have to be likeable, and they should al...Characters have to be likeable, and they should also be memorable and unique. I want to read about a H/H that I can root for! Good luck with your new book, Barbara.Jana Richardshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16624650840243322617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1625093777073151860.post-35856466120108800352014-09-23T10:25:53.760-05:002014-09-23T10:25:53.760-05:00Hello Barbara. Greetings from a fellow WRP author....Hello Barbara. Greetings from a fellow WRP author. I thought I already posted this comment so if it shows up twice, oh well. Interesting post. Not a plot dilemma I'd considered. Way back when, I tried to pitch my GH finalist novel, Through the Fire, to NY and got a lot of 'we don't do NA themes' back then. Sometimes you never know what they want or don't want until after you've already written the story. Congrats on a fabulous release.Beth Trisselhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13742049964476824594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1625093777073151860.post-23777713640782604042014-09-23T08:58:13.628-05:002014-09-23T08:58:13.628-05:00Karen Ann, it's a real challenge sometimes to ...Karen Ann, it's a real challenge sometimes to make the character flawed but still likeable, but I think one of the key factors, if done successfully, for readers to embrace a book. <br /><br />I had trouble with GWTW after Bonnie Blue died, but I stuck with it.<br /><br />BarbaraBarbarahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08939412635628456635noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1625093777073151860.post-10507601606235075832014-09-23T06:27:55.741-05:002014-09-23T06:27:55.741-05:00I have to like my hero and heroine too. One of the...I have to like my hero and heroine too. One of the few things that will make me give up on a book is disliking either of them - in fact one of the classics I couldn't finish was Gone with the Wind, simply because I disliked Scarlet so much. Without doubt our readers need to empathize with the main characters in a romance, even if she may occasionally do something less than admirable. Nice to hear your thoughts on the topic, Barb.Karen Ann Dellhttp://www.karenanndell.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1625093777073151860.post-26588467136104985082014-09-22T21:13:57.886-05:002014-09-22T21:13:57.886-05:00Appreciate your thoughts, Rhea. I've never str...Appreciate your thoughts, Rhea. I've never struggled with the likeability thing until this book. One or two judges' comments might not have convinced me to take another look, but this was too frequent. Thanks for stopping by.<br /><br />BarbaraBarbarahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08939412635628456635noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1625093777073151860.post-17609869822655183242014-09-22T21:09:38.084-05:002014-09-22T21:09:38.084-05:00JoMarie, this was the first book I ran by beta rea...JoMarie, this was the first book I ran by beta readers, after I'd switched the story line around. They still had MANY comments, but the likeable part didn't come up. So I passed that test at least. :) Barbarahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08939412635628456635noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1625093777073151860.post-5611507544126389742014-09-22T20:59:56.720-05:002014-09-22T20:59:56.720-05:00Characters must be likable, but that doesn't m...Characters must be likable, but that doesn't mean they have to start out that way, for me at least. If there is a traumatic backstory that warrants a character being the way they are, I can deal with it, as long as that history makes an appearance earlier than later in the book. I love a character I can sympathize and cheer on to a happy ending after all of the trials he or she endured. I have a serious soft spot for flawed characters because that makes them so much more real. In the end, though, likable is key. Great post Barb!Rheahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14166816142977861418noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1625093777073151860.post-27754717524833208702014-09-22T19:54:50.781-05:002014-09-22T19:54:50.781-05:00Yes, characters need to be likeable for me. Not pe...Yes, characters need to be likeable for me. Not perfect by any means and not wishy-washy doormats, either. It's okay if everyone thinks the heroine is a b*tch as long as the reader knows differently! ;-) Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08991293867590135940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1625093777073151860.post-71966797710496834332014-09-22T19:37:30.529-05:002014-09-22T19:37:30.529-05:00Thanks for the opportunity to talk about my latest...Thanks for the opportunity to talk about my latest release, Caroline. I hope readers have the same attitude about reading "Salsa." <br /><br />BarbaraBarbarahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08939412635628456635noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1625093777073151860.post-41867937761541314432014-09-22T19:36:10.282-05:002014-09-22T19:36:10.282-05:00Thanks, Karren. I hope you'll enjoy it when yo...Thanks, Karren. I hope you'll enjoy it when you get to it. As I reread it through numerous revisions and edits, I decided I'd made the right move.<br /><br />BarbaraBarbarahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08939412635628456635noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1625093777073151860.post-54142296552775897312014-09-22T19:34:53.109-05:002014-09-22T19:34:53.109-05:00Thanks, Liz. It wasn't easy, and I didn't ...Thanks, Liz. It wasn't easy, and I didn't make this decision overnight. At one time, I also had four POVs, the H/H plus the brother and the best friend. It was so much easier telling the story that way. So besides revising the relationship with the girlfriend, I had to switch everything to two POVs only.<br /><br />BarbaraBarbarahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08939412635628456635noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1625093777073151860.post-80133695174413850632014-09-22T09:04:34.866-05:002014-09-22T09:04:34.866-05:00Saved By The Salsa sounds intriguing! It has imme...Saved By The Salsa sounds intriguing! It has immediately been put on my TBR list! I love the story line and am so looking forward to reading it!Caroline Clemmonshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16726636166997562182noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1625093777073151860.post-90014351854945111112014-09-22T09:03:31.820-05:002014-09-22T09:03:31.820-05:00Liz, loved your post. SAVED BY THE SALSA sounds to...Liz, loved your post. SAVED BY THE SALSA sounds too good to miss.Caroline Clemmonshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14914658854159456335noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1625093777073151860.post-63820843350200277562014-09-22T05:33:04.556-05:002014-09-22T05:33:04.556-05:00It IS hard to keep them interesting as well as lik...It IS hard to keep them interesting as well as likable, I think, but so worthwhile. Unlike flesh-and-blood friends, whose foibles I always forgive (and vice versa, thank goodness), an unlikable heroine's story never gets finished. If I'm going to invest time in a book, it needs to be girlfriend-type time without the things that make you wonder why you and so and so are friends at all.<br /><br />I love the changes you made to Lacey's story!Liz Flahertyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06794565644883272260noreply@blogger.com