Today’s
special blog guest is Becca Puglisi,
one half of The Bookshelf Muse blogging duo, and co-author
of The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to Character
Expression. Listing the body language, visceral reactions and
thoughts associated with 75 different
emotions, this brainstorming guide is a valuable tool for showing, not telling,
emotion.
You can win a PDF Copy of the Emotional Thesaurus simply by:
1.
Following The Storyteller’s blog
2. And
leaving a comment.
A
random program will select the winner on August 1st
Becca and Angela Ackerman have been
touring blogs of children’s authors discussing random topics dealing with the
theme of “The Top Five.” The top five
topic today at The Storyteller’s Scroll
is Swoonworthy Heroes in YA Novels.
So I
was pondering what Top 5 topic I wanted to profile and I started thinking about
my favorite male characters in YA. So that got me thinking: what WOULD appeal
to today’s readers, particularly girls? And it occurred to me that if you’re
going to write a YA with any romance whatsoever, your male counterpart has to
be totally swoonworthy.
But
what does that mean? What
characteristics make up this elusive trait? Let’s explore, shall we? Here are
my top 5 swoonworthy characters in YA, in no particular order:
1. Four, Divergent/Insurgent. Oh, Four. Talk about your
strong, silent type. As Tris’s instructor, he’s sharp and physically impressive
and has no problem taking charge. But on a personal level, he’s mysterious.
He’s got secrets and is clearly haunted by something. And in a Dauntless world that’s quickly
declining into chaos, he maintains a higher moral standard, longing for the
best that his faction could be. All very appealing qualities.
2. Kartik, A
Great and Terrible Beauty. As a member of the Rakshana, it’s Kartik’s job to
protect Gemma, and I’ll throw political correctness to the wind and state my
opinion that, for the most part,
girls like a guy who makes them feel safe. Another thing that makes Kartik attractive
is the fact that you’re not sure at first if he’s just doing his duty or if
he’s romantically interested in Gemma. Once again, a little mystery in a
leading man goes a long way.
3. Orlando Gardiner, Otherland. Ok, so the Otherland series isn’t YA, but
Orlando’s a teen, and maybe the most compelling one I’ve read. He spends most
of his day plugged into the Net as an über-strong barbarian playing a MMORPG.
But he also has a secret (I’m seeing a theme here). In reality, he’s suffering
from a degenerative disease that has aged him before his time. When things get
dangerous on the net, he does everything he can to save himself and his friends
despite his declining health. His courage and vulnerability and self-sacrifice
make him one of my all-time favorite characters.
4. Etienne St. Clair, Anna and the French Kiss. Etienne’s just...cool, in
that effortless, messed-up-hair-but-don’t-care kind of way. There are a million
of these characters in YA, but what makes him different is that he’s also kind
and unassuming and not entirely sure of himself in certain situations. He’s
different from most love interests because he’s the kind of guy we actually
have a chance of running into at school or in a movie theater or at the mall.
Accessibility is always attractive.
5. Aragorn. Ok, okay, OKAY! So Aragorn isn’t a teen and The
Lord of the Rings isn’t YA. But please. Self-doubt, a man with a destiny,
charisma, the future king of the world of men, Middle Earth’s Ultimate Fighting
Champion--all of this, and I can’t include Aragorn? Leaving him off of a list
of swoonworthy characters is like trying to make cake without sugar, or having
Mountain without the Dew. I mean, really. What’s the point?
So,
for what it’s worth, here are a thirty-something’s thoughts on YA love
interests. If you want to write a character that will appeal to girls, maybe
start with some of the traits these guys share. But clearly, I’m no expert, so
please, do chime in. What swoonworthy male YA characters have you read
recently, and what makes them that way?
The Emotion
Thesaurus is available for purchase through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iTunes, and Smashwords,
and the PDF can be purchased directly from her blog.
