Finding a Hero

Starting a new story is always my favorite part of the process. Staring at the blank page and letting the possibilities flood my head is one of the best feelings in the world. I’m a pantser. I write by the seat of my pants. So as I sit there and stare at the page, I get to imagine any number of plots, settings, and genres. For that one brief moment, I could write them all. The moment I write the first word, the story starts. And the more words I write, them more locked in I am.

One thing that always amazes me is how long it takes me to figure out my hero. I often have the heroine down from the first word. I know who she is, what she wants, and how she’d react to just about any situation I throw at her. Some of my heroines are smart and serious, others are wild and fun but each of them come to me as a fully developed character. My heroes? Not so much.

I’m currently writing a new series in a new world. The hero is a mage. Not just any mage, he’s a pretty dark mage. He has to be. He works for the best assassin in the three kingdoms. But he’s also my hero. So when I started writing him, I kind of thought he’d be kind, companionate, and sweet with her to counterbalance his profession. When I started writing their first sex scene, however, that’s not how I wrote him. As I typed in the words, he ended up being almost the exact opposite of the lover I’d planned on him being. Oh, he’s still kind and compassionate. He loves the heroine deeply. He just realizes that she needs a man who can stand up to her in the bedroom.

And that’s just what she needs.

It’s true, the scene wasn’t anything like what I first pictured it’d be. But it turned out exactly as it should be. I found my hero. Or, at least, I found my most recent hero. The challenge isn’t over, however. I’ve written minor power-exchanges before. Bond Betrayed was probably my most notable. But I have a feeling things are going to get intense between these two. I’ll be swimming into dark waters with them. And it’ll be a challenge to stay true to their journey. Now that I’ve got the story and the characters set, however, I can see how much fun this particular adventure is going to be.

What's your favorite part of writing or reading? Is it that first moment when you open a new story or when it's all said and done and you finally get to take a deep breath?