Feminine Mystique

When you create a female character it’s important to remember that she must have some form of feminine mystique. Men love mystery, and when they can’t figure out a woman completely, they become intrigued by her.

A male hero must believe that the heroine is different in some way – from all the other women he’s ever met as well as being intrinsically different from him. He could notice a number of things about the heroine which cause him to wonder about her. For instance, he sees how prettily she dresses (he couldn’t imagine walking around in a dress and high heels, and yet she does so with ease and grace and elegance!) and perhaps she’s slightly mysterious about her activities and doesn’t fully disclose the details of her life to him, even when he questions her. This makes him wonder about her even more.

When he can’t get hold of her because she’s living a full and busy life, his curiosity becomes piqued, especially if she is both happy and elusive. Imagine the following scenario: The male hero spots the heroine at a ball and notices how her smile lights up the room, but before he can make his way across the room to her… gosh!... she’s disappeared, and all that’s left is a… golden slipper! His curiosity is piqued, he has to find that girl! Where is she? What does she do during the day? He must find her! He must have her!

I’m launching into fairy stories here, but I think the Cinderella story illustrates so well how a feminine character can generate maximum curiosity in the hero’s mind, which then fires up his imagination regarding her.

Read The Dashing Debutante, Lord Fenmore’s Wager and Send and Receive