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Tuesday, June 29, 2010Jack and the Draw of the Beta Hero
I've been struggling with a Beta male lately and it's making me crazy. Because he used to be Alpha. Used to be as in before this book starts...and something happened to turn him Beta. Kind of like turning a normal guy into a super-vampire-hunter dude. If only I wrote paranormal!
Don't get me wrong, I love a good Beta-guy. Jack Black springs to mind, probably because he guest-starred on bebe's favorite show the other day...Gotta love a guy willing to wear a super-hero outfit and sing along with fluffy monsters. Back to the subject. I love Jack Black - I find him incredibly charming and funny and I like rooting for him. But he definitely doesn't fit the Alpha-hero prototype. I just don't see him as a laying down the law guy...as a make fun of the law guy, yeah...as a running from the law guy, uh-huh. But I just can't make him fit that I'm-Right-And-That's-It way that Alpha heros seem to talk. Which brings me to the hero in question from the WIP. I've Alphaed him out, but he's not as charming as an all-out Alpha...and he needs to be charming. He works as a charmer. As a ruler...not so much.
The problem may be with me. I like that my beta-hero is open to change. I like that he still has a few secrets, but isn't so rigid that he can't share them - eventually. And I like the moments when he goes full-on alpha - which does happen quite a lot. When he's not in full-on alpha mode, though, he's laid back. Way, way laid back.
So, I'm at a loss. I really don't know what to do with this hero. I like the story, I like what the hero stands for. I love that the heroine has no clue what to do with him but can't let him go.
My question to you: are beta heroes a deadend? Do I give up on him and the story? Or should I keep going with Beta-man-with-Alpha-moments and see where it leads?
