Oh, to have the eyes of a heroine in a romantic novel or short story.
But it is not to be. I suffer from the curse of the piggy, currant eyes (once described by a boyfriend as black and unreadable) and this, combined with fair, flyaway hair, maketh not a romantic lead. As far as I know, leading ladies also don't go to dances wearing a different shoe on each foot, as I did last week (unless they're Cinderella, in which case they might only wear one).
I was reading through a few of my published stories recently (how sad is that) and realised that my leading ladies nearly always have blue or occasionally green eyes and my leading men, blue or hazel eyes.
Then I looked at their hair. Chestnut features frequently for the ladies but I have been a little more flexible with the men - allowing them to have blond or dark brown hair (invariably collar length, tousled or curly).
Oh dear, I fear I am falling into the romantic hero cliché.
Time for a change...
He looked into her piggy, currant eyes. "Marry me," he said.
"I can't," she said, turning away. "Not unless you grow your hair and get some blue contact lenses."
Do you find your heroes or heroines share any characteristics?
Oh er, I often give my heroines chestnut hair too, gives them a bit of colour, or dark curls. Like you I have fine hair, which without the highlights is mousey brown. How many heroines are Miss Mouse?
ReplyDelete"... but what's wrong with my grey eyes?" he said, tucking a strand of her mousey brown hair behind her ear."
DeleteOops... sorry about the rogue speech mark. Where did that come from?
DeleteMy characters are usually based on people I know so they're a variety of hair colour, shapes and sizes. Just hope my friends don't guess which ones are based on them!
ReplyDeleteThat's interesting, as I never have a picture of anyone I know in my mind when I write.
DeleteInteresting question? In my novels, I rarely give physical description, but in short stories maybe I do. What does interest me is the number of fictitious people who have "black" eyes. I have never, ever met anyone with black eyes. Have you?
ReplyDeleteYes me! (well, ok, very dark brown then). Or are they referring to the bad guys after they've been in a fight, Frances.
DeleteI like dark eyes, Wendy! I seem to use grey eyes a lot in stories.
ReplyDeleteMy mum and brother have large dark eyes with long lashes... how unfair is that!
DeleteMy heroes often have that attractively 'floppy' hair. Hugh Grant in an earlier phase, maybe. I also find I am more likely to give the vivacious female heroines curly hair (boing!). I have no memory for faces though so in fact I virtually never describe anyone's physical appearance!
ReplyDeleteI am the same as you with my memory for faces, Kate and now you mention it, I think Hugh Grant floppy hair has featured in one of mine as well,
DeleteThis is so funny, Wendy. Incidentally, do you think Alexander Armstrong has piggy currant eyes?
ReplyDeleteCan you believe I had to look him up, Julia, as I didn't know who he was! Piggy, perhaps, but maybe not dark enough for currant.
DeleteThanks, Wendy, this made me giggle! I do find I write a lot of characters with same hair colour/eyes etc. Not sure there is anything wrong with 'piggy' eyes!
ReplyDeleteThe other day in a coffee shop someone asked if I was wearing contact lenses, as my eyes were so blue. Sadly, not a romantic moment as this was a fellow student (lady). But what a pick up line, huh?
Fancy you being in a coffee shop, Tracy... who'd have guessed! That certainly was a compliment - you'll just have to pretend it was someone else saying it.
DeleteI think dark eyes are lovely - I always so wanted dark eyes :-) x
ReplyDeleteWe'll do a swap, Teresa!
DeleteOh me too. Black gypsy eyes. Very romantic :)
DeleteDark eyes are romantic Wendy, think Audrey Hepburn, Sophia Loren. I use violet eyes, amber, anything unusual, then again, I am still waiting to have a womag story accepted....
ReplyDeleteYou see this is where you've been going wrong, Susan. A story which starts: He looked lovingly into her piggy currant eyes... is a sure fire winner.
DeleteLOL!!!! Oh my. We do fall into those habits so easily, don't we? I LOVE dark eyes--so dark they're almost black. They still have so much expression and are almost soul-sucking if you ask me.
ReplyDeleteThen I shall worry no more Crystal!
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