I never knew that there was such a variety of romance heroes and heroines. Writing about archetypal heroes/heroines my characters remind me of: that’s my exercise this week in my Forward Motion Writers’ Community online writing class. To prepare for the assignment, one source of research was a Web site listing eight romance hero archetypes and eight romance heroine archetypes. Think the macho man or the perfect woman are the only type of romance characters? Think again. Such creatures as The Professor (if a man) or The Librarian (if a woman) lurk in romance and are also found in many other genres, too. These are but two surprising animals to be found in the zoo exhibit of romance hero and heroine archetypes.

There’s also the Bad Boy. Okay, we expected him. He’s not necessarily a meanie. He is often vulnerable underneath his tough exterior – like Patrick Swayze in Dirty Dancing. And The Charmer. Yeah, he’s easily recognizable in many a book or movie. But the Best Friend? Sure, he makes some womens’ hearts beat faster. Think of almost any Tom Hanks character. The Lost Soul? Of course. Angel is the perfect example. The Swashbuckler – yes, he’s actually a different species than The Chief (otherwise known as the Alpha Male). Could you imagine Indiana Jones climbing the corporate ladder? No way – he’d be bored to death with it. The Warrior, another strong and familiar male archetype, also differs from The Chief in that he sticks up for the underdogs in life, even at his own cost. But The Professor … hmmm. Well, if Spock doesn’t convince you of the potential appeal of this type, how about the guy who studied dinosaurs in Jurassic Park? He was actually a combo of a Professor and a Reluctant Swashbuckler. Read more about the hero archetpyes on All About Romance: We Need a Hero.

What about the heroines? We already know about The Waif. She’s Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and many another fairy tale heroine. She’s not as commonly found in romance novels these days as she was in bygone days. The Boss was a popular character as far back as Katherine Hepburn. Any Princess is likely to be a Boss. Think of Princess Leia. Johanna Lindsey has had more than one Boss character in her novels. Other heroine archetypes that don’t immediately spring to mind as stereotypes but are still quite common are The Survivor and The Spunky Kid. Meg Ryan has played more than one Spunky Kid. Laura Ingalls Wilder in the Little House books and series was a Spunky Kid. The Spunky Kid is an all-american favorite. The Free Spirit is also common. Think of most of Goldie Hawn’s characters. Josephine, the love of Wyatt Earp’s life in Tombstone, was a Free Spirit. As for The Librarian? Shelley Long played a Librarian on Cheers. Laura Dern’s character in Jurassic Park was a combo of a Librarian and a Spunky Kid. The Crusader is close to The Warrior. Buffy and Xena are crusaders. But is she found in romance novels? Sure, Nora Roberts’ Princess Adrianne in Sweet Revenge is an example. Finally, there is The Nurturer. She’s not always a homemaker. Sometimes she’s a psychologist or a doctor these days. Read more about heroine archetypes on All About Romance: The Women We Want to Be.