Plucky Romance Heroine vs YA Female Protagonist

I'm intensely studying the Harlequin Presents format, in hopes of writing one. To be honest, I'm finding many of the heroines repellant. Plucky seems to mean argumentative, illogical, and taking silly risks. They stand up to the alpha until he shows them how misguided they were, and then he saves them from their mistake.

In contrast I'm studying some YA writing instruction books.

What do you all think of applying YA advice to the plucky heroine in an HP? Do you think it can be done?

I have asked myself if this is the right line for myself. I like the publisher description of the line, better than what the current authors are writing within that line, I think.

And each book seems to irk me in a different way, and I believe that what is irking me, is not coming from publisher expectations. It's often subtle things. And I am easily irked as someone coming from a domestic abuse situation and having PTSD.

Some of the writing instruction books geared towards romance writers seem to be warning against exactly what I am seeing, and being irked about. So I think publishers are accepting, but not looking for what is irking me, but I am not sure.

I'm not totally sure what is attracting me so much to the Presents line. There is SOMETHING there that is not in the other lines. Or maybe something missing that I like to see missing. I like the total lack of subplot and minimal family involvement. I like the total focus being on the romantic relationship between two people.

I think the strength of Presents, can be for a very lonely woman, to picture herself as the heroine and having instant happiness with the inclusion of just one new person in their life. As the world moves faster and families are being torn apart for all sorts of reasons, I think we are seeing more women who are out in the world all alone without anyone. In flies the hero and everything changes overnight for the better.

I'd like to be able to hold onto that precious fairytale, but still write a heroine who can be a role model. The new trend is not to present, an abuser and a codependent heroine. I don't think a smirking hero and an unstable screeching heroine is a step in the right direction, away from that. I think I know how to write a non-abusive alpha. I want the heroine to be...able to save herself most of the time, like a kids/YA heroine can. I want it to be truly romantic when the hero does save her from something, and I also want it to be truly romantic when she saves the hero. The perfect couple is a team that shores each other up where they are weak as individuals. I don't believe conflict requires at least one unstable partner.

I think if I have to choose, I prefer the old fashioned abusive alpha and the stable heroine, to the new smirking alpha and the screeching harpy.

What is SE?

I started my first HP last night. So far, I'm feeling very optimistic about it.

I learn best by doing, and what I think is going to happen doesn't necessarily work out that way. I figure the best thing to do right now is to just dive in.

The heroine seems to be writing herself and taking over...so...it might not matter what I want her to be :-0

Thank you all for the tips and advice.

I'll check out Maisy Yates.

As I'm writing I'm seeing how much easier it is to do exactly what I don't like reading :-0 It's weird. And some of it's what the how-to books and articles are warning against. Even though certain things are accepted in the line and are frequently done, the how-to books are trying to lead authors away from some of these easy tricks that just kind of happen within this formula, when you let the characters take over and write themselves.

Whatever happens with this book, I just want to FINISH it. I am learning SO much by writing it, that I'm less invested in it's sale, than I am invested in the excellent learning opportunity I'm having the chance to experience.

I'm learning that sometimes I might not like my characters, and that even if I do, I might not want anyone to emulate them. This is STORY writing and NOT a domestic abuse recovery manual, I'm having to remind myself.

I have no idea where all this will lead, but I'm just going to keep plugging away at it, and see what happens. Already it is going places I didn't expect it to.