War-scarred heroine?

kimb68 · Nov 26, 2007

In my WIP, my heroine is a Iraq War veteran. Apart from the mental trauma, I'm imagining her with some kind of physical scars, but I'm worried about going too far. Would something like missing fingers or a glass eye be a deal-breaker? Or should I play it safe and just give her a few choice scars?

Basically, I want to show that she's tough and has survived a lot. Also, it seems fake to have someone come out of a war experience with no injuries. On the other hand, I don't want the heroine's appearance to gross people out. Is there a happy medium?

blackpen · Nov 26, 2007

Sadly enough, a glass eye is probably a deal breaker. ESP if it's in the romance genre. I'd stick with some choice scars, rope burns, and maybe hair growing back after having fallen out in clumps.

job · Nov 26, 2007

ISTM, if you have extensive scarring that shows when your gal is wearing clothes, or if you have bad scarring to the face, or if you have a major disability -- like a hand that doesn't work at all --
then how she handles this is going to be one of the major themes of the book.
The book will be 'about' how she and the hero deal with her disablility or scar.

If what you're looking for is more along the lines of a distinctive character trait than something that governs the plot, you might go for a
'scar across her eyebrow' or
'missing part of her ring finger' or
'a permanent stiffness in her right hand. She'd never be able to fully close it again.' or
'limped a little' or
'scars across her back that mean she'd be wearing conservative bathingsuits.'

c.e.lawson · Nov 26, 2007

As one who has a terrible fondness for battle-scarred warriors of the male persuasion, and is having a wonderful time describing said scars in my WIP set in ancient Sparta, I'd have to agree that there is a double standard here. Is it because men are supposed to be so visually oriented? In my opinion, you probably need to tread lightly in terms of scarring a woman. A glass eye would be going too far, IMO. There's just something about the eyes that gets people. Well placed scars are a good idea. They can even be hidden, more or less, until a more intimate moment with her romantic partner. Other ways I can think of showing injury in a female without it being a "deal breaker" are

- a slight limp
- a tremor of one hand resulting from a head injury

And don't forget Paul McCartney's ex -wife Heather Mills, who is extremely attractive with a prosthetic leg. That's another option.

Good luck,

c.e.

nessam · Nov 26, 2007

Many people come back from war with no injuries. Far too many people come back with them. I do agree the glass eye would be a deal breaker for a romance novel. Scars can be anywhere on the body from shrapnel.

dolores haze · Nov 26, 2007

Ha - I knew C.E. would be all over that question.

I think you could get away with it in women's fiction. There are plenty of scarred/disabled heroes in romance; women, unfortunately, not so much.

I think if I lost an eye I would probably wear an eyepatch rather than a glass eye, so you wouldn't necessarily see the injury. Also, there could possibly be psychological vs. physical damage.

I think the war vet heroine is a great idea, by the way. Good luck.

JoNightshade · Nov 26, 2007

nessam said:
Many people come back from war with no injuries. Far too many people come back with them. I do agree the glass eye would be a deal breaker for a romance novel. Scars can be anywhere on the body from shrapnel.

I was just going to say this. I know plenty of Viet Nam vets who don't have any visible injuries at all. Usually the worst scars are emotional. In fact it might be interesting to have a very "tough" female who had survived a whole lot, and yet had no scars to show for it. In a way scars almost identify you as someone who has experienced a lot, so not having any would "camoflague" her in mainstream society. I can imagine her being frustrated with everyone assuming she's just a normal American girl when she's seen all these horrific things.

On the other hand, what's up with a glass eye being a deal breaker? You guys are weird.

I'm not a romance reader, but that's not a turnoff for me at all. They really don't look that weird, except when you pop them out! I had a professor with one in college and you couldn't even tell unless you knew. And if she was self conscious she could wear her hair over that eye or something.

nessam · Nov 26, 2007

Ok, popping out a glass eye- definately not sexy.

JoNightshade · Nov 26, 2007

What? It's totally badass.

dolores haze · Nov 26, 2007

Anyone remember that scene in "Romeo is Bleeding" where Lena Olin rips off her prosthetic arm, tosses it across the room, then pounces on a wide eyed Gary Oldam?
Badass? Hell, yeah. But would it work in a romance novel?

kimb68 · Nov 26, 2007

Great responses, thanks! Actually, I know a couple of people with glass eyes and they're really not very noticeable. I was thinking it might come in handy if she had no depth-perception. But it's sort of a weird disability that might just be distracting.

I think I might wimp out here and write a scarred hand/arm that doesn't work as well as it used to. I don't want to make a major issue of it, I'm just striving for a wee bit of gritty realism. The emotional scars are definitely going to be more important to the plot.

(I think partly I'm reacting to all those historicals where the girl has a barely noticeable limp that somehow makes her unmarriagable despite being drop-dead gorgeous and sweet-tempered. Or where she's convinced she's hideously disfigured because of some little teensy scar. I hate that.)

Hapax Legomenon · Nov 26, 2007

JoNightshade said:
What? It's totally badass.

Agreed. Why not add a bit of badass to a romance novel? Anything can use a bit of badass.

Marian Perera · Nov 26, 2007

dolores haze said:
I think if I lost an eye I would probably wear an eyepatch

The Elle Driver look is badass too.

aliajohnson · Nov 26, 2007

A heroine in one of my historical WIPs (she's a secondary character in the first two books of the series) has a limp and a noticable facial scar that runs from her temple to her jaw. I'm excited about writing her story, and I don't think it has to be centered around her past injuries. They're a part of her, but they don't define her.

I think you can give your heroine obvious scars--as long as they're not incredibly disfiguring--without making a huge issue out of it. Not making a big issue out of it would make her even more bad-ass, imo.

That having been said--I have to tell you that things involving eyes or eye sockets creep me out just a little. Sorry.

Hapax Legomenon · Nov 26, 2007

I'm debating whether to give an MC of mine an eyepatch or a glass eye. Knowing him, he might get a marble and shove it in there. He's like that...

WittyandorIronic · Nov 26, 2007

I am a female Vet, though I got out right before the most recent war so I never did a tour in Iraq or Afghanistan. Most of the soldiers I know and work with (almost everyone is prior military) did not come back with any injuries. Just a few things to keep in mind.
- Her proximity to danger would all depend on Branch of Service, Job, and Rank. If you want more info on this, let me know.
- Females are not on the "frontline" or allowed in "frontline" jobs. This is very blurry (wtf? is that really how that is spelled? that looks so weird) since the war on terrorism, but she would not be on the same type of patrols and in the line of fire as much as males. (If you need, I can check with some buddies on this for accuracy)
- Any type of injury would depend on type of weapon/attack used, where she was, what she was doing, and what type of body armor she was currently wearing. e.g. it would be doubtful she would have an attack that sliced from her hairline down her forehead. Why? Because the kevlars (helmets) they make you wear are huge, and come down over almost your entire forehead. They also limit visibility. (they suck, lol)
Anyways, just some thoughts to keep in mind.

nessam · Nov 27, 2007

Hey I just thought of something- Do you remember the chick opposite Uma in Kill Bill 2? She was totally badass and had a glass eye.

Jo I stand corrected you are right.

eodmatt · Nov 27, 2007

Some of the "scars" exhibited by Veterans are not easily discernible and are not always physical marks. I remember well being in London after a particularly interesting tour of Belfast. My then girlfriend and I were walking past a demolition site at the moment that a wall within the site crashed to the ground. Without conscious effort, I moved us both ten or so yards to the shelter of a shop doorway. This was done instinctively and involuntarily as a learned response to perceived danger.

It was many years before I would sit with my back to a door or window in a pub or restaurant. This is not because of some irrational fear of assassination. It is a fact that in Northern Ireland during "The Troubles", around seventy per cent of the injuries suffered by both civilian and military persons were attributable to flying glass and debris. One therefore conditioned ones self to subconsciously taking up positions out of line of sight of open areas, as a matter of course.

Your Heroine could exhibit such small "scars", providing a degree of subtle authenticity. IMHO.

arodriguez · Nov 27, 2007

just give her some marine tattoos. in sexy places.

WittyandorIronic · Nov 27, 2007

Just wanted to update. I talked with some buddies and they said that (in the Army...though I have passing knowledge of the other services if it is needed) females were not often being singled out/left behind/kept out of harms way as in previous wars. Though you still cannot join a "front line" (the official term is 'combat arms') job, many jobs bleed over and they don't do much to stop it.

Manat · Nov 27, 2007

It's different in Canada I believe, and I suspect some other countries as well. Canadian women serve in the front lines and there is no separation in duties between women and men. I don't know if that's a good thing or not. It was very sad when a female captain with young children was killed last year in Afghanistan.

The one-eyed girl would give me the creeps or make me giggle but I did see a movie last week where the female vet returning from Iraq had lost her arm at the elbow when on a medical escort. She was very attractive and also very defensive. She dumped her boyfriend and pushed everyone away, but a teacher where she worked kept trying. When they finally got together and made love the first time they were both really tense and weird, and then he takes of her sweater and it got caught on her mechanical arm. There was tugging and cursing and then they both up and couldn't stop laughing. They forgot about the sweater or the arm and just went to town. It was funny, touching, beautiful and hot. Great love scene! Makes me think that though it's hard to do, if you can do it right.......

Sassee · Nov 29, 2007

dolores haze said:
Anyone remember that scene in "Romeo is Bleeding" where Lena Olin rips off her prosthetic arm, tosses it across the room, then pounces on a wide eyed Gary Oldam?
Badass? Hell, yeah. But would it work in a romance novel?

That is awesomeness. I must now rent this movie. Excuse me while I fly to the video store...

Glass eye = not so hot.

Patch could be done carefully... remember Elle Driver aka California Mountain Snake (Daryl Hannah) in Kill Bill? She had an eyepatch and looked very badass.

Scars - depends on where ya put 'em. Hidden scars are best I think. You get the whole insecurity-with-getting-naked thing along with revealing said scars to mr. right. Always a fun emotional journey.

My suggestion:

Have a blown eardrum or other some other level of hearing loss in one (or both?) ear(s).

Unique · Nov 29, 2007

>;;<

>'U'<

."".

guessed wrong that time but I may have been write - Once.

>''<

Ravenlocks · Nov 30, 2007

She could have a piece of shrapnel stuck in her leg where it's too much trouble to get it out, but it makes her beep whenever she goes through a metal detector. That could be fun depending on setting.

I'm not a romance girl, but I'd totally read about a woman with bad scars or even a glass eye. But, weirdly, I might be turned off by a male love interest with a glass eye. I'm visualizing the fake eye in Pirates of the Caribbean...

JeanneTGC · Nov 30, 2007

Angelina Jolie wore an eyepatch in "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow" and was totally hot and blew Gwyneth Paltrow off the screen. I kept on wondering what was wrong with Jude Law's character that he wasn't still with her, then realized he was a wimp.

War-scarred heroine?

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