Diabolical. . . spunk.

Over the weekend I finally came up with the recipe for characters that enthrall and enchant me. And it all started (Thank you, Ms. Hauf!) with these guys!

There is absolutely nothing like DIABOLOCAL SPUNK to make my tummy warm and my toes curl with pleasure. Usually it's a villain that overshadows the hero. . . with style and a sense of humor, albeit a warped one. Occasionally it is a character that what I call a Secondary Delight. You know: that character who grabs the spotlight and steals the show. . . makes you want more, makes you imagine a whole storyline around them. . . with them somehow coming out on top.

And the few times where the hero or heroine is the diabolically spunky character-- well I just want more and more. It's hard to find a book with a truly diabolically spunky hero or heroine. . . because heroes have to do what heroes/heroines do, which is carry the arc of the story on their backs, grow, develop, tend the plot, create life-changing bonds with mates, and bring the story to a satisfying conclusion. And hey, that's plenty for one character to do! So, adding diabolical spunkiness to the mix-- well that's just waaaay past most writers' skill level. And yes, I'm serious about that.

Think about it-- it's incredibly rare to find a character who is a devious delight and who also engenders sympathy and deserves a great love story. The ONE character I can think of who made me feel this way wasn't in a book, much less a romance. It was the infamous Spike from Buffy, The Vampire Slayer. Tell me you didn't just melt when he came on the tube. And yet we laughed at his antics and were horrified by his deviousness-- but had to admire it all the same.
I watched "The Empire Strikes Bac" again for the first time in 15 or 20 years and was struck by how much I mis-remembered the story and the fabulous chemistry generated by Han Solo. In the scheme of things, he's a secondary character-- but he not only steals the show, he steals the heroine and the viewer's hearts! Tell me he isn't the epitome of diabolical spunk!
And who could possibly forget Johnny Depp in this diabolically spunky role:
It seems that Hollywood does a better job of capturing the edgy, attractive character than Romance writing does. Some of the stuff Johnny Depp does is decidedly UNheroic. But in the end, he usually comes through, redeems himself in our eyes and swaggers on. Wow. Makes me want to time travel to the 18th century. Almost.

Another diabolically spunky character from Hollywood's vaults is Eddie Murphy in "Beverly Hills Cop." And of course there is the one who started it all for me. . . Allan Rickman as the Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves. In that one performance, Rickman branded on my writer's psyche a template for delight of the naughty/edgy/never-gonna-be-ready-for-Sunday-School kind. If I ever meet Allan Rickman, I intend to drag him down a dark alley and give him just what Maid Marion wouldn't. Okay, I'd probably just give him a big old hug. . . and I'd have to live with the restraining order afterward, but it would be worth it!

And going back further in time. . . there was this guy. . . cool, devious, funny, and always triumphant.


So what about you? Have you figured out what kind of character makes your juices boil and touches your heart at the same time? What is your FAVORITE kind of character? And why do you think that appeals to you?

And as Bugs would say, "Ain't life grand?"