Age Appropriate
My editor and I go back and forth about how my characters act based on their age. Ash (my editor) is early 30s so she has a handle on a much younger generation, whereas I have a handle on believable actions of "older than 30" characters.
Cassie is a 24 year old nanny who is fighting her attraction to her boss, Brook Wellington. She has been warned by her Nana to not even think about hitting on Brook. And even Cassie knows it's a bad idea. She could stand to lose everything if she makes a move... everything that has made her able to stand on her own two feet. Does she take the risk?
So, what does she do? She looks at other options even though in the back of her mind, it's always Brook. And at 24, her actions are not uncommon. I've always appreciated a beautiful woman. And beauty is different for everyone - but I can see and talk to somebody I find attractive, and not want to sleep with them. Cassie's the same way. She knows she shouldn't be attracted to her boss, so she looks for other avenues. She never acts on them because even though she's flirty with them - it's still always going to be Brook.
A lot of readers were put off by Cassie's actions. When Cassie met with Noah's teacher for drinks, she was excited that maybe she was going to be in a relationship after all. There's nothing wrong with dating somebody else when you are attracted to somebody you think is untouchable. Crushes do exist. But then she sees Brook at the same restaurant and the idea of dating Noah's teacher feels wrong for the right reasons. She's still learning relationships. How many of us knew what we wanted or had deep relationships at 24?
I like Cassie. She's human. Attractive people attract attractive people. She makes mistakes, but she learns from them. Who doesn't? Not all of my characters have her charming awkwardness, but she's one of the youngest characters I've written. I'm watching the L Word - Gen Q and I enjoy the young queer characters because they are fresh and make mistakes and bad decisions. They are learning through experience and that is the best way to learn.
Having a young editor keeps me fresh. She lectures me when I say something that is no longer acceptable and I learn so much from her. One thing we always talk about is age appropriate behavior and conversation. My favorite age to write is early 30s because that's when my characters seem to have their shit together and know what they want. At 24, my expectations were too high, but damn was it a fun journey learning my limits.
Cassie is a 24 year old nanny who is fighting her attraction to her boss, Brook Wellington. She has been warned by her Nana to not even think about hitting on Brook. And even Cassie knows it's a bad idea. She could stand to lose everything if she makes a move... everything that has made her able to stand on her own two feet. Does she take the risk?
So, what does she do? She looks at other options even though in the back of her mind, it's always Brook. And at 24, her actions are not uncommon. I've always appreciated a beautiful woman. And beauty is different for everyone - but I can see and talk to somebody I find attractive, and not want to sleep with them. Cassie's the same way. She knows she shouldn't be attracted to her boss, so she looks for other avenues. She never acts on them because even though she's flirty with them - it's still always going to be Brook.
A lot of readers were put off by Cassie's actions. When Cassie met with Noah's teacher for drinks, she was excited that maybe she was going to be in a relationship after all. There's nothing wrong with dating somebody else when you are attracted to somebody you think is untouchable. Crushes do exist. But then she sees Brook at the same restaurant and the idea of dating Noah's teacher feels wrong for the right reasons. She's still learning relationships. How many of us knew what we wanted or had deep relationships at 24?
I like Cassie. She's human. Attractive people attract attractive people. She makes mistakes, but she learns from them. Who doesn't? Not all of my characters have her charming awkwardness, but she's one of the youngest characters I've written. I'm watching the L Word - Gen Q and I enjoy the young queer characters because they are fresh and make mistakes and bad decisions. They are learning through experience and that is the best way to learn.
Having a young editor keeps me fresh. She lectures me when I say something that is no longer acceptable and I learn so much from her. One thing we always talk about is age appropriate behavior and conversation. My favorite age to write is early 30s because that's when my characters seem to have their shit together and know what they want. At 24, my expectations were too high, but damn was it a fun journey learning my limits.
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Thanks, Carrie! I appreciate the support 😊
For me, the attention that Cassie paid other women when I knew the end game was going to be Brook, somehow cheapened that relationship for me. Cassie came off as flippant with her attraction and what she wanted.
It is probably just reader preference when it comes down to it. I like to read about women who become locked in. Bam. Once you've encountered the one, you can't possibly entertain the idea of someone else. I know that is fantastical, but I prefer fairytale to realistic.
I really enjoyed Temptation, though. That was just a small part of what was going on in the book, I didn't even mention my thoughts on this in my review except for a throw away reference to college girls attracting everyone.