⚠️ WARNING: This post contains mature language and content.
Picking a life partner means finding someone compatible. Often, it means that morals, goals, inspiration, likes, and dislikes have to be somewhat in sync. And my choice won’t be your choice because we are different. How then, does a writer create a character that speaks to a multitude of people?
You see, who we might pick as a life partner is the total package — someone who checks all the boxes — a deep connection, passionate chemistry, unwavering loyalty, and a tenacious responsibility to his family. Good ‘bad boys’ in novels only have a few crucial boxes to check. Bad boys aren’t designed to be life partners. Bad boys are designed to put that little ache between your legs. And let’s face it, most women respond to all the same bad boy traits.
For a lot of women, it’s the power presence. A man with confidence and control is sexy. It’s this power core that creates every other sexy AF thing about him. So, maybe you like soulful, piercing eyes that undress you from across a bar. Or maybe you tingle from all the different nuances of a man’s voice — the low growl, the suggestive whisper, the breathy broken cadence of dirty talk — confidence, confidence, confidence.
In my opinion, a good ‘bad boy’ is someone you love to hate and hate to love. We all know that the bad boy often doesn’t win in the end — but that’s a different conversation altogether.