Ever read a book and the heroine... grrr, you just want to reach in, grab her, and slap the hell out of her? And then for good measure slap her up the side of the head again?
Immature. Irresponsible. Giggling. Failing to be kick ass when everyone keeps telling you she is - prove it beyotch!
Acting like a brat. Letting the hero spank you and then proceeding to sleep with him a few chapters later rather than kicking him in the nuts.
Failing to know the rules of the secret society and breaking them so the Hero has to step up and save the day (Okay, I know the author is at fault for writing her like that but this is my rant so don't get in my way)
Being a cliche.
For being plain, and constantly insisting you are plain but every man in a hundred mile radius is panting after your plain ass.
Being a psychic but being unable to use your powers when you are agitated.
For suddenly having your magical abilities ramped up for no particular reason and saving the day in less than a paragraph.
So my acronym? TSTLAM - Too stupid to live another minute.
Use it with my blessing as often as needed until all the authors get that we readers like our heroines strong, independent and capable. Sure she can break down into tears... ONCE. She can be thoughtless. Stumble (again, once. Let's not make her cute and clumsy). She can lose a fight as long as she gets up, learns from her mistakes and tries again.
Let her be smutty, sexy, raunchy. Let her laugh loudly, and from the belly. Let her be right... and occasionally wrong. Let her make smart decisions, or at least when she makes a bad one let her get out of the situation in a clever, mature manner.
Please let her be an adult. Let her have layers.
The heroines I have read that I love the most (and I'm going to include my own heroines in this - even Darcy, sociopath with good intentions) are the ones that I have wanted as best friends.
So to all the authors out there, I need more fictional best friends. Hopefully very, very soon no one will need to define any Heroine as TSTLAM.
Happy Five star reading