If you are writing a fan fiction or original novel today, make the female lead an 89 Girl. Give her a job, a bad back from sleeping wrong, and a heart that still beats fast for the right person. That is the romance we actually want to read.

Do not save her. She doesn't need a hero. She needs a partner who doesn't bore her.

The “89 Girl” Archetype: Why She Owns the Messy, Magnetic, and Mature Romance