Your heroine hears a strange noise in the basement, a noise that doesn’t belong there. She is alone. Holding only a flashlight and a baseball bat, she goes downstairs to confront the villain, deliberately putting herself in danger.
This can work in horror movies. It doesn’t in romance. This bra and panty clad girl is a too stupid to live (TSTL) hero. Readers and editors complain when they read her crap. She doesn’t offer you publishing contracts from writers. They don’t buy her books. She is the kiss of death in romance.
How to avoid writing a TSTL heroine?
The women who read her books are, on average, normal, sensible women. Often while reading, they pretend to be the heroine. When putting your heroine in any situation, ask yourself “how would a normal, sensible woman act?”
In this case, you would call 9-1-1 and wait for the police to arrive. She would dress. She turned on all the lights. She might have run to the neighbors to wait until help arrived.
But that doesn’t make it an interesting read, does it? It’s much more exciting for the brave girl to risk herself in the dark basement. Then ask yourself “Why would a normally sensible woman do that?”
What if, due to tornado warnings in the area and your overprotective nature, your child is sleeping in the basement? There is no light because of the storm. 9-1-1 is flooded with calls and she is put on hold. Suddenly, your heroine has motivation. There is no one else coming to save them and she will do anything to keep her son safe, even braving a would-be intruder. She’s not being stupid. She is doing what needs to be done.