In keeping with the blogosphere's biggest thing going right now (that would be the a-z blogfest) I give you the letter H for Hero or Heroine.
That's your main character, whoever he or she may be. You might even have two main characters, or, if you're George R. R. Martin (Song of Ice and Fire), you might have many characters. Whoever they are, they're probably the good guys, the people who will change and be changed by the events in the story. Your readers will be rooting for them, worrying over them, possibly even blogging over them! So you best make them worthy and give them helpful attributes that will aid them on their journey - but not too helpful, because that journey needs to be a challenge. In fact, I suggest giving them at least one hindering characteristics. It doesn't matter what but make sure they're not perfect because no one likes to read about perfect people; they're a bore. And remember, sometimes the most flawed heroes are the most memorable. Like Lestat in Interview with a Vampire and The Vampire Lestat. Anne Rice masterfully gave us a vampire to despise in the first book and then turned him into a hero in the second. Now that's magic.
Who is the hero in your story? Care to share? If so, send me 250 words about your mc from your current wip. I'll post the first four I receive here this week.
25 comments:
The reader must bond or at least care about the MC. Whether he/she is a heroic figure or not, it is vital that readers identify with the character.
Good post.
Yeah, no one wants to read about a perfect hero who has no issues to deal with. I always loved that Indiana Jones was afraid of snakes. :)
I have two main characters, or hero's in my WIP, one is a bit of a bad boy though...
My hero definitely has flaws, and hopefully doesn't resemble the 'normal' hero since she doesn't think of herself that way.
I have a few heros beside my protagonist, and in the third book one of the bad guys switches sides. So heros can come in all shapes, sizes, and colors.
I personally like an MC I like. I haven't been able to read the game of throne beacause even though there are characters I do like, they don't have a lot space in the book.
Sonia Lal, A to Z challenge
Great advice
my a to z that is fiction is flash fiction - difficult to do anything but open and shut a door
hope you are having fun
Thanks just interjected your advice for "I" and credited you and another A to Zer for the inspiration
Impasse
This post will be up tomorrow
Happy A to Z
hi visiting from the a to z challeng and great post I like how you discribe the Hero of a story
Same here. First book I never finished.
Before this week, I had not heard of George R. R. Martin. This is the second mention I came across in the past 24 hrs. Last night I downloaded a sample of one of his novels to get a feel for his style.
Flawed heros are always the most loveable!
http://gail-baugniet.blogspot.com Theme: A World of Crime
Funny - I write memoir and poetry so I don't always think about creating characters... although, actually, I do.
Fun read today - I like to think I am a heroine when I am shown truthfully on my pages!
Julie Jordan Scott
Fellow A to Z Challenge Participant
H is for Hilda/HD
On a Mission to Spread Word-Love Throughout the World
That did make him more loveable :)
nothing wrong with a bad boy ;)
I think the best heroes are those who DON'T see themselves that way.
I love a good switch.
I loved the books but I always warn people not to get too attached to anyone.
Definitely having fun :)
Thanks!
thanks Becca and glad you stopped by :)
lots of flawed characters in those books - but don't get too fond of anyone, just sayin...
I think we can all be heroes, just maybe not always in big splashy ways.
I get exactly what your saying about Lestat. The best heroes need to be multidimensional!
Yes - flawed heroes are definitely the most interesting. Otherwise, well, meh. Thanks for stopping by my blog earlier.
I agree. A character without flaws is a "flat" character. Who can relate to him--either too perfect, or too awful. Give me imperfections..something about the character that I can see in a mirror :-)
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