“Everybody walks past a thousand story ideas every day. The good writers are the ones who see five or six of them. Most people don’t see any.” 

                                                                                                  — Orson Scott

Things You Didn't Know About Your Books: Part 3

                                                                              

Where Almost Every Hero Comes From 

 

Thus far I have covered the topics of who or what our main protagonists and villains can unintentionally be founded on when we write. The last character I want to address in this three-part series, is the hero. This is an incredibly important person in any novel, and can be incredibly diverse depending on the genre and plot that you are writing. 

 

In my years of writing I have discovered that hero's almost instantaneously sprout from two sources. Of course, as I have progressed in my writing I have learned to avoid these two common pitfalls while constructing my heroes. Without even knowing it, the heroes in our novels will usually be the product of two things. Number one: a writer can often create their manuscript's hero to be like someone in their life whom they personally admire. Second, writer's can also have the tendency to form a hero from who they wish would rescue them from the brutalities of life.

 

Both of these tenancies are unhealthy, but before I can discuss how to avoid them, let me define these two common mistakes in more detail. Pitfall #1 is one of the easiest to fall into. Almost without thinking, when we go to form our heroes, we write them out to resemble someone whom we view to be our hero in our personal lives. This is very dangerous and can put your writing and career as a writer in jeopardy. For example, if you make the hero in your book your boyfriend and then you later find out that he was cheating on you and the two of you break up, chances are you won't even want to look at your novel because the hero shares the same characteristics as the man who betrayed you. This could have as heavy a side effect as making you quite your writing altogether. And yes, this is another form of getting far too personal in your writing. Never found characters to resemble people in your personal life, good or bad.  

 

The second tendency is a little easier to catch. Often if we find ourselves trapped in a life or circumstances that are unfavorable, we instantly dream of the person (man or woman) who is to rescue us from the injustices we have been oppressed by. And since writing is often the way to pour out our frustrations and emotions, we might go and craft a hero in our novel who is the exact image of who we wish would come to rescue us in our real lives. This might seem like a harmless tendency at first glance, but it too is not healthy. You are allowing yourself to get personal again. You could unconsciously be writing your own sob story in your book when you make the hero the conqueror you wish would save you. It sets the stage for you to pour out your life story and perhaps even change the protagonist to someone more like yourself. Putting your lionheart in a book is the gait way to a manuscript that might as well be the story of your life. 

So how can we, as writers, make sure we don't fall into these common and almost thoughtless mistakes? Well, to prevent Pitfall #1, after you have completed the construction of your hero's character, give that character sheet to someone you trust and ask them what they think of he/she. If they are a close friend, then they will be able to tell if you based your hero on someone whom you admire in your personal life. It doesn't hurt to be honest with yourself either and force yourself to take an objective view of your hero and make sure he/she is not a carbon copy of a personal hero.

 

To avoid Pitfall #2 (and I have probably used this solution multiple times by now) be sure to write  any emotions or loneliness that you are feeling towards someone or something down in your journal, go to your therapy session, spend your hour in prayer...essentially rid yourself of unhealthy emotions respectively before you sit down to construct your hero or write.  That way, your characters won't immediately be molded from the someone who you wish would intervene in your life. 

 

Why not look back at some past novels? Have you unintentionally formed heroes from the lionheart in your own life? Or maybe you just concocted a hero for your novels that was meant to save you instead of your protagonist from the storms of life? You might be surprised at what you find. 

 

~ Lydia Sherren