3 Things to Create an Interesting Hero
Why do people read stories? What causes them to put everything in their day aside to stare at a paper with little black scribbles on it? Why do you read?
Because it’s interesting? Okay, sure enough. But usually, it’s because deep inside, an emotion has been triggered that causes you to keep going. This is why people spend hundreds of dollars to read fifteen book series and spend thousands of hours consuming movies and tv shows. It’s not just interesting. It’s emotionally engaging.
Think about your favorite characters. If something bad happens to them, do you feel it? If they finally reach their goals, do you rejoice with them? Do you ever put the book down because you just can’t deal with the emotions anymore? I do. So, how does one generate such a visceral reaction in your readers? Here are some tips and tricks to make your hero an interesting and sympathetic person.
Have Them Rescue the Puppy
Why do we like Katniss Everdeen? What was our first encounter with this sixteen-year-old that made us fall in love? Was it not when she volunteered as tribute for her little sister?
What about Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz? Was it not when she saved her dog Todo from the evil neighbor?
Often, your reader needs a reason to fall in love with your character. They need to be worthy of the next several hours of their attention. A common troupe is to give the character someone or something to rescue. Katniss sacrifices everything to save Prim. Dorothy runs away to save Todo. How does your character earn the love and respect of your audience?
Have Someone Love Your Character
Another way to make your character sympathetic is to have someone else love them. Even your villains and anti-heroes can benefit from this troupe. Have your villain come home to a happy golden retriever that he pets and grooms and feeds before taking off his coat and shoes. Give your young protagonist a family that she can embrace and show love for in return. If you have a team of people rooting for your protagonist, it will encourage your readers to root for them too.
Don’t Make Them Perfect
How annoying is a perfect person? Their hair is always just right. They know the perfect thing to say. Everybody loves them. Blah, how boring. Give your character flaws—and lots of them. Now, don’t make them unloveable or unforgivable (see my previous posts), but give them something they have to struggle for.
Katniss doesn’t realize how likeable she is. She doesn’t naturally love Peeta. She’s ornery and harsh to those around her. Now, all of this is due to the fact that she’s had to fight and claw in order to survive her whole life. They are the flip side to the characteristics that helps her survive. But they don’t always make life easy, and they are things she has to overcome.
Bonus points if their flaws are fatal. Think Hercules’ strength—well—then again. Maybe not. Read my previous post for more information regarding how that went!
I hope this post has helped you think about ways to improve your character development. For my next post, I’ll be talking about the importance of developing your character’s personality and how it can be used to create traits as well as negative.
