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In the story I have been writing for years at Write On!, the hero is the Chosen One whether he wants to be or not. Sensible Shoes says he is not the hero, but he only thinks he is, but I believe Jasper is more humble than that. I think he does the best he can to be heroic, but sometimes he depends on Hitch, his companion, to make decisions. In fact, I think Jasper would gladly let Hitch be the hero.
Usually I want to like the hero even when he is flawed and makes mistakes. I want him/her to succeed in saving those who are in trouble. I want him to learn about himself and to gain confidence. I want him to act even when he is afraid.
I like it when the hero is vulnerable and reflects on his life, and I like it when he works hard to be better as a human being as well as a leader. It is good when he recognizes he is not perfect. I like it when he grows and changes. I especially like it when he accepts the responsibility of leading and faces up to the challenge. I also enjoy a comic hero who would rather let someone else do the work, but ends up doing it anyway.
I am fond of the hero who wears a mask and then returns to everyday life after solving a problem and gets no credit.
I have some thoughts about how a character becomes a hero or heroine of the story:
1. There is nobody else to do the job at all.
2. He tries and fails, but because he tried at all, he is a hero.
3. He is good at what he does so he is the hero by default.
4. He is not good enough, but is thrown to the wolves and has to do something.
5. He is accidentally at the right time and place and does the right thing.
6. He has lots of help, but everyone looks to him because he has charisma.
7. He is Chosen by the powers that be.
8. He loves the people he is protecting and does what has to be done.
9. He pretends to be one and the next thing you know…
10. He is the only one who returns from a mission so people lionize him.
11. The villains make him a target and he has to defend himself.
12. He has a white hat.
13. He claims to be the hero despite the facts of the story and gets away with it.
14. He does what he says anybody would do, but nobody else did.
15. The author says so whether the reader agrees or not.
16. He stands in the gap while the others escape.
17. He doesn’t know he is going to be a hero, but he hears someone in trouble and runs forward to help instead of running away.
18. He knows he is not a hero so he trains to become capable.
19. The job description changes, but he is flexible and copes.
20. He is really a bumbler, but no one realizes it.
21. Step by small step he does the job and gets it done despite being mocked and harassed and remains unrecognized.
22. He is only a hero in his own mind and dreams like Walter Mitty or Don Quixote.
23. The elderly man is brought out of retirement because he is needed again.
What kind of hero do you like best, the assured, the flawed, the reluctant or the bumbler who wins through at the end?
Do you sometimes wish that a different character was the hero?
Who are your favorite heroes or heroines?
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