by Sacha Black
A.5. What decisions or choices does she face?
A.6. What other characters influence her?
A.7. How does she change?
A.8. What moral or thematic answer does the hero get when she defeats her flaw?
Q. Map your favorite film’s web of connectivity.
A.1. What is the film’s theme?
A.2. What is the film’s thematic question?
A.3. What is the hero’s flaw?
A.4. What obstacles does the hero face that push her to make decisions based on the theme? And how do these choices change her?
A.5. What decisions or choices does she face?
A.6. What other characters influence her?
A.7. How does she change?
A.8. What moral or thematic answer does the hero get when she defeats her flaw?
3
STEP 3 - Perfection Perfected
Good characterization is the most influential factor in creating a deep connection between the protagonist and the reader. It’s important because it makes the hero human and that allows us to see parts of ourselves in him. I’m not alone in arguing that literature is a form of self-reflection. Stories have been told for eons with rules and life lessons, and it’s no different today. The other reason characterization is so important is that a hero with traits and flaws and wounds from his past that affect him today create credibility and more importantly, believability.
I like to think of this as the hero paradox: if we want our protagonists to be perfect, they must be flawed. And there’s a reason why heroes shouldn’t be perfect. Perfection is hard to relate to.
Speaking of relating, there’s another factor that’s crucial for a writer to capitalize on in order to draw readers into their stories. The universal language: emotion. It’s one thing giving your hero positive and negative traits, but you can augment their success by choosing traits that evoke conflicting emotions in your hero. This creates an inner conflict on top of whatever outer conflict your story’s plot has created.
Lies are essential to your plot. Why? Because Lies create conflict. Your story needs conflict. Which means your story needs lies. Your protagonist should lie to himself. It's key to the success of his character arc. At the start of your novel, he needs to believe a lie so profoundly that it keeps him in the dark about his true ability or power. It's only through the realization that he fulfills his character arc and defeats the villain.
Top Tip: introduce the lie as early in your story as you can and have your hero realize the lie during your final plot point. It should be the last piece of the character arc puzzle he needs to defeat the villain.
Top Tip: lots of people assume it’s the bravery the hero shows that's emotive; it’s not. What matters is how much the hero is willing to give up. Sacrifice is what evokes the most significant emotions in readers. At its core, hero sacrifice really means the hero sacrificing a part of his inner self in order to become whole and unflawed.
A soul scar is an event or psychological wound from a person’s past. Like a divorce, being a victim of abuse, the loss of a limb or a broken heart. If you give your hero a soul scar – and you should – then make sure it’s relevant to the theme and connected to his flaw. That way you make use of it rather than allowing it to be trivial to the story.
While soul scars shape a person, it’s how a person reacts to them that defines who they are and what they become. Which is why you can have twin brothers experience the same childhood, and one becomes a cop and the other a criminal, as in the case of Dexter Morgan and Brian Moser from the TV series Dexter, based on the books by Jeff Lindsay.
DEVELOPING YOUR HERO EXERCISES
Q. Name three positive traits your hero has.
A.1.
A.2.
A.3.
Q. Name one or two negative traits your hero has.
A.1.
A.2.
Q. Identify which mix of positive and negative traits could lead to conflicting emotions.
A.
Q. How will these conflicting emotions cause problems for your hero?
A.
Q. What lie does your hero believe?
A.
Q. How will this impact on his ability to defeat the villain?
A.
Q. What poor decisions or choices does this lie cause your hero to make?
A.1.
A.2.
A.3.
Q. How does he discover the truth behind the lie?
A.
Q. What will your hero have to sacrifice in order to defeat the villain?
A.
Q. What is your hero’s soul scar?
A.
Q. How is his soul scar relevant to the current story?
A.
Q. What need from Maslow’s hierarchy can you use to raise conflict in your story? (See step 7 for more information)
A.
Q. How can you use this need to build conflict?
A.
DEVELOPING YOUR MARKET KNOWLEDGE HERO EXERCISES
Q. Identify three heroes you think are credible and which you have related to from the genre you write in.
A.1.
A.2.
A.3.
Q. Think about three of your favorite heroes from the genre you write in. Identify the mix of traits each hero has.
A.1.
A.2.
A.3.
Q. Using the same heroes, name the lie that each one believes.
A.1.
A.2.
A.3.
Q. Using those same heroes, name the sacrifice that each one pays to defeat the villain or conflict in their stories.
A.1.
A.2.
A.3.
Q. Continuing with the same heroes, identify their soul scars.
A.1.
A.2.
A.3.
Q. Outline how each hero’s soul scar is relevant to their plot.
A.1.
A.2.
A.3.
Q. Think of a book from your genre. What need from Maslow’s hierarchy can you use to raise conflict in your story?
A.
Q. How can you use this need to build conflict?
A.
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STEP 4 - The Function Of Archetypes
Let me start with a controversial statement. The hero archetype doesn’t exist.
I don’t believe there are hero archetypes. Not in the way there are villainous ones. Evil archetypes are ten a penny: dark lords, femme fatales, psychotic serial killers. They slip off the tongue just like wine slips down the throat on a Friday night.
But hero archetypes… they’re much, much harder to name. Sure, you could tout the maverick cop in a crime series, but wait… that’s a trope, not an archetype. Or the chosen one in a fantasy novel. Again — that, baby, is a trope.
Let me clarify.
Archetypes are masks worn by characters to serve a particular function at a particular time to move the plot forward. In other words, archetypes are a function of the story rather than a hero or character persona.
Here’s a summary of the key archetypes and their functions.
The friend
The friend serves multiple functions and is, therefore, the reason why it is one of the most frequently seen functions in a story.
Most frequent uses include: companion, motivator, conscience, problem solver.
The guide
The guide is an analogy for the relationship between parent and child.
The primary purpose of the guide in a story is threefold: teach the hero, protect the hero, and bestow gifts on the hero.
The negative mentor manipulates the hero and leads them toward the dark side.
The obstacle
Their function is to test the hero to establish whether or not he is ready (and by ready, I mean has he learned enough or changed sufficiently) to pass onto the next part of the story.
What better test to create than one that tests the hero’s very weakness he’s trying
to overcome?
Hermes
The Hermes function brings vital information to the hero. Often the information they share leads to a change or plot development, the most significant of which is usually the ‘call to action’ for the hero in the first act of your story.
The messages themselves tend to fall into three categories:
Good news, i.e. help is coming; I’ve found the location of the sword of destiny.
Bad news, i.e. winter is coming.
Prophecies, i.e. the prophecy Professor Trelawny gives Harry about his destiny with Lord Voldemort.
The sly fox
Their purpose is to feed doubt into the plot and, specifically, into the hero’s psyche.
The joker
The joker is the character that brings mischief, play and fun to the story. Symbolically, they can represent the need for change within the story. They will usually sprinkle your plot with banter and slap the arrogant characters into shape. Their wit can call attention to hypocrisy, deceptions and dishonesty.
The villain
The villain’s story purpose is to prevent the hero from achieving his goal. In functional terms, the villain creates conflict and tension, thereby injecting pace into your story and forcing the hero through the plot to defeat him.
DEVELOPING YOUR HERO EXERCISES
Q. What functions does your hero play during your novel?
A.
Q. What functions do the characters closest to your hero play most often?
A.
Q. Identify the characters in your novel that play each function and what they’re doing to fulfill that role.
A.1. Friend.
A.2. Guide.
A.3. Obstacle.
A.4. Hermes (what type of message does your Hermes function bring?).
A.5. Sly fox.
A.6. Joker.
A.7. Villain.
DEVELOPING YOUR MARKET KNOWLEDGE HERO EXERCISES
Q. What archetypes do you see most commonly in your genre?
A.
Q. Are there any patterns or tropes that appear in these common functions?
A.
Q. Think about two books in your genre. Identify the characters in each novel that play the functions below and what the characters do to fulfill that role.
Book 1
A.1. Friend.
A.2. Guide.
A.3. Obstacle.
A.4. Hermes (what type of message does this Hermes function bring?).
A.5. Sly fox.
A.6. Joker.
A.7. Villain.
Book 2
A.1. Friend.
A.2. Guide.
A.3. Obstacle.
A.4. Hermes (what type of message does this Hermes function bring?).
A.5. Sly fox.
A.6. Joker.
A.7. Villain.
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STEP 5 - Cutting To The Core
Motive is the bread and butter of character. If you want your readers to understand your character’s choices and you want your story to move like a hurricane, then the character driving it — your hero — must be sufficiently motivated to do so. Let’s define some terms:
The goal is what a hero wants.
The motive is the reason why she wants it.
Your hero’s core motive is unlikely to change, but her motive should increase as the plot progresses. While a goal can change, a motive is less variable because it’s linked so closely to the hero’s core values and beliefs. However, your hero’s motive will deepen during your story’s key plot points. This is because they serve as a sort of motive rocket fuel. When a hero is presented with an obstacle, she has to fight to defeat it. Think of a child. When you say no to their request for a cookie, they’ll often try and find a way to subvert your decision. Putting barriers in the way of your hero does the same thing: the act of resistance makes the hero question what she wants and whether she’s willing to fight for it, which she inevitably is, and so it deepens her resolve to continue.
Top Tip: there should be no coincidences that get your protagonist out of trouble, but using a coincidence to get her into trouble is fine.
While we’ve established that the core motive doesn’t change, goals often do. Plot points and obstacles knock a hero off course. That’s part of the joy of storytelling –weaving twists, clues and barriers.
Top Tip: another way to deepen your hero’s motive and personality is to add more detail and connect it to her past. The more detail, the more believable it becomes. Likewise, your hero will have an inner goal, which is almost always inextricably linked to her inner demon. She won’t always be consciously aware of either her inner goal or her inner demon. But the reader can be if you show them enough memories and scenes demonstrating how your hero developed her wound.
DEVELOPING YOUR HERO EXERCISES
Q. What’s your hero’s goal?
A.
Q. What’s your hero’s motive?
A.
Q. What are your hero’s values and beliefs?
A.1.
A.2.
A.3.
Q. How are your hero’s values and beliefs linked to her motive/s?
A.
Q. How is your hero’s goal linked to her past?
A.
Q. What does your hero hold most dear? What is more valuable than anything to her?
A.
Q. Write down each plot point where your hero’s motive increases.
A.1. Plot point 1.
A.2. Plot point 2.
A.3. Plot point 3.
Q. If your hero’s goals change throughout your plot, note down how they change and why.
A.
DEVELOPING YOUR MARKET KNOWLEDGE HERO EXERCISES
Q. Think of a hero in your genre that you haven’t used so far. What is her goal?
A.
Q. What is her motive?
A.
Q. What are this hero’s values and beliefs?
A.1.