Creating a Believable Hero
Tips for Making a Likeable and Realistic Protagonist
It is easier to create a villain than a hero. You want people to hate your villain but you want them to love the hero. If the reader does not like or identfy with the hero, he may lose interest in the story.
The All-Important Hero
The hero is the most important character in your story. For this reason, it is hard not to make the hero or heroine too perfect. But perfect people seem unreal. Besides, people empathize or identify with the guy who has a few problems. The character who didn’t get a date for the dance is far more interesting to the reader than the one whose life is flowing smoothly.
Give him a Flaw or Two
One way to make a hero come alive is to give him a flaw or two. The trick is to give him an appealing flaw. Some flaws are acceptable, others are downright repelling. Why didn’t he get a date for the dance? He’s too shy to ask a girl! Now, that is a problem many people can relate to and immediately feel empathy for. Shyness is an acceptable flaw. Being too conceited to ask a girl because he thinks he’s too good for all of them is more villain territory.
Don’t incorporate a flaw that is not part of the story. For example, there’s no point in having the hero be shy if it has no impact on his life. It’s not a good flaw unless the hero perceives it as a flaw, and suffers for it. A good flaw keeps the hero from what he wants most in the world. If your hero is a homebody and would rather stay home and watch TV than go to the dance, then he won’t perceive his shyness as a flaw.
The Achilles Heel
Greek warrior Achilles was invulnerable except for one heel. Of course, he was killed by an arrow to the heel. In writing, an achille’s heel is a weakness that may lead to a character’s downfall. This weakness can be either mental or physical. If the weakness leads to the character’s death, it is called a fatal flaw.
Physical and Emotional Handicaps
Many writers create a hero who has suffered some physical loss. Physical handicaps can add character unless they are overworked. Don’t make your lead character blind, deaf, or missing a limb unless how he copes with this handicap is an integral part of the story. Also remember that if you give your hero a significant handicap, if your hero is blind, deaf or confined to a wheelchair, unless some miracle occurs, he will remain so throughout the entire book or series. The hero cannot pity himself, or if he does, his coming to terms with his affliction must be part of the story.
Emotional Baggage
Many writers give their hero an addiction to deal with, such as a alcoholism or drug abuse. If this is used, the hero should make some effort toward resolving the problem throughout the book. Another way of making a hero human is by having him be suffering from a divorce or loss of a loved one.
The ratio of emotional baggage has to fit the story you are telling. In a high-adventure story it is sometimes better to have small challenges for the hero rather than a series of very serious life events.
In summary, a believable hero should not be perfect, but should always be human and likeable. He should not pity himself. He should be a person the reader will admire and want to win.
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