Wow. So I’ve been doing a lot of research on heroes. That’s what writers do; we research. Would it surprise you to know that being a hero isn’t easy? Or fun? Actually, being a hero kind of sucks. (I’ll get into that a little later in the month.)
Writers know things. We might not know a lot of practical things, but we do know about stories. First things first (shout out to Imagine Dragons). Every story has a hero/heroine. It’s the main ingredient. If you don’t have a hero, then you don’t have a story. (Yes, some stories have anti-heroes but stick with me here for a minute.) Why would you waste your time reading about a main character who drifts through life, never challenging status quo, just waiting to be rescued? (“Yes, exactly!” says my agent.) That would be a story where nothing happens, nothing of substance is grappled with, and the character remains static through the course of the book.
Bleh.
We want a hero who owns the story. What we yearn for is a character, caught up in the elemental struggle of life, who reaches deep down inside and finds the courage to do great things (in the best, old-fashioned sense of the word). Even if, on the grand scale, those great things are little things. What we want is a hero who is heroic.
Confession time. Here’s how old I am: I was dancing to the original Footloose soundtrack while I was in high school. One of my favorite songs? Bonnie Tyler’s Holding Out for a Hero. (In case those words don’t spur a continuous sound loop in your head, here’s a youtube link …um, so maybe it’s better to listen than to watch that video or do the Shrek 2 version instead. The point of the song is this: ‘I’m in desperate straits here and I don’t know how long I can hold out, so please, Hero, hurry up. Come rescue me!”
Hmm.
Good song, bad message. Because what are you waiting for? This is your story. Own it. It’s time for you to be the hero.