Where Do Heroes Come From?

Yesterday, I wrote a post about an everyday hero (click HERE to read that). Today we’ll apply it to how you write one that’s real and true and memorable.

Here’s what happens. Stuff happens and a kid notices. Bad stuff. Bullying. Name calling. Picking on weaker kids. He is a kid and it happens to him, too, and he sees it happen to others. It’s an uneasy feeling. He’s carrying a bucket that starts filling up, and he decides he wants that bucket empty – or at least to not keep filling – and one day he starts to act. That’s all it is. That’s your hero. That’s how he gets to become a hero in your story. And since at some point we’ve all had a fat girl moment or the Jewish kid moment, we draw on that and create a realistic hero that any reader can identify with.

If yesterday’s post hooked you, it’s because you believed it (good story) and you trusted me to take it somewhere interesting (good writing). And because it feels true, the essence of good writing.

You can do that. Take what happened to you and swap out the small stuff and drop in something appropriate to your story. We’ve all had bad stuff happen. The emotions stay the same; the objects change for the needs of the story.