October 14, 2009
I remember the first time I saw “Raiders of the Lost Ark.” Poor Harrison Ford was scared of snakes!
Our mighty, mighty hero could battle villains, the elements and more, but his personal demons manifest took the form of slithering reptiles. He followed his fancy to a large degree, and lived hard, but he also was portrayed as a man who was basically honorable with a sense of humor and integrity.
He had his strengths and he had his weaknesses. Don’t we all.
Flaws make a hero human. It makes them someone the audience can invest in and root for as the story unfolds. The purpose of a plot, after all, is to reveal things about the characters.
I personally would not be all that interested in learning more about someone if they were presented as always saying the right thing or doing the right thing. It would be admirable perhaps. Or maybe it would just seem a little bit fake.
Novice writers often make the mistake of creating a hero without flaws. It’s fairly common. But I think people relate best to a story’s protagonist when the character has issues they can relate to the best.
Not that everyone in the audience needs to have the same issue (even though we all do face many of the same issues) but that the issue should be something the typical audience member can understand.
Which brings us to the topic of knowing the audience you are writing for, but I will have to wait to address that in another essay.
It is important to know what is wrong with your hero. Because, really, he or she should be the one in the story with the most, or biggest lesson, to learn.
The hero’s desire, their aspiration, is driven by their lack of something they want. The opposition to this desire is what drives the whole story and in a way is often their largest weakness.
Sometimes it’s a fear that is keeping the hero from their true desire. Sometimes it’s a hole they’ve dug for themselves. Sometimes it is an external obstacle such as an event or person.
I might not be able to relate to every specific problem out there, but I can relate to emotions. I can relate to feeling scared or hopeful or in love. Your hero should have feelings about their weaknesses.
(Oh, but no character should express everything they feel. Some things are best left shown through actions or, in some cases, inactions.)
So, don’t make the hero in your next story hero above reproach. Make him or her human, someone who might be able to (eventually) slay a dragon but also has weaknesses.
