Every book has to have one, a great hero who leaps off the page and into our hearts! Think of your favorites: Braveheart, or maybe Robin Hood? Maybe it’s simpler: Hugh Grant in Notting Hill. Whoever your favorite heroes are, they all have the same elements that make them heroic.
For the next four weeks in Book Therapy, we’ll be talking about our HERO – and the 4 elements that make up a Heart-Throb Hero!
So, what are the elements of a winning hero?
The first one is…our hero must have a Noble Cause.
I know, I know – everyone who attends my writing workshops knows that I’m a big Noble Cause kind of girl, that I sing the same song. But listen, every hero has something to fight for! As Mad Max says in the Princess Bride—what do you have to live for? “True Love.”
Ahh. What’s better than true love? Nothing. *g* But there are other noble causes…ie, protecting someone you love. Or, fighting for the rights of someone. Every hero should have something he believes in, something we find noble and true and worth believing in with him. Why?
Two reasons:
1. During the course of the story, I guarantee that a good hero will make a stunning mistake. Hurt the woman he loves, or even act like a cad. And, we as the reader, need to be able to forgive him for this. Having a noble cause will allow us to still love him, despite his foolishness.
2. Having a noble cause will keep his journey (and yourself as the writer) in focus. If we know what he’s striving for, what his sacrifices are all about, then we can see the big picture. We aren’t caught in the muddle of the moment. It’ll keep you, as author, from having that dreaded sagging middle, or even a disappointing ending. (Wait, you say, what if he doesn’t accomplish his noble cause? Stay Calm (as the terminator said last night in the Sarah Conner Chronicles! Who watched that? Fun!…sorry, I digress). He WILL accomplish his noble cause…even if it’s NOT the one he starts out with. We’ll talk about that further down the line when we talk about the GREATEST devices).
So, what constitutes a Noble Cause?
It can be something linked to his past – to make sure no one ever dies in a fire like his brother did. Or maybe it’s to find forgives or atone for a past mistake. It could be a dream, or something he’s protecting the heroine from. It could be personal – to accomplish a goal before he dies. Or public – to save his town from the toxic water poisoning the people. The key is, it needs to be strong enough for him to win the reader, and make them buy into it.
Bottome Line: A Noble Cause give your book, and your hero, a backbone.
Let’s play another little game: (Can you tell I’m a game girl?)
What is the noble cause for the heroes from the following movies? (you might have to think a little beyond the obvious…)
1. How to lose a guy in 10 days or less?
2. The Patriot
3. Amazing Grace (if you haven’t seen that movie, go out and get it today!)
4. Bourne Ultimatum
5. Frequency
Now, if you haven’t seen any of those movies, don’t fret. Let’s do the opposite…think of a movie that you HATE. You don’t like the hero at all…ask yourself – did the hero have a noble cause? Was it a cause you believed in? If you want, post your answers for us all to groan over.
On Friday, we’ll be analyzing some of your noble causes – so, if are brave, and are nobly willing to let us use your examples to learn from, please email your hero’s noble cause to us at: BookTherapy@susanmaywarren.com. Everyone who enters will be entered into a drawing to receive a copy of Susie’s hot-off-the-press Taming Rafe! (Next month, we’ll be giving away Sweet Caroline! — Rachel’s new book!)
Tomorrow, we’ll learn how to find the noble cause for your hero, and how to build it into the plot!
What do you have to live for….?