Thursday, May 20, 2021

The Make Up of a Hero

 The

Make Up

of

a

Hero


We are all to some degree heroes of our own story. To be specific to this blogpost a hero of a story within novels is more the person to aim at. Both versions go through an extensive amount of growth, but only one has the potential to wield magic.

A hero starts within a state of normal, possessing little to nothing special about them. There are exceptions depending on how the writer wants that character's beginning to be presented to a reader. But for certain a hero should be represented initially within their everyday life. Its from this point changes and curiosities arise, forming the foundation stones of change. A death of someone close may occur, or an invasion from an ancient evil. Anything is a possibility as long as its exciting and a challenge to the character.

Challenge is very important, and to me, a hero is proactive and not passive when placed in a situation. A hero may be reluctant at first to face what's ahead. Many of us in the real world feel the same, but eventually our problems will come pounding on the door. How any challenge is faced is relied upon by the heroes skills. Sometimes skills are gained over time, which is an excellent way to go through change. Luke Skywalker went to train with Yoda, eventually facing Darth Vader in a dark cave. He gained something on more an inner level and was challenged when facing the real Darth Vader. Luke was also proactive.

A passive hero is still challenged and goes through change but life just kind of happens to them. A perfect example is from the mind of the controversial author, J.K Rowling. Harry Potter is heroic to many degrees, but most of his survival is based on luck. He makes decisions but relies heavily on others to insure those choices work out. I'll admit though his story was written for a far younger age group. And for an adult like myself who is used to more challenged and proactive protagonists this paragraph might be setting expectations too high.

Anyway, what a hero is made up of is change which helps shape decision and thoughts. A hero must go through oceans of thought to achieve goals. Without goals there is no point to thought, and change becomes near impossible. An example of a hero having a goal is my currently being queried story's main character, Yatzil. At first all is doom and gloom for her until a challenge is set before her thanks to a murder. It becomes her goal before being sent away to prove to her brother who the murder is. This all however leads to poor decisions and a need for change to redeem herself.

To conclude this post with final thoughts, a hero in fiction really is all in how you the writer wishes him or her or they to be. You can have the hero be proactive or passive. Challenges can be shied away from at first or faced head on. What is most important is growth and how you show it.

Thursday, May 13, 2021

Villains: The True Winners

 Villains

The

True

Winners


A villain in my opinion always wins in the end. No matter the circumstances or the motivations, their objective, in the end, is to push the hero to take everything one step further. To drive the hero to a point all heroes in someway fear to find themselves at.

One example of the villain winning is when they are slain. Often times it is a must to save the world or even a small village but when the hero kills, it proves they are no better than the one causing everyone trouble. Batman is a great example of a hero rising above killing. He has a moral code that even when the Joker pushes him to new limits he won't kill. To some degree, the Joker does win because he eventually pushes Batman to many places the Dark Knight never would go. 

Imagine if you are your towns' only hope against a gang of bikers. You possess the skills to fight them and they have pushed you to your limits. Is killing them on your mind? If so, the bikers have won because they would do the same in return. A hero has to be the better person to win. This is why I often root for the villain because despite losing henchmen, and being slain themselves, they've won the high ground.

At a smaller and less bloody level of victory a villain wins when they are allowed to manifest. Many are born out of bullying or being denied something. Its not the person who is winning but their inner demons and that is the villains villain. Its an antagonist for the antagonist because the person is giving into greed and pressures set by themselves. I'll use another Batman villain because I love his rogues gallery. Harvey Dent aka Two-Face struggled with two halves of himself before suffering acid to the face by a mobster. The acid gave Harvey's personal demons new life, and eventually Two-Face won out. On the happy side of this former district attorney's struggle his good half sometimes dominates the other.

A final way villains are the true winners is their lack of limitations. I speaking more again on a personal level for the villain but it needs to be said. Many of them have a lot of goals needing met, people they covet, but there are those who don't. There are villains with no true goal in mind, caring not if their secrets are revealed or even if they're captured. These twisted individuals always win because of the sheer thrill of being bad. When you can find a way to stab at someone with more than just a knife you've won.  


Saturday, May 1, 2021

Most Asked Questions on Twitter

 Most

Asked

Questions

on

Twitter


Twitter is filled with new and seasoned users who are curious at what people think. They are curious about writing, pop culture and so on. Here are some of the ones I've used and seen.

Pineapple on pizza. Yes or no?

If your MC could play an instrument, what would it be?

What is your MC's name?

Are you traditional or self publishing?

Are you a Marvel or DC fan?

Do you use First, Second, or Third point of view?

What celebrity death devastated you?

What book do you recommend everyone read?

What are you reading this weekend?

How is everyone's writing coming along?

Who is this? Wrong answers.

What is your MC's favorite food?

What is your book about?

 How long does it take you to write a book?

Does your villian think they are the hero?