Hero

How to write good heroes:

• Qualities. Give them heroic qualities – courage, strength, determination, selflessness, righteousness and love. Of course, they have to look good in lycra too – skin tight with no VPL or zippers in evidence.
• Goals. Give them something cool to achieve in your story – saving the world from certain doom, destroying injustice wherever it may be found, punching out the bad booboos and, of course – they always get the girl (or guy).
• Obstacles. It’s never easy being a hero. Just when you think all is won, the music changes again and another bad booboo drops out of the sky, or the boss turns out to be corrupt, or all the other heroes gang up and proceed to beat the living daylights out of your hero with a spiked club. Hey-ho.
• Vulnerability. Every hero needs a weak point – Achilles has his heel, Superman his kryptonite, Deadpool his penchant for getting way too involved with his audience, Catwoman with her … oh, wait – no, Catwoman is purrfect.
• Loveliness. Despite their flaws (or perhaps because of them) all heroes must be loveable right down to their spandex pants. Even when things go wrong and it seems that the hero has no stock of virtue left, your audience must still believe that the hero is inherently sound and will come good in the end.
• Growth. Even the most perfect of heroes need to undergo a little personal growth. Wonder Woman seriously needs to book a Bra Fitting Session at Marks & Spencer, Hulk could do with a course of anger management classes and Anxiety Girl … well, what can you say!

There you go folks – you have everything you need to write a perfect hero! Now be off with you – I’ve got stuff to do.

 

No – really – scoot – skedaddle – that’s it – nothing more to see here. Byeee!