Planetfurry BBS Forum Index Planetfurry BBS
Forums for Planetfurry Site Members and more
 
 FAQFAQ   SearchSearch   MemberlistMemberlist   UsergroupsUsergroups   DonateDonate   RegisterRegister 
 ProfileProfile   Log in to check your private messagesLog in to check your private messages   Log inLog in 

Building a hero

 
Post new topic   Reply to topic    Planetfurry BBS Forum Index -> Writer's Guild
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
DragonWolf_keny
Registered User


Joined: 25 Jul 2005
Posts: 185
Location: Dallas texas

PostPosted: Sun Nov 18, 2007 3:04 am    Post subject: Building a hero Reply with quote

Characterization is the way in which the writer portrays the characters in a book, play, or movie. To a new writer this seems an easy process all you have to do is, build a hero right.

Well, how do you want your hero to be, smart, courageous, strong, heroic, the list could go on right? Well that is where things get hard. Anyone can say a brave night defeats the evil dragon. But what about your hero, who is he or she, and where did they come from?

This is where you have to think. You have to make decisions, is he all muscles and a little brain, or is his wit as sharp as his sword. The first thing to do is answer the basic questions.

These can be broken into categories just like in world building. However with characterization it is a little harder, there are a lot more decisions to be made than with creating an entire world.

1 background- who are they? What race are they? What gender are they? Where do they live? What kind of personality do they have?

2 motivations- Why do they do the things they do? Are they generous or greedy? Are they good or evil?

3 skills- what skills do they have? Can they swing a sword, plow a field, or cast a magical spell? What is their job in life?

Building a hero can be a bit harder than building a world. Building a world you can be more creative without boundaries, building a hero means you have to make up your mind. Whoever and what ever they are they live in your world. That means they are shaped by it and vise versa. Decisions of who and what they are is very important. Their actions tell your story.

You can be varied or you can be specific when building your hero. They can be anything you want them to be, but you still have to decide what that is. Are they a farmer who wants to be a powerful wizard, or are they just a stable boy who wants to be a noble knight?

Okay now you have decided who they are. Now you have to decide what they do. Do they have a reason for being a hero? Are they kind and giving or mean and greedy? What kind of family do they have? Are they a young boy leaving their home to become a man, or are they a man that lost his family and wants revenge?

The last thing to decide is how they do what they want to do. What are they trained to do? What do they do for money, or food? What are their talents?

Skills are important because every one has them. Even the average uneducated person has talents. Talents can be derived from two sources, a character might have unique talents based on their personality or their profession. Skills in a small way define the characters personality. They might be something they do well or not so well.

Often in the process of characterization some writers use stereotypes. Stereotypes are an oversimplified standardized image or idea held by one person or group of another.

This can be good and bad for new writers, stereotypes can be good starting points, but its never a good idea to just do what everyone else is doing. Stereotypes come in one size fits all varieties. sometimes stereotypes can be helpful starts, but writers should try to experiment with certain changes that make them unique.

Stereotypes can have subcategories that might be good to start building your hero. Like a popular profession used for a lot of heroic archetypes. The most widely used is the unlikely hero archetypes. Often these are people who have a hard time performing in their normal profession or lives, they usually have some life changing event set them on a wild adventure.

sometimes stereotypes can set limits on your story, like my example above, you should probably avoid such stereotypes.

_________________
"words are the window to the imagination."


Last edited by DragonWolf_keny on Sun Nov 18, 2007 6:07 pm; edited 4 times in total
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Yahoo Messenger MSN Messenger
Asalis
Registered User


Joined: 08 Oct 2004
Posts: 2020
Location: Fort Worth, Tx

PostPosted: Sun Nov 18, 2007 3:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Not to put a damper on anything but you neglected the mention one thing, stereotypes. when making a hero its important not to get trapped in a shell of stereotypes. Using it as a base frame is alright but if it gets too clichéic it can otherwise ruin a story.

Take the movie you were watching that obviously derived the idea of this post from, Willow. The main character is a halfling who performs slight of hand tricks, unlike a lot of fantasy heroes he has most of his good years already behind him. Hes a father with a loving wife. Then along comes this human baby. (cant spell the word they used in the movie) He didn't even know the how truly special the child was. He was originally content with setting it further adrift down the river.

Then you take a character like Luke Skywalker from Star Wars. For it's time it was very ground breaking and is the movie responsible for setting the bar so high in movie making. but the main character is basically a stereotype young kid who dreams of glory and fame. (In the books he wanted to join the imperial academy) Then he learns his father was a famous jedi. though the character is a bit clecheic it was in this case also used as a base.

_________________
Asalis: (uh*sah*lis)

We, dig, giant robots!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7PjQnw_E0U

I hate the DMV
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website AIM Address Yahoo Messenger MSN Messenger Skype Name
DragonWolf_keny
Registered User


Joined: 25 Jul 2005
Posts: 185
Location: Dallas texas

PostPosted: Sun Nov 18, 2007 5:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

your right I did forget allot of things but I wrote all this in a hurry really late at night. I have more written I was just hoping I could edit before anyone posted a reply. I also wanted to cover skills a little better.

stereotypes can be a positive thing however, they can be a good starting point as like your example with Willow. he is the basic half ling hero but as you pointed out he isn't the stereotypical young boy becomes hero. before Willow the idea of a father being a hero hadn't really been done that often.

sometimes stereotypes can be helpful starts, but writers should try to experiment with certain changes that make them unique.

_________________
"words are the window to the imagination."
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Yahoo Messenger MSN Messenger
Asalis
Registered User


Joined: 08 Oct 2004
Posts: 2020
Location: Fort Worth, Tx

PostPosted: Sun Nov 18, 2007 6:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

You took the words right out of my muzzle.
_________________
Asalis: (uh*sah*lis)

We, dig, giant robots!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7PjQnw_E0U

I hate the DMV
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website AIM Address Yahoo Messenger MSN Messenger Skype Name
DragonWolf_keny
Registered User


Joined: 25 Jul 2005
Posts: 185
Location: Dallas texas

PostPosted: Mon Nov 19, 2007 1:12 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

by the way the word used in willow is Dykeini
_________________
"words are the window to the imagination."
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Yahoo Messenger MSN Messenger
Asalis
Registered User


Joined: 08 Oct 2004
Posts: 2020
Location: Fort Worth, Tx

PostPosted: Mon Nov 19, 2007 2:25 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

You were going ot say something about skills Oh brother of mine?

*readies his mech*

_________________
Asalis: (uh*sah*lis)

We, dig, giant robots!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7PjQnw_E0U

I hate the DMV
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website AIM Address Yahoo Messenger MSN Messenger Skype Name
DragonWolf_keny
Registered User


Joined: 25 Jul 2005
Posts: 185
Location: Dallas texas

PostPosted: Mon Nov 19, 2007 3:27 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

already did check the edit in the first post
_________________
"words are the window to the imagination."
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Yahoo Messenger MSN Messenger
Sigurd Volsung
Registered User


Joined: 21 Feb 2004
Posts: 3216
Location: The Twin Cities

PostPosted: Mon Nov 19, 2007 6:28 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

You have to also keep in mind a heroes faults. Like in the movie Catbaloo (however you spell that movie) where a famous gunslinger is a massive alcoholic. He can't shoot sober and he can't shoot drunk, but you get him in between and he is the deadliest man in the West. A hero with out fault is boring. Luke Skywalker had no real faults in the first moive, he got a crash course in being a Jedi and destroyed the Deathstar, no faults. Later on he becomes a little impulsive and over confident and he finally has a fault. First movie he was boring second and third he got better.

For one story my wife and I are working on the character has incredible power but her race makes her the object of scorn and hate. She hasn't been among her own kind since she was three, and knows little about her own culture, so even if she was to return as an adult she has no idea if she'd even be accepted.

_________________
Bad moods are like hangovers, they eventually go away. - A. Sigurd Olson
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website Yahoo Messenger
DragonWolf_keny
Registered User


Joined: 25 Jul 2005
Posts: 185
Location: Dallas texas

PostPosted: Wed Nov 21, 2007 2:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Character flaws are not necessary if they have personality. Character flaws are actually a result of personality. Character faults might be what some would say are flaws but actually they're more personality traits.

Luke Skywalker was not the only character in the original trilogy like what you put as lacking flaws. actually they don't lack flaws its personality they lack.

many of the characters in the trilogy were not portrayed with much personality. this is due to George Lukas' direction. (I don't intend criticism on a subject I no so little of) Mr Lukas was just inexperienced when he first directed star wars.

This is evident when you look at the differences between the original trilogy and the prequels. the characters deliver lines in the prequels with emotion and feelings, and the episode 4 characters sorta just seem to read off a script.

_________________
"words are the window to the imagination."
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Yahoo Messenger MSN Messenger
Sigurd Volsung
Registered User


Joined: 21 Feb 2004
Posts: 3216
Location: The Twin Cities

PostPosted: Wed Nov 21, 2007 6:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Character flaws are not always the result of personality. Professor Xavier from the X-Men has a flaw that isn't related to his personality, HE CAN"T WALK. You could also have a hero who is black in the Jim Crow South, his flaw would be his race, again nothing that has anything to do with his personality.
_________________
Bad moods are like hangovers, they eventually go away. - A. Sigurd Olson
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website Yahoo Messenger
DragonWolf_keny
Registered User


Joined: 25 Jul 2005
Posts: 185
Location: Dallas texas

PostPosted: Thu Dec 06, 2007 8:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Xavier's inability to walk is not a fault, but rather a disability. disabilities are completely different from faults. You shouldn't confuse a disability for a character flaw.

The difference between faults and disabilities are that disabilities are usually something the character is unable to control like their race or a horrid scar. however, faults are something a character has little but some control of, flaws like a habit or mental disorder.

character faults are more fun twists to add flair to an otherwise boring character, not necessarily to improve or impair their abilities or personality. they're not a bad thing but I wouldn't recommend a novice try to use them.

_________________
"words are the window to the imagination."
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Yahoo Messenger MSN Messenger
Concolor
Registered User


Joined: 19 Nov 2001
Posts: 832
Location: South Carolina

PostPosted: Wed Dec 12, 2007 7:38 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Or the character may have a LOT of baggage: memories and bad decisions and old grudges and (fill-in-the-blank) that he/she is still trying to figure out how to deal with, or has run away from because he/she gave up trying to deal with it, or whatever. Employing such devices can put the character into hilarious - or perilous - situations. The possibilities are limitless.
_________________
Oddly enough, my life is based on a true story. (Ashleigh Brilliant)
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website Yahoo Messenger MSN Messenger
DragonWolf_keny
Registered User


Joined: 25 Jul 2005
Posts: 185
Location: Dallas texas

PostPosted: Fri Dec 14, 2007 11:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Characterization is kind of when I become a hypocrite. In world building I always say the sky is the limit, do as you want no matter how ridiculous. In characterization I always say the the limit is only what your hero can make it.

Unless your hero is a god, they can be killed. That brings me to another point , never make a character too strong, or too smart, or well, too anything. anyone can write a story about that dragon slaying night that knows no fear ; but can anyone do so and keep you entertained?

_________________
"words are the window to the imagination."
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Yahoo Messenger MSN Messenger
Fel
Registered User


Joined: 03 Mar 2007
Posts: 9

PostPosted: Thu Jan 24, 2008 9:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Eh, I'll agree with that up to a point, but there's a creeping relativism you can use to balance the "too xxxxx" concept.

Sometimes, "too xxxxx" can be as much a character flaw as it is an advantage. Someone with too much magic gets cocky, and he gets beaten by someone must weaker than him, but more clever. Someone that's too smart becomes a pariah because he's not understood by normal people, and he withdraws from them.

How you introduce that quality can normalize it even if it's grossly disproportionate to others within the story, and it can often be its own limiting factor that lets you work around this big advantage without having to curtail it too much, and thus restrict an aspect of the character.

It just takes a lighter touch.

And "too xxxxx" can often serve as wonderful opportunities for character development.

There's many ways to balance a character's strengths, making your hero seem more, well, heroic, while also keeping him very grounded and much more vulnerable. Some of them can be very subtle. After all, if your hero has this amazing, superhuman strength, how does he walk without bashing holes in the ceiling as every step sends him flying upwards?

It just takes a slightly different point of view. Wink

_________________
Just another guy from the shallow end of the gene pool.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
DragonWolf_keny
Registered User


Joined: 25 Jul 2005
Posts: 185
Location: Dallas texas

PostPosted: Sun Feb 01, 2009 2:47 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

this makes me also think about villains too, some hero comes along and kills this monster, but, what about the monster. why do they hate them, and why do they kill it?

hero's cant exist without a villain to fight. just like good cant exist without evil. so purpose is just as important as function.

plot can also drive a character through your story without being directly connected to the characters actions. some fun things like natural disasters, deadly cataclysms, or even cultural beliefs can also affect your characters as well.

in the case of natural disasters, such as an infectious plague can have a very motivating effect on plot. your hero might be searching for the cure to the plague. the disease might be a natural origin, but still your hero has a purpose.

cultural belief can also give a hero a worthy cause as well. say the hero is a crusader for an oppressed people. he believes he is fighting for a great cause. his cause is his motivation.

ah I revived a thread Very Happy bump!
this should so be sticky

_________________
"words are the window to the imagination."
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Yahoo Messenger MSN Messenger
Display posts from previous:   
Post new topic   Reply to topic    Planetfurry BBS Forum Index -> Writer's Guild All times are GMT - 4 Hours
Page 1 of 1

 
Jump to:  
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
You cannot attach files in this forum
You cannot download files in this forum


Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group