 Action/Adventure: February 19, 2013 Issue [#5529] |
  Action/Adventure
This week: Characteristics of a Good Hero Edited by: Sara♥Jean  
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I'm so excited to be your Action/Adventure Newsletter Editor this week! Please let me know if you have any feedback, or if you have any topics you'd like covered in a newsletter. I will be glad to research it for you and do my best.
 SaraJean |
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Characteristics of a Good Hero
After asking the newsletter readers for their opinions of what makes a good hero, now we can put it all together.
First, I want to thank all of those who have started responding to the questions each time I edit the newsletter. They have been totally awesome reads, and one of my favorite things is to include you guys, the readers, in the topics that I put in here each month.
The last newsletter I edited for Action/Adventure went out January 29 ("Action/Adventure Newsletter (January 22, 2013)" ), and included the following question:
Action/Adventure stories tend to rotate around a hero and a villain, of sorts. The hero or villain does not have to be a single person - it could be a corporation, a group of people, an idea, or even sometimes an environmental challenge.
What do you believe makes a good "hero", whether a singular person or a group/corporation/idea?
Here are some of the responses:
Silverwindrose Dragon Minstrel  said, "What do I think makes a good "Hero". Well I would have to say it all depends on what the story is. Really when I write or read I find a good "Hero" is someone and or a group that figure out how to work things out in a way that keeps my attention. What do I mean if the hero is there to just allow the story to flow and when I am done reading I remember the story but not the hero it dose not make a good hero. Now on the other side if the hero is the story and I can remember what they did weather good or bad that is what I think makes a good hero."
Being memorable is certainly a necessary trait for a hero, so I definitely agree. Even those heroes who like to fade into the background can become memorable because of their mystery and the interest of the readers.
I would also say that villains need to be just as memorable. I will never, ever forget reading The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, because the villain/main character was simply so, so evil. I was fascinated, and disgusted, all at the same time.
The superheroes we see in comic book and many action novels would never have taken off as much as they have if they weren't memorable.
Elle - on hiatus  said, "I think a hero has to take action. A hero has to walk the walk as well as (or instead of) talking the talk."
In part, I agree with this. But there is a very large part of me that finds a flawed hero to be fascinating, as well.
Every hero should have a weakness, and it should affect their ability to be the hero in some manner. Some... flaw that they need to conquer and get past before they can come to their full potential.
Having a flaw makes them more of a character that the reader can relate to. A character that is always right, always good, always everything, becomes always predictable. Predictable is not necessarily good.
As for taking action, though, I totally agree! Even if, sometimes, it is the wrong action. Or they fail. They should certainly always be one to take action, or the story would simply fall flat.
Tao writer  said, "When it comes to a hero - I view them as the everyday person or group. The hero's attitude becomes the first foundation of 'goodness'. Without the correct attitude, all situations become a downward spiral of negativity. A hero must embrace change. This change can be from circumstances, his/her own volitional prompting or from other characters. And finally a hero must understand himself. Good stories are about the search for answers that are hidden within. Hero or heroes represent the journey of find our true self which is a theme in any era."
Ooh, I really like this definition of a hero.  The search for answers is truly what can make the story incredibly interesting.
If you would like to see your comments in the next newsletter I write, feel free to glance down at the comment section and see what the question for this week is. I'd love to hear from you!
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Here are other comments from "Action/Adventure Newsletter (January 22, 2013)" :
Prosperous Snow celebrating  said, "I found a way to jump start my muse last night. I went to an open mic poetry reading at a Las Vegas coffee shop. The feature was the band Oh No, Trippy Machete. That jump started my muse."
Oh! An open mic poetry reading is so much fun! And in Las Vegas, too... I imagine there were some very interesting things to help with that jump start. Sights, sounds, the way people dress, the poetry they chose... and the band sounds so much fun.
Be sure to share what new things you wrote as a result. That sounds like a lot of fun.
jbenj said, "I apologize for my comment in advance. This may come across a little harsh. I'm an avid reader of adventure novels, thrillers and action stories. My favorite authors include Lee Child, James Rollins, Matthew Reilly, Douglas Preston, Steve Berry to name a few. So when I see a new Action/Adventure newsletter I'm hoping for something that actually pertains to the genre. I thought we had other newsletter that covered the general/generic writing advice. This newsletter needs to be genre specific and really delve into topics important to people interested and excited about adventure stories. All I'm asking for is a little more thought and attention put into this newsletter. The last newsletter was weak as well but I refrained. I'd be more than happy to offer ideas if your interested. Again, this is only meant to be constructive."
Well, there are four of us that rotate editing this newsletter, and sometimes the occasional guest editor, as well. I do apologize that some of the topics are not what you wish to see - I know with me, my topics are based on the topics that I post as questions the newsletter before. Sometimes I get replies, and sometimes I don't. When I do get good replies, I love to include those replies into my next newsletter, as it naturally gears toward the people reading the newsletter in question - the replies were from them, after all. Each of us has our own different approach to finding questions and topics to cover.
The topic on jump-starting the muse was one that was requested quite some time back when I first started editing this newsletter. I did a little survey on what the readers would want to see covered, and one of the responses was how to keep going in a story when one was stuck - so that is where the topic from the newsletter in question came from.
As for offering ideas, in the introduction section (near the very top), I actually ask for people to give ideas of topics they would like to see, and I mean it! If you have some things you'd like to be covered, please comment and send some of those. I will be glad to do some research on the topic, and I always love to hear what the readers would like to see covered.
I look forward to hearing your ideas!
This Newsletter's Question:
This newsletter covered the topic of heroes, as the last question was about them. Now I'd like to approach it from the other direction - what do you think are the three most important traits that a villain should have?
Remember to respond in the comment box, so I can include your answer in the next newsletter. I hope to hear from you! |
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