My Hero's A Whore!

Stories are remarkable things. No... they are entities. When we dive into a story we immerse ourselves into the private lives of complete strangers. Some we wished lived next door and might come over for coffee and scones (or maybe to help fix the plumbing). Others we wouldn't throw a rope to if they were sliding down the interior slope of an active volcano!

So many characters fill the pages of our literary worlds but at the forefront--typically--is our hero. She is the beacon of hope, the one who will turn the tides and save the universe. As writers, and readers, we want to love our heroes. We want to follow them into the abyss and back without question. We want them to represent all that is true and good and wholesome and pretty...

Ok, maybe that's going overboard. We want our heroes to be likeable but do we want them all to be squeaky clean? What often makes a hero so alluring is that they are flawed. They carry excess baggage around and drop it on other people now and then. If our heroes were all damned perfect then it makes them more a parody then a living, breathing person. So what can we do?

Like any other character, we have to approach this person from the inside out, see what makes them tick and ask ourselves how would they respond to a particular situation where Joe Boyscout would react differently.

In Jessica Page Morrell's book Bullies, Bastards, and Bitches, she explores the Anti-hero to which she describes as, "A protagonist who is as flawed or more flawed than most characters; he is someone who disturbs the reader with his weaknesses yet is sympathetically portrayed, and who magnifies the frailties of humanity." This is extremely important: when crafting a flawed hero we do not want to alienate our readers with someone who is more vile and loathsome then our villain. What we do want is to create someone with some road scars, someone weather-beaten, someone a little intimidating. We want to make that person that you wouldn't want to get stuck on a long elevator ride with... unless a slough of leather-clad, gun-toting psychos boarded shortly afterwards.

What we want to do is look into their heart and ask why they can't commit. We want to know why they avoid the small child tugging at their pant leg. We want to know why when the bad guy is down our hero continues to pound them into the dirt. We have to look deep into their hearts and find those flaws that make them a little scary but at the same time, inviting.

In my novel, Frenzy, my lead is not the best of people. Det. Kyle Poole is a great cop. He works his ass off to get the job done. He is committed to the task and balances out with his partner when it comes to solving a case. He also is a whore. He has two lovers that have grown very enamored with him. He loves them both (though can't quite say the words) and can't choose which one he would settle down with. He also evaluates women by their allure and mentally tags many of them as potential flings. He even grabs a little extra nooky on the side during some turbulent times with another lady outside of his love triangle. He's not a bad guy, but treating women as casual lovers makes for some sticky times for him. It places him on that long elevator ride, making him notthe most trustworthy fellow in the immediate vicinity. It also casts some serious judgment from others who are close to him.

There are many other avenues to follow but the fun of it is that there isn't a hard and fast rule. Take some time to discover your heroes and learn what could make them tick with a rhythm all their own. Don't be afraid to explore areas that might turn you away as a person but draw you in as a reader. Have some fun crafting a shady hero and see if they have redeemable qualities so in the end we can cheer for their growth. After all, that's what we want in our stories: experiences that take us to whole new levels.

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