Monday's Muse~Memorial Day Weekend


Memorial day is all about honoring those who gave everything they had to give for our country. I want to thank each and every one of them. This picture is of my dad, who didn't die in a war, but he died because of one. For his story go to my special post on author Catherine West's blog. Those who gave so much are heroes. Though my dad was not perfect in many ways he was a hero to me. Which leads me to think of heroes in the literary world and in my own writing. 

There is nothing so wonderful as a flawed hero. Through their quirks and flaws we learn to sympathize with them and love them. Such things make them more human, more relatable. But there is more to them than that, so much more. Think of your hero, or take mine for example. I'll use my favorite literary hero, Buffy. Aside from her fun, relatable quirks, what makes Buffy my hero? For one she's a girl that kicks but and doesn't need anyone to take care of her, yet at the same time she understands the value of friendship and loyalty. But the deep down part that really makes her a hero is her self-sacrifice, the way she puts it all on the line to fight the good fight. It is that final quality that Buffy has in common with many of my favorite heroes, both literary and real life. 

Every bit of that is important to bring out in the heroes of our novels, what makes them who they are and why. For more help on the subject check out what my friend Stina on Seeing Creative wrote on characters last week. The first is Creating Non-Stereotypical Characters, and the other is Realizing Your Character's Fears. For more in honoring heroes both in your writing and real life, join us tonight at 6pm PT on Twitter for the #WritersRoad chat.

Comments

  1. Happy Memorial Day Heather. What an incredible post and tribute to your father. And thank you for sharing that picture. All heros are flawed, in our books and in our lives and that is what makes them real and special. I'm off to check out Catherine West's blog.

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  2. Man I hope I can make it tonight!!! I'd love to participate in that chat. Great post.

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  3. I love when you said we need to bring out who they are and WHY. I think the why is what really makes the character relatable. They may do something I don't like, but if I can understand the WHY behind it, I get into the character so much more. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

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  4. Karlene, you're welcome! And thank you so much for your wonderful words.

    Lisa, I hope you can too! It should be a great topic!

    Shallee, I have to agree. The WHY is so important! You're welcome, and thank you for stopping by!

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  5. Great post on what makes a good hero. I'm off to read about your dad!

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  6. What a beautiful, touching, and inspiring post, Heather. I will be there tonight on WritersRoad.

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  7. Elle, thank you. :)

    Linda, I look forward to chatting with you!

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  8. Flawed heroes are the best kind. Watching them stumble, make bad choices, make mistakes... it's all part of watching them grow, and in the end, that's what we crave most from our characters. We want them to end up in a different place than where they started.

    Great post. Happy Memorial Day!

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  9. oops! guess I missed the chat. But then always miss Twitter chats. :(

    Great post, and thanks for the shout out. :D

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  10. Happy Memorial Day, Heather. What a fantastic tribute to your father.

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  11. Jennifer, well said! Watching them grow is part of the fun!

    Stina, sorry we missed you! You're welcome for the shout out, thanks for the great posts!

    Talli, thank you so much. :)

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