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Hereos & Villians

Morning All,

Cleaning house today. Got parents and brother coming over for dinner and I'm not the most diligent housekeeper. Fortunately, I've made some progress. I've also made some progress on one of my writing projects, so yay!

Anyway, onto today's topic:

He's tall, dark and handsome. He's got a great sense of humor and takes good care of his woman. He's the hero. He's also my husband, but I refuse to share with anyone. Get your own husband, or rather, hero.

While we're at it...get your own villain, too.

What is it about heroes that make them heroes or villains that make them villains?

For heroes, sometimes it's the whole larger than life, hunky, dreamy smile dude that makes the heroine melt into a puddle of goo. (Not quite my husband, but definitely close. He is hunky and I do love his smile).

Or it could be the modest guy she didn't notice the first time she enters the room, yet his quiet manners catch her eye. Or maybe that dimple peeking in from his cheek. (Awwwww).

Villains can come off looking like heroes (Mr. Wickham, anyone?) Sometimes they seem like they're every body's best friends until one day, poof! You find out they only cared about Mr. (or Miss) Number one.

What about your own villains? Is it clear they're villainous or do they sneak up upon the reader and go "BOO!"

What about the heroes and heroines? What makes them heroic? Is it that they're the main character, or just all of sudden a person has some sympathy for them?

Sometimes these questions don't have as clear an answer as a fairy tale would, but there's always room to dream up something awesome.

Things like finding out, once again, that Mr. Wickham just wants money, but who knows why he picked Lydia Bennett, anyway?

Perhaps Hamlet would've been more heroic if his uncle hadn't murdered his father and married his mother (talk about messing with your head).

Maybe all Snow White needed (to be a wiser heroine) was a chipmunk to knock the apple out of her hands and bite the witch's ankles. (Then again, would she ever have met Prince Charming? Aside from Disney having them singing that song near the beginning of the movie).

Either way, the characters, whether you love 'em or hate them, have something compelling about them. That's what makes them what they are. There's that certain something that reaches out and says "Hello! I'm important." And so they are.

When you discover that certain formula, you can make your heroes and villains just as memorable.

Have A Thrilling Thursday!

Comments

I love this post, Bethany! Funny, informative, awesome. :-)
Marsha Sigman said…
My villain is a surprise, almost to the end. I like it when you don't know who to trust. Not in real life but you know...in stories. Good Post!!
Bethany said…
Shannon,

Glad you liked it. I have a goofy sense of humor so anytime I can throw it in is fun.
:-)
Bethany said…
Marsha,

Are you trying to tell us something? Just kidding. But yeah, that sounds like fun :-)

Thanks for your comment :-)

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