Pet Peeve #25 - Perfect Heroes
Think of all the “shiny, happy, perfect” people in your life. Most people have at least one. I had one who decided she would be my high school rival.
Until she realized I could pretty much wipe the floor with her.
These are the people you hate for some reason or another, be the person chauvinistic, loose with money, a braggart, or whatever other quality you want to dislike. Above it all, you dislike them because they’re ‘perfect’.
Now, unless you want your readers to abhor your main character, don’t make him or her into one of the happy, shiny people! Or at least take it all away from him or her as soon as possible.
People want to read about people they can identify with, not their boss who’d they’d rather see roast than in the next best seller. Give your hero a flaw, a crack, a prejudice, a something that makes him or her at least a little more human.
But let’s not pretend putting a cigarette in your MC’s hand will solve all of his or her perfection problems.
I want to read about a main character with a tick, a past, a bad habit - anything to make him or her seem more real to me. Having everything drop into his or her lap, having all the perfect qualities needed to beat the challenge straight off from the beginning… All of that is going to bore your reader.
People want to read about the struggle, and there is probably no struggle your readers can identify with quicker than internal struggle. I don’t want to hear about the internal struggles of the shiny, happy people. They’re likely struggles I either don’t care about or don’t want to read about anyway.
So take your main character off his or her pedestal, kick him/her around a bit, give him/her reasons to doubt/fear/question, and you just might end up with a character I want to read about.
June 12th, 2007 at 1:39 pm
And let’s not forget redeeming qualities for our villains! I always feel like the best books I ever read are the ones where you sympathize with the villain for some reason, even if he/she is doing horrible things. If an author can make me like someone I know I should hate, I’m awed.
June 12th, 2007 at 9:50 pm
I agree with both you and Allison, JM. I think it’s important not to turn your leading character into one of those “perfect people”, but even though your villains can be like that, it’s much better when you get to like them or better yet, respect them
W.
June 14th, 2007 at 11:46 pm
Allison - There’s nothing like someone you love to hate, but I agree with you. Making the reader feel conflicted about the villain is a big talent.
Wonder - It’s much, much better if the reader likes the main character.
It makes turning to the next page and reading on easier.
March 21st, 2008 at 5:51 am
Ah the perfect hero or heroine. How I hate them. Fortunately, I’ve only come across a few but I hated them so avidly that I renounced the author, swearing to never touch her books again.
March 24th, 2008 at 6:45 pm
Hi there, Karen. Yes, a perfect hero can be so disgustingly perfect that we refuse to read the author’s books again. I’m sorry you went through that experience. Hopefully I never have to.