"" Rob Parnell's Writing Academy Blog

Friday, March 15, 2024

Archetypes and Fiction Writing

  

I’m thinking of creating a new course on using Jungian archetypes to help with fiction writing. Would this be useful to you? That’s usually my main criteria for making a new course: will this area of study help my subscribers become better writers?

I touch on the use of archetypes in my hero’s journey course, but mainly in the context of the Tarot deck, which I find fascinating. The Tarot is like a story-telling manual that encapsulates history and all of the possible interactions of humans.

I should explain to those who don’t know that Dr Carl Jung was a Swiss psychiatrist working at the beginning of the 20th century, a contemporary of Sigmund Freud. Jung developed the idea that archetypal characters like the hero, the mother, the trickster and various others continually reveal themselves in fiction because, on some level, we all recognize these generalizations as based on reality. A fascinating idea.

Using Freudian psychobabble to help justify and explain some character motivations has been common over the last one hundred years, especially for screenwriters. Could Jungian archetypes take us to any better places? As an intellectual exercise, yes, these issues are probably helpful to writers but, as for to supplying believable motivations, I’m not so sure.

Curiously Jung believed there was absolutely nothing wrong with having sex with his patients, indeed he seemed to think it might help them. In our more enlightened age this is troubling behavior. Today we would call that abuse. The risk of cancellation aside, these were different times. Despite his questionable transgressions, Jung’s philosophies are still interesting.

His groundbreaking idea that there is something like a shared collective consciousness that holds us all together is a good theory, a quantum argument for the ages. Synchronicity is a fascinating idea too. But archetypes require the kind of understanding that seems less appropriate with each passing year. Women are either maidens, mothers or crones - which is horribly insulting. Heroes are always masculine and, if they’re not, they are women dominated by their masculinity. I mean, come on. Who was he working for? The Catholic Church?

Archetypes are an interesting intellectual exercise but for storytelling I think they are limiting, even destructive to good fiction. We need to move away from stereotypes and think more laterally. I mean really, is presenting cliche ideas about personality and suggesting you use them in your work wise? What if you are striving for originality? How can it be original to use character “types” that allegedly present universal traits, especially when we live in a world that is certainly not totally black and white.

Besides, archetypes are often only identifiable AFTER the fact, and usually by their behaviors and their functions. Not always because they represented the intention of the author. I’ve never believed in making assessments about writing based on finished products. This is not the way authors create. We invent first and rationalize later.

In my view Jungian archetypes are simplistic and assumptive. Jung blithely assumes that the archetypes are part of a subconscious intelligence that may be simply a romantic imposition onto reality because they may not represent reality beyond what a well educated person may connect. This is reductionist and in this PC world, not helpful. Indeed modern psychologists think that seeing people as archetypes might be a sign of madness.

You need to free yourself of preconceptions and templates when you create. Inspiration should be free flowing and instinctive.

Sure, learn, study, take on board all the information you might need.

Absorb it, make it part of who you are. BUT when you’re inventing stories, plotting, building characters, let your instincts take over. Clear your mind and simply invent, imagine and dream.

Archetypes will limit your imagination. And make plotting harder. Trying to force square pegs into round holes will simply frustrate and irritate you. Best to come at a new project clean. Start with a “what if” question and set your spirit free.

Ask yourself questions and go for the first answer you get and then ask again. Often the third or fourth idea will be the most original but that doesn’t matter. Stick with the idea that feels right to you, even if you can’t explain that decision.

Try not to be formulaic but do make sure you are not stretching credulity.
There’s nothing wrong with “off the wall” ideas as long as they make complete sense to you and you know you can “sell” the ideas in your storytelling. But don’t go the painless route just because it’s easier. Think through the consequences of making a decision and see where logic takes you. There’s a fine line between logic and fancy. They have to work together to create a satisfying whole.

So. I would still like to know what you think.

Would you like to see a course devoted to character creation using Jungian archetypes as a starting point?

I’m quite happy to create one, even if only as an intellectual exercise.

Personally, when I’m inventing characters, I prefer to see them as real people with real motivations. I see them in my mind’s eye. I find it difficult to take seriously the visualization of archetypes. They’re a bit too nebulous for me.

But writing about them?

I can do that!

Keep Writing.

Rob Parnell’s Writing Academy

Thursday, March 7, 2024

Random Writing Thoughts


Again, no time to do much creative work this week. Quite possible this newsletter may have to wait until next week. The weather is so hot here, they say record temperatures, that by the time I’ve made my TikTok video and watered the garden, it’s already lunch time. There goes the hour or so of my prime writing time.
 
As for editing my manuscript - which I mentioned last week - I’m still at a loss, though I have thought of another way forward.

To get me back on track with my novel, I’ve created an Excel spreadsheet that tracks which chapters I’ve finished. I’ve found that if I do a little - just a few minutes here and there - then I can progress slowly. At least something is getting done.

We’ve got the band coming over tomorrow and we’ve had to move the music studio into the house. Two months of relentless forty degree heat has meant the music room is just way too hot for five people. Better we play inside, with the air conditioning on full.

Honestly it’s no wonder so many early Australian immigrants abandoned outback living. It’s not just the heat, and the flies, it’s the fact there’s no water, not even damp drizzly days to break up the monotony.

On a different note, there’s a writer I know whose having problems. She keeps sending me cryptic messages about life and writing, the kind that people send when they’re on the edge of suicide.

I’m worried about her. But I wish she was more specific. I might be able to help her if I knew what the real problem was. As it is, she talks in generalities about abandonment (I assume her partner’s just left her) and about losing her way and having to relearn meaning and inspiration. She talks about being blocked but really I think she’s probably horribly sad and depressed.

She talks about a general lack of direction when to me she needs to drill down at her problems. Stop glamorizing her depression and start dealing with it.

But I know that trying to fix things is the classic male response - and apparently not always what is required. Females say they prefer to be heard, listened, sympathized with, and don’t necessarily want their problems fixed. It can be frustrating for both parties because, however well-intentioned either may feel, neither is receiving what they need.

This is the same writer who believes that her fictional characters need lots of back-story to work.

I don’t agree. I believe fictional characters, heroes especially,  shouldn’t be over analyzed. You don’t need to know everything about a person to find them compelling. In fact, just like in real life, it might be better not to know everything because a little mystery keeps you coming back. To know and understand everything about your hero (or your partner for that matter) makes them predicable and dull. Better to be surprised every now and then by their behavior. We need to be surprised sometimes. The world and the people residing here should not always act true to form. Your assumptions needs to be shaken, at least when it comes to writing.

Because, without sudden conflict there can be no drama.

There’s a lot of nonsense spoken by so-called writing gurus about these issues. To me, the process of writing needs to be simplified, not complicated. I feel strongly that if you’re going to help people write then you should make the process seem as easy as possible, not to fill potential author’s heads with a bunch of unnecessary obstacles.

Like the idea of creating a secret “wound” for your antagonist. The very idea is enough to give you a block just trying to get your head around it. And why would you need this wound? Surely the idea is simply playing into some Freudian trope that psychopaths need motivation? In reality that’s not the case.

Some people are just wired wrong. I’ve met enough sociopaths to know that there is often no “initiating event”. These people were born horrible. That’s what makes psychopaths evil - they have no conscience, no reason to be awful.

Besides, the motivation of the bad guy is usually an irrelevance. The only thing you need is an antagonist whose agenda is at odds with the hero. Whatever the hero wants or needs is thwarted by the antagonist. They have opposite agendas. Simple, clean, neat - and totally believable to a reader.

Why make life complicated? What’s the point of giving yourself headaches before you start. Stop thinking and just write, get it all down. If a wound occurs to you, and it fits, great, but if it doesn’t, don’t go there. It’s not necessary!

We should never get sucked in by imaginary blocks. As Douglas Adams once said, Writers' Block was invented by Californians who can’t write.

If you’re tempted to believe you have blocks, you need to get over yourself and stop imagining that there are gremlins out there bent on persecuting you. It’s not true.

The rest of us just need to get on with it.

      There's no such thing as Writer's Block. Don't buy into the myth! You've never heard of surgeon's block, have you? Or astronaut's block? Of course not.

      That would be just dumb.

Keep Writing

Rob Parnell’s Writing Academy

Wednesday, February 28, 2024

Finding Time To Write

  

I have a novel to get out. You might remember I told you about it during its creation. It’s called “HERESY” and it’s basically, to all intents and purposes, done. Finished. Just need a final proof/copy-edit to make sure there are no glaring errors and no embarrassing typos. Then formatting the text for publishing. Done the cover too. Mostly.

I guess you can tell, in reality I’m a long way from completing the novel but I kid myself there’s not long to go - mainly to make myself feel better!

Fact is, finding enough time to edit, proof, and polish a novel is probably the hardest part of book writing for me. Especially if you’re a busy boy. I usually like to fit things like writing in between other duties like making a daily TikTok video, watering the garden, sorting out my Academy admin, making lunch and beverages, eating, washing up, tidying and hoovering, walking the dog, rehearsing music for upcoming shows and squeezing in my daily swim. Now, I know you’re probably thinking I’m complaining about nothing, but I just feel I don’t have enough time for everything…

The obvious answer is probably to employ more technical people. But the trouble is I’m a hands on, won’t let go, kind of person. I end up checking every word someone edits, thereby undermining their work, and paying for something I’m already doing.

I guess I could pay someone to garden, cook, clean house, walk the dog etc. But to be honest, I don’t like having people round here, especially not strangers. Plus, we’re so cut off I’m not sure many people would want to work here.

Is there a more practical solution?    

The truth is I found the time to write the novel, all 100,000 words of it so, in theory, I could apply some of the time creation techniques I learned there.

Trouble was, when I finished the novel, I replaced the writing time with TikTok, Instagram posting, and newsletter creation. Now, whenever I have free time, my attention moves to writing articles and blog posts, which, though I love doing them, takes up all my time. I feel like I’m doing something important but the editing hours have disappeared.

It’s funny, posting a daily TikTok video about the writing process seemed like a good idea a couple of months ago. Since then I’ve learned that any kind of “influencer” status is achieved only through 24/7 commitment . A sixty-second video can take anything from twenty minutes to six hours to complete, upload, and post. Doing that every day is a irksome undertaking. The good thing is that my TikTok following is growing consistently - which was the idea and will hopefully reap more rewards in the future, though what they might be remains a mystery as yet.

Social media is like life. You think it must be important because everyone else is so heavily involved in doing it but perhaps it’s not. Perhaps it’s so ephemeral as to be pointless, simply a banal way for everyone to pass their time. We’ll see.

Sometimes I wonder where all the Internet Gurus went. When I started out you couldn’t move online without bumping into an internet marketing guru. They were all basically writers who had found a niche where you could talk about yourself and get rich selling your ideas. They were everywhere back in the noughties and on the whole were nice, helpful, even inspirational people. I spoke to a lot of them at various times. Now, I don’t know where they’ve all gone.

Even the writing gurus have disappeared too. I can think of maybe half a dozen still working but a decade ago there were literally hundreds. I know because I used to do joint ventures with them. Now, nothing like that is possible. Most have drifted away because having an online presence is just so expensive nowadays.

Even the education platforms are challenged. Interestingly I got an email from Udemy the other day. Greg Brown, the CEO, explained how they need to keep more of the money they make from the courses they sell, to keep Udemy going. They are the biggest education provider online, but clearly they’re struggling. They apparently tried economizing and sacking people. But still they need more money. But. Surely they must know they wouldn’t have ANY money if it wasn’t for the course creators. The teachers, the people doing all the work. They say they’re proud they pay out 200 million a year to instructors, but now they want to keep half of it. I’m sure they do. For their shareholders no doubt, and the venture capitalists they owe money to.  

I shouldn’t complain. Companies like Udemy and Amazon still pay me royalties and I’m happy writing, living my busy life, only having writer’s problems.

Because that’s what it’s all about, right?

Get to where you need to be and be happy when you’re there.

Complaining I don’t have enough time to do what I love is, after all, cowardly and inappropriate. Many people have awful lives and I should be ashamed that my biggest problem is not having enough time to put out another novel.

Thanks for listening. And forgive me, I shall try to right my ways. And simply…
 
Keep Writing!

Rob Parnell’s Writing Academy

Thursday, February 22, 2024

Marketing Your Books

 

 

So you’ve written a book. Now what?

Of course I’m talking about a self-published book because a traditional publisher (like one of the Big Four) would likely already have a plan which you probably wouldn’t be part of. Let’s say you’re printing up your own copies and you don’t really know what to do next.

Before we start I should tell you that for over twenty years I’ve run my own publishing company and therefore have lots of experience in this arena. I’ve helped many authors promote their books and guided many writers through the myriad of possibilities. One thing I can tell you is that there are hundreds of ways to promote a book and eager self-published authors end up trying most of them.

Ignore the net for a moment and understand that marketing in the real world is a complex business operation that requires brainstorming, strategizing, organizing and lots of labor intensive work with long hours pursuing many avenues, none of which are guaranteed to make sales or in reality, even raise an eyebrow.

People always think you should have a launch party. Do that if you want. You might sell anywhere from 3 to 300 books. But then it will be over. Better to see your launch as part of a strategy that may take a few months to a year to play out.

You need to be thorough. Way before you set a date for your launch, your first job is to identify what you want to achieve, what is practical, and mostly, what you define as success.

Selling books is not always the only thing that matters. Getting an agent or a traditional publishing deal for instance may be better, more practical goals.

Don’t rush out and print as may books as you can. The last thing you want is thousands of books filling up garage space that you have no idea what to do with. Work out the cost of printing what you actually need, what you have guaranteed orders for, so that you can recoup your investment. This is the first rule of author-preneurship:

Don’t spend more than you can afford.

While you’re brainstorming your ideas, think of angles. What makes your book project interesting, relevant to the modern media and likely to be of interest to journalists and program makers in TV and radio? The angle can be tenuous, even silly, barely rational but something, anything that connects you to the news cycle will help you get coverage.

When people think of interviews, they visualize the top celebrities they see on TV, forgetting that internet and radio stations are always looking for interesting people and topics to cover at odd times like the middle of the night, or as part of a podcast series.

Collect together five of your best anecdotes, especially the ones that pertain to your book. You don’t want to have to think of things on the spot. Agree with the interviewer what you want to talk about before you go “on air”.

There’s no getting around it, you will have to call local radio stations and email podcasters to introduce yourself and ask if they’d be interested in your book. Usually they will want something in return like access to your mailing list or a cross promotion that favors them or their listeners.

The net is the hardest place to create a stir but using TikTok and Facebook to raise your profile and focus your energy can be good for you in the short term. If only to show you how little you can achieve with social media - and of course, how expensive creating social media advertising can be.

Same rule applies: Don’t spend what you can’t make back.

Networking is hugely important when it comes to book marketing. Not just for meeting new people, finding business partners, but also for gaining instant feedback on what’s working, and what’s not.

In the old days press releases were a handy way of alerting the media. These days not so much. Plus, finding a website that will allegedly send your releases around the globe is expensive and not always effective.

Decent PR companies start at around five thousand a month. And for that you’ll get very little. You have to engage a PR company for a couple of years to really see some benefit. Again the rule is, don’t do it unless there’s an immediate influx of cash or some other reward. Just because you have money to throw at promotion, doesn’t mean you should.

You might consider a tour. Trying to get all of your promotional activities to happen at the same time can help in all sorts of ways. Combine visits to libraries, bookshops, and local radio slots to foster momentum.

Remember, despite the best will in the world, advertising rarely actually sells products. Paid ads are primarily for creating brand awareness and alerting customers who were going to buy anyway.

If all else fails you can drive yourself to local markets, car boot sales and book fairs. Get a desk made up with posters, banners, and other promotional material - and copies of your book - and trawl your state for places to visit.

Even if you never sell a book, you’ll probably have a lot of fun.

Keep Writing!

Rob Parnell’s Writing Academy

Wednesday, February 14, 2024

Looking On The Write Side

 

I was reading a newspaper the other day. Yes, an actual piece of print with words and black and white pictures. Inside, there was an interesting article about the idea that optimists don’t make very good financial decisions, mainly because they tend to believe the best will happen. In reality, the article said, optimists can easily lose money because of their sometimes irrational, rose-colored, faith-based decisions.

Though the idea makes sense, it sounded more likely the author had an agenda to me. Or maybe her editor thought the angle would make an interesting read.

But the more I thought about the idea, the less impressed I became.  

Because the whole idea implies that only the sad and cynical make sound financial decisions. So that, even if you’re depressed and pessimistic, you’ll apparently have lots of money. And I guess they revel in the righteousness that often accompanies pessimism.

But if you think about it, you can’t destroy or even offend an optimist because by definition, optimists see the best in every situation, even poverty and disappointment.

You can’t destroy an optimist because when things go well they are validated and when situations go badly Pollyanna-tinged people tend to think their time hasn’t come yet, but of course, it will. Whereas, sad realists are always disappointed and feel justified that their dismal version of the world is the correct one.

My feeling is that the more optimistic you are about an impossible situation, the better you are able to cope with the realities of the time taken to reach fruition and the disappointments of not getting what you want immediately.

Pessimism is not going to get you very far. A pessimist thinks that everything will go badly, and perhaps it will, so why bother at all?

This is not the thinking of a winner.

Gaining success at writing is an act of faith. Long term belief in yourself is the main prerequisite for an aspiring author, for someone who is willing to invest the necessary time and effort in a near impossible dream.

But that’s the caveat: near.

Almost impossible is enough for a writer. Because almost means there is a chance. And optimists know there’s a chance because their heroes make it every day. An ambitious optimist knows there will always be room for one more. Eventually their time will come…

The Scottish crime writer, Ian Rankin, wrote for fifteen years, financially supported by his wife, until he finally got a royalty check he could bank. Now he’s knighted and received a thousand awards. Against the odds, he - and his wife - believed, as only optimists could.

Of course, some authors won’t be so lucky. Despite the best will in the world, and all the work, some may never get the attention or the support they need or would like.

Probably only about one in a thousand writers are as good as they think they are. But, because they remain positive, many will make it anyway. Just through pure grit, determined longevity, and self-belief.

Using writing as a means to become successful is kinda crazy, and yet the most prolific and successful authors really are those who won’t take no for an answer. Georges Simenon for instance wrote over 400 novels. Now that’s a commitment. Agatha Christie wrote 80, a fairly modest amount considering Enid Blyton wrote over 800. Barbara  Cartland composed more than 700 romances. Isaac Asimov 500 SF books. The writer R L Stine has written over 450 children’s horror novels, and he’s not finished yet.

It’s probably a temperament issue. Some of us just think in words, we live our lives interacting with the written word. We see the world through writing, experiencing it, through language. Some people are just built to sit at home and write. It’s what they do, like Robert Jordan, who died saying he’d liked to have had a life but couldn’t find the time because he had so much more writing to do. I understand. Writing is addictive and does take over you life if you let it.

Being obsessed with writing will take you a long way. Authors like Ken Follett and Steve Berry make their mark with sheer quantity and focus. They know what people want and hit the mark every time. This makes them relevant and bankable - oh yes, and very rich. Dan Brown in contrast writes slowly and carefully, plotting beautifully and putting a book out every couple of years.

My favorite authors tend to write two or three books a year, like Val McDermid and Scott Mariani - they write relentlessly. I wish sometimes I could do the same but I keep coming back to teaching and motivating.

    My sister thinks I’m unfriendly and selfish but I’m not, I’m just shy and reserved, preferring to live my life through art and words. People think I must be extroverted because I sing and play guitar in public but that’s just acting and getting an ego fix. In reality I’m quiet and prone to hiding away.

So, yes, some of us choose a writer’s life for personal reasons and to keep ourselves sane. It doesn’t mean we don’t like life. Far from it. We’ve just found the best way to remain optimistic is to hunker down and write.
 
Keep Writing!

Rob Parnell’s Writing Academy

Friday, February 9, 2024

Writing - The Magic 3-Point Rule

 

Whenever I get stuck, I invent a three-step rule to help me out. Using this discipline has helped me complete a dozen novels, fifty writing courses, and over three thousand articles in the last twenty years. Most of all, the practice has helped me stay sane. I recommend you do the same.

As a general example, if I find myself obsessing over the past or beating myself up over a mistake, I use this 3-stage mind shifter:

1. Stop
2. Now
3. Forward.

I find this helps me back to the present and keeps me focused on being real in the moment, instead of getting trapped by regret.

As far as the writing goes, the 3-pointer I use if I get stuck or stressed is this:

1. Relax
2. Review
3. Rework

I find this is a useful way to remind me the writing problems I face are often the same. Stressing doesn’t achieve anything. Sitting back and quietly reading what I have will help identify the issues, then reworking the text or the story, no matter how loathsome and dreadful, is generally the best way to fix things.

The three-point rule I use to begin a story is one I of my favorites.

1. Character
2. Agenda
3. Plot

This one is fairly self-explanatory but also very useful as a teaching aid as well as a writing technique.

Because once you have a character in mind, then the rest is easy. Try it. Think of a name, a type of person, their profession, gender, then invent the most important aspect, their agenda. What does your character want? What gets them moving through the text?

When you’re first trying to plot a story, keep the agenda simple. She wants to date someone, he wants to steal some money, they want to be  accountants, or a killer.

Use the agenda to predict your character’s next move. Imagine them waking up in the morning and… doing what? Why? That’s the starting point for your story. Where do you go from here? Pretty soon you’re going to need an antagonist, someone who will try to thwart your hero’s agenda. Drama and conflict will begin to inevitably ensue.

The conflict between your characters’ agendas becomes the story, which you can then plot accordingly from obstacle to obstacle.

I use software like Scrivener’s cork-board function to create plot points.

Use a three-point system to create each plot turn:

1. Event
2. Consequence
3. Obstacle

Use about five to ten of these plot point “turns” for a short story and fiftyish for a novel.

The trick is not to get too precious. Your story will no doubt change as you write it anyway.

The most important rule of writing is to remain productive. Writing should always be your default activity.

The reality is that the odds are against you. 99% of would-be authors never make it. You have to force your mind to make quick decisions you stick to. You do this by training yourself by reinforcement. Habit. You need to write every day and know that you will not break the habit. After a while you will start to notice that a large proportion of what you do create is actually fine and the more you work at your editing your faith in your decisions grows stronger.

It’s just about practice. And learning to love what you create.

You might think that because you wrote at school then it’s a skill you haven’t lost. But I get messages from people all the time who realize that’s not the case. To my mind it’s just about strengthening old muscles. Regaining faith that your fiction abilities will get stronger. Positive reinforcement is needed to reacquire the skills you already possess. As kids we have no issue with making things up because that’s how we naturally play. Imagination begins with play, with the willingness to stretch a premise to prove something profound.

Use these three stages of positive reinforcement:

1. Practice
2. Believe
3. Persist

Invent three-stage technologies for yourself. Be on the lookout for ways to improve.  Many of the blocked writers I know remain blocked for months, sometimes years at a time because they let habits take over. The more they think about their reasons to be blocked, the deeper those negative grooves get in the brain. You have to dismantle negative grooves by finding ways around your blocks.

First of all, there’s no such thing as writer’s block. You are either writing or you’re not.

A writer writes by definition. If you’re not writing, you’re not a writer, so stop beating yourself up and get on with your life. Do something else. Accept that perhaps writing isn’t your thing. Stop thinking about it, stop talking about it, find another avenue of expression.

My experience is blocks are not usually about the writing anyway. They’re about an imagined eventuality, or a possible result. Very often they’re about a plot that won’t work because you’ve written yourself into a corner - realizing that a lot more work and editing or deletion is necessary, and it’s the feelings associated with these issues that cause the blocks.
Again, the way out is to teach yourself to enjoy writing.

1. Practice
2. Practice
3. Practice.

The ultimate three-step fixer.

Keep Writing!

Rob Parnell’s Writing Academy 

Thursday, February 1, 2024

Making Your Hero Likable


I’ve heard authors say that in fiction, the future will be dominated by heroes of questionable ethics and/or moral ambiguity. I’m not sure this is true. My instinct tells me we want heroes to be ourselves on our best days, not our worst…

Many of us can readily relate to a loser, especially if they’re a winner in disguise, something we wish we were, or could be.

It’s the difference between the function of classic heroes against the appeal of anti-heroes. When it comes to creating fiction, there’s likely a time and place for both. The trick is to know when and why…

The classic fictional hero has a template: he or she is strong-willed, motivated, attractive, morally sound, and, in the context of a story plot, driven by a worthy agenda.

It’s interesting that women are more likely to be flawed these days. In The Girl on The Train, for instance, the heroine starts out as a sad drunk with an empty life who, through her investigation of a mystery, becomes focused and smart, enjoying a life with purpose. Classic hero’s journey stuff.

In my own fiction, I’ve always wanted to create antiheroes, probably as a reaction against characters like Superman, Luke Skywalker, and the white-hatted cowboys of my childhood. I never empathized with classical clean-cut heroes. I prefer real people with flaws. But I realise now that even a total loser should have the necessary traits to help complete their hero’s journey.

Tony Soprano and Walter White were great role models for writers because they represented dark characters with lots of potential for violence, intrigue, and drama. Plus, as a surprising bonus for the creators of The Sopranos and Breaking Bad, these characters turned out to be engaging and exceptionally likable.

Marvel has always tried hard to make their superheroes likable. Tony Stark (Iron Man),  Steve Rogers (Captain America) and Peter Parker (Spider Man) worked because they seemed like real people who just happen to be “super”.

Comic book origin stories work because the ordinary transforms into the extraordinary and we can see ourselves making that transition.  

Superheroes generally have a flaw, a kryptonite of some kind. Some authors I know call this “the wound” that represents the terrible secret we hide from the world. I don’t believe it’s entirely necessary for a rounded character. Look at Harry Potter, Jack Reacher, Robert Langdon, James Bond, no wounds there. Their adversaries however have a few gaping sores…

Making heroes deliberately unlikable seems clever but is ultimately self-defeating, even if your real purpose is to add more realism to your stories. Perhaps since Marvel and DC took over the movie industry, the whole idea of heroes has taken a back seat to spectacle.

Disney is always trying to define new heroes but has been failing recently. People simply don’t want those kinds of stories anymore. Barbie worked well but self-awareness is a novelty that can wear off quickly.

Sympathy for a fictional character is usually created by showing extraordinary behavior during a stressful situation. Making your hero the eye of the storm.

My feeling is that being normal under pressure is the true definition of heroic.

Readers like to ‘wear’ fictional heroes. To inhabit them and experience the world the hero lives in. People want to become the hero and be in that world for a while, surrounded by an environment that is not their own.

The hero is always the reader. When people read about a strong good-looking hero they see themselves.  

Just because writers often need to suck people in with a spectacular opening, doesn’t mean that’s going to work for the average person who is not yet invested in the characters. People have to like the characters first before you subject them to anything readers can relate to. Creating this empathic link with a lead character is probably more important than any other piece of storytelling. Best of course if you can combine both, by describing the hero going about their daily business in the context of a gradually unraveling plot.

In male oriented stories, we may see action with a character at the center but there’s perhaps little to like about him except his manner. This is why characters are often described as good-looking because you have to do less work to make your reader like them.

Men who are tall, strong, handsome and talented inspire our respect in fiction in a way that would be impossible in real life. When we meet perfect men in real life, we’re often suspicious, cynical, threatened, even outright hostile.

When it comes to women too we can be jealous of beauty and perfection, especially in social situations. But in fiction, we associate good looks with approachability, warmth, even friendliness.

I think it’s simply this fact: we are prepared to be intrigued by a “perfect character” for longer than we would a “normal” person. And what we’re actually doing is fusing ourselves into the role that character represents. We are becoming the hero. We do this in books by imagining the hero or heroine in our minds. We embark on a certain leap of faith, which is the expression of a psychological empathy that’s based on our innate need to identify with an inspiring, aspirational, personality.

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The Writing Academy

Welcome to the official blog of Rob Parnell's Writing Academy, updated weekly - sometimes more often!