Which Story, Which Hero

“Every character is the hero of their own story” is a writing truism that is usually quoted at people in regard to minor characters, as a way of making them more realistic or more rounded. It’s particularly useful to remember when one is writing a single-viewpoint story, as a reminder that all of the non-viewpoint characters have lives and problems that will make them more real if the writer hints at them from the viewpoint character’s perspective. But it can also play out in multiple other w...