Leading the Way
Last week, the world lost one of it's iconic leaders and human rights activists. Even if you honour Mandela's request to remember him as a human being with human failings, his ability to inspire reached far beyond his native South Africa. These larger-than-life men and women are rare, but powerful in our collective consciousness as reminders of the human ability to do good on a grand scale.
It's not surprising that many authors-- particularly those writing high fantasy-- try to write a character who takes the role of a charismatic rebel who leads their people towards a better society, usually by ousting the Evil Overlord. Unfortunately, it's frequently unclear why anyone besides the author would follow these characters into danger. While the cause may be worthy cause, mass movements are often most successful when a small number of people help articulate the key goals.
I think one part of the problem is that many characters use violence as a first resort. While force is sometimes, sadly, the only feasible answer, many of history's most respected leaders have been explicitly peaceful. Furthermore, a character who sparks a movement of passive resistance against an oppressive Dark Lord has the moral high ground, which is not true of the one who runs in weapon-first unless they have exhausted all their other options.
Second, it's important to introduce the scale of the leader's goals. While it's fairly easy to inspire people to rally against something (random people prod the Internet Outrage Machine into action approximately once a minute), it takes a true visionary to rally people to build something better. Try writing a character who doesn't just want to kick the Evil Overlord's butt, but rather wants to construct a more equal, more prosperous society and convinces others to join them.
It's not surprising that many authors-- particularly those writing high fantasy-- try to write a character who takes the role of a charismatic rebel who leads their people towards a better society, usually by ousting the Evil Overlord. Unfortunately, it's frequently unclear why anyone besides the author would follow these characters into danger. While the cause may be worthy cause, mass movements are often most successful when a small number of people help articulate the key goals.
I think one part of the problem is that many characters use violence as a first resort. While force is sometimes, sadly, the only feasible answer, many of history's most respected leaders have been explicitly peaceful. Furthermore, a character who sparks a movement of passive resistance against an oppressive Dark Lord has the moral high ground, which is not true of the one who runs in weapon-first unless they have exhausted all their other options.
Second, it's important to introduce the scale of the leader's goals. While it's fairly easy to inspire people to rally against something (random people prod the Internet Outrage Machine into action approximately once a minute), it takes a true visionary to rally people to build something better. Try writing a character who doesn't just want to kick the Evil Overlord's butt, but rather wants to construct a more equal, more prosperous society and convinces others to join them.
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