Our Hero
Author Insights: We talked last about villains, what about heroes?
L. J. Bonham: You just can’t have a plausible story without heroes. Humans want and need a character they can root for, someone with whom they identify and can experience the story’s world through that character’s ups and downs.
AI: Do heroes have to behave in certain ways?
LJB: Heroes can behave in all sorts of ways; there are eight basic hero types, but their stories should fit the Hero’s Quest archetype. The quest can be a literal search for something tangible or an inner quest, but either way readers expect a familiar framework for the hero’s story. The quest is the glue that fits an author’s puzzle together into a sensible and perceptible whole. Most stories, from Beowulf, to Star Wars, and The Wizard of Oz, are variations on the Hero’s Quest.
AI: What is the most essential element of any hero?
LJB: Transformation or growth. The quest must bring the hero into a new state of being; Luke Skywalker becomes a Jedi, Dorothy finds her true self, Indiana Jones becomes altruistic. The list is endless. Without transformation a character may act heroically, but they are not intrinsically heroic. For instance, many characters portrayed by Arnold Schwarzenegger in movies such as Commando save the day and rescue whomever, but they are the same person at the end. These films use the quest framework but the protagonist is flat and predictable. The stories are light, escapist fun, but we don’t gain insight into the world, or ourselves.
AI: Are your characters heroic?
LJB: Hell yes. Seriously, I love this framework and it fits my genres very well. In Shield of Honor (Sky Warrior Books, 2013), Edward de Clopton undertakes the quest in the guise of the Hundred Years War. He emerges battered, bloodied, and forever a different man. In Wolves of Valhalla (Sky Warrior Books, 2013), Thorolf Gierolfson moves from a deeply conflicted, self-loathing creature to acceptance and glory. Buy a copy today and see for yourself, and if you like those characters, you’ll love my new projects.
L. J. Bonham: You just can’t have a plausible story without heroes. Humans want and need a character they can root for, someone with whom they identify and can experience the story’s world through that character’s ups and downs.
AI: Do heroes have to behave in certain ways?
LJB: Heroes can behave in all sorts of ways; there are eight basic hero types, but their stories should fit the Hero’s Quest archetype. The quest can be a literal search for something tangible or an inner quest, but either way readers expect a familiar framework for the hero’s story. The quest is the glue that fits an author’s puzzle together into a sensible and perceptible whole. Most stories, from Beowulf, to Star Wars, and The Wizard of Oz, are variations on the Hero’s Quest.
AI: What is the most essential element of any hero?
LJB: Transformation or growth. The quest must bring the hero into a new state of being; Luke Skywalker becomes a Jedi, Dorothy finds her true self, Indiana Jones becomes altruistic. The list is endless. Without transformation a character may act heroically, but they are not intrinsically heroic. For instance, many characters portrayed by Arnold Schwarzenegger in movies such as Commando save the day and rescue whomever, but they are the same person at the end. These films use the quest framework but the protagonist is flat and predictable. The stories are light, escapist fun, but we don’t gain insight into the world, or ourselves.
AI: Are your characters heroic?
LJB: Hell yes. Seriously, I love this framework and it fits my genres very well. In Shield of Honor (Sky Warrior Books, 2013), Edward de Clopton undertakes the quest in the guise of the Hundred Years War. He emerges battered, bloodied, and forever a different man. In Wolves of Valhalla (Sky Warrior Books, 2013), Thorolf Gierolfson moves from a deeply conflicted, self-loathing creature to acceptance and glory. Buy a copy today and see for yourself, and if you like those characters, you’ll love my new projects.
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Author Insights with L. J. Bonham
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