Comments on Dawn's Rise: Why is the Hero the Hero?

I agree especially with #4 about the power of drea...

2010-02-24T09:30:10.251-08:00

I agree especially with #4 about the power of dream, especially when writing about a "hero" who is mostly just an average person. The vision the character has of what could be makes his/her journey far more compelling and worth telling.

In an unrelated matter... When you get a moment, could you pop by my blog and let me know where you heard about the Whoops! Blogfest? I'd promised a prize to my best shout-out helper, but I can't figure out who to thank. Gracias!

You're absolutely right. Heroes act, not react...

2010-02-23T13:33:10.362-08:00

You're absolutely right. Heroes act, not react. (And when they do react, it's by doing something amazing.)

This is a great post!

Ah, this is kind of like, why is this character do...

2010-02-23T09:24:45.467-08:00

Ah, this is kind of like, why is this character doing the narrating? To me, it's the same thing. They have the most to lose, they dream, they don't conform, or whatever.

Great insight to the hero question!

Love this post!! I really do. I've thought abo...

2010-02-22T11:51:37.013-08:00

Love this post!! I really do. I've thought about this, but certainly in not such a well thought out manner!

My MC totally deserves to be a hero, IMO. She's not a quitter and she rolls with the punches, I think that's evident right away. But when everything is dropped in her lap, she sees what's really important and ends up being the one to dole out said punches :) She's got a backbone, her life has forced her to grow one... and it really comes in handy. And she SO deserves an attempt at happiness

@cat: One way is to show him perform one small act...

2010-02-22T11:23:49.286-08:00

@cat: One way is to show him perform one small act of heroism early one, sort of a hint of things to come.

@Tami: Thanks!

@Emma: This isn't so clear. There is the concept of "Refusal of the Call" in which some Heroes only act when the stakes get high enough. They've been burned before and have the scars to prove it. Kinda like "I could save the world, but who's going to watch the kids while I'm out?" Some actually do give up and go home and eat ice cream right at the end before things are resolved, but then the stakes are raised once more and they rise to the occasion. I don't think this contradicts point 1 up above, because in the end, they have to act.

I'd like to add that they don't give up. T...

2010-02-22T10:55:26.839-08:00

I'd like to add that they don't give up. They get pushed back, pushed over and pushed to the edge but because they're heroes, they don't just shrug, go home and eat ice cream.

I loved this post. Thanks for making me think about my heroes, in both my stories and in the real world too x

Fantastic comment, and oh-so-appropriate. You'...

2010-02-22T10:50:46.739-08:00

Fantastic comment, and oh-so-appropriate. You're right. I've never thought of it that way.

Yes, he does. Although not in the classic sense. ...

2010-02-22T10:47:35.046-08:00

Yes, he does. Although not in the classic sense. He's a likable, miserable preteen who has a lot of baggage to sort out so he can leave camp with only one bag filled with happy thoughts and new experiences.

Can he be stronger? I'm sure. There's always room for improvement. Right?