I’m chasing heroes.
You heard me right. I’m chasing heroes. (Yes, I am married and my husband is fine with it.)
Who doesn’t love a bad boy, or need a teacher from time to time. The swordsman or the warrior can defend my honor or take me on an adventure any day of the week. And after they’ve done that and then gone on to their next battle or adventure, the best friend can step in and offer support. I’ll be strong enough to offer my own support to the lost soul, and hopefully I’ll be on the receiving end of the charmer’s abilities.
These men, in all their glory, are a big part of what romance books are about. An author can tap into his emotions, delve into his complex character, and voila, a captivating character is born. Most of us have favorite heroes. They can be classified into one of eight main archetypes. Whether you love to hate, love to dream about them, or just love them, those archetypes form the core of the heroes that speak to us.
Here are the eight main archetypes and some examples to get you thinking about the heroes of your books:
Boss (think Nathan Petrelli on the TV show Heroes or Mr. Darcy on Pride and Prejudice ~ He’s still my heart!)
bad boy (Patrick Swayze is an easy fit on Dirty Dancing. How about Sawyer on Lost? Perfect.)
Best friend (Tom Hanks is the quintessential best friend. So is Jimmy Stewart.)
Lost soul (Heathcliff from Wuthering Heights. Is there anyone more tragic and lost? What about Edward from Twilight? Of course he’s kind of a mix of Lost Soul and Warrior, but my vote is for Lost Soul.)
Charm (Titanic fan or not, Leo DiCaprio is quite charming. And I think Bruce Willis did a good job on Moonlighting.)
Professor (Harry Potter? I think he fits the bill here. And, of course, there’s Sherlock Holmes.)
bully (Captain Jack Sparrow, anyone? Johnny Depp makes yellow-toothed pirates sexy. And Michael Douglas in Romancing the Stone is a swashbuckler if ever there was one.)
Warrior (Mel Gibson in Braveheart. Then there’s Black Ice’s Bastien Toussaint, a totally tough warrior. And who can forget those cowardly musketeers. They came from a novel before they hit the big screen.)
Now is the time to get to work. When you are writing, identify the main archetype that defines your hero. If you do, your hero will be more authentic and you will stay true to him.