Mentoring Authors One Scene at a Time – Thriller/Military/Non-Fiction/SF/Fantasy
Posted on June 4, 2020 by Randy
Join Parul and I on a Reedsy YouTube Webinar as we discuss the Anti-Hero? What is one? How do You create one? Why do we love them?
Webinar Notes
I prefer not to know exactly how I feel about a character,” Phoebe Waller Bridge.
We want to create characters that stay with the reader long after the book is finished. How might we do this?
Of course, there is no magic answer, but there are considerations that applied to your work might help you understand this topic a little deeper.
What is it about these unconventional heroes or heroines that allures us? How can we create irresistibly flawed characters in our stories?
Today we will explore:
A person who is admired for having done something very brave or having achieved something great:
late 14c., “man of superhuman strength or physical courage,” from Old French heroe (14c., Modern French héros), from Latin heros (plural heroes) “hero, demi-god, illustrious man,” from Greek hērōs (plural hērōes)
I will obviously refer to both genders and talk about the lead protagonist of a story being the ‘hero’ even if the character isn’t in an action, thriller or crime story.
After studying the various Anti Heroes, we saw some similarities and broke them into three catagories.
Characters that are not anti-heroes but out and out Villains: Tom Ripley, Humbert Humbert
END GAME: TO CREATE CHARACTERS WE ARE DRAWN TO.
“The audience’s emotional involvement is held by the glue of empathy.”
If we empathise with a character and know why it was made, we might still connect with that character.
Author (George R. R. Martin) quote:
Tyrion is perhaps the deepest shade of gray, with the black and white in him most thoroughly mixed, and I find that very appealing. I’ve always liked gray characters more than black-and-white characters … I look for ways to make my characters real and to make them human, characters who have good and bad, noble and selfish, well-mixed in their natures. I read too much fiction myself in which you encounter characters who are very stereotyped. They’re heroic-hero and dastardly-villain, and they’re completely black or completely white. And that’s boring, so far as I’m concerned.
It seems that authentically flawed characters are popular. But it’s not as simple as just creating characters with bad habits, it’s about going deeper into what they stand for, their why, their rationale which in turn informs their method, which in turn gives us the controlling idea.
It’s what drives a character.
Robert Mckee:
The missing element a protagonist seeks to restore balance, and reveals the nuances of this mandatory story component.
External/ Internal needs
Lisbeth Salander: To solve the case with Blomkvist/ To have her world re-aligned (after unknown horrors) Thriller/ Morality
Eve Polastri: To track down the serial killer/ to find excitement in her life (Season 1)
Walter White: To make money / To keep his family off the street
Jack Reacher: To solve the puzzling crime of a shooting attack so that he can continue to move/ no internal (one-shot)
Raskolnikov: Trying to get away with murder/ to justify the murder to himself
Severus Snape: To keep Harry Potter safe/ sacrifice of love for Lily Potter
Sherlock Holmes: to not be bored
Tyrion Lannister: to survive
Han Solo: to be free of the authorities and rich
Jack Sparrow: To be captain of his own ship and get the treasure
Lisbeth Salander: She will rape and kill
Eve Polastri: Lie, cheat, stab and think about kissing the villain
Walter White: Turn a blind eye to crime
Jack Reacher: Whatever it takes as long as innocents are protected
Raskolnikov: Lie to himself
Severus Snape: Give up his life
Sherlock Holmes: he will endanger himself and his friends
Tyrion Lannister: sacrifice/ betray others
Han Solo: cheat, lie, steal
Jack Sparrow: betray others that have ‘befriended him’
Imperfect or Reluctant Hero: Jack Ryan, Bilbo Baggins GOES BACK TO WHO THEY WERE
Morally Grey/ Unscrupulous Hero: Jack Sparrow, Hans Solo, Tyrion Lannister, Hamlet (A mission that ends in a just cause but doing for their own reasons), mercenaries, detective THEY HAVE ROOM FOR CHANGE?
The Anti-Hero (or AH) does the right thing, at whatever cost: Batman, Jack Reacher, Lisbeth Salander, Eve Polastri, Walter White, Severus Snape, Dexter Morgan, Marty & Wendy Bryde, Waylander and Jon Shannow (David Gemmell), Sherlock Holmes DOESN’T CHANGE
Han Solo: He wants what’s best for him and his crew (his definition of crew expands to include Leia and Luke as the story progresses)
Jack Sparrow: He’s a pirate, he just wants what’s best for Jack and the treasure
Lisabeth Salander:
Eve Polastri: Fails to hold the justice
Walter White: Uses his intelligence to survive
Jack Reacher: Unyielding philosophy of a Western Character
Raskolnikov: Reveals himself as the criminal
Severus Snape: Sacrifices his life (Book 7)
Sherlock Holmes: Reveals the criminal but doesn’t worry about the aftermath
Tyrion Lannister: He uses the fact that he is under-estimated to best his opponents (he kills his father)
Han Solo: after getting his treasure and telling Luke he only cares about himself and his crew, he comes back to bail out Luke, damaging Darth Vader (Luke is part of his crew now)
Jack Sparrow: He only helps the other protagonists as long as their goals align with his own.
Object of Desire/ How far will/ Character arc/ Showdown
Object of Desire/ How far will/ Character arc/ Showdown
Object of Desire/ How far will/ Character arc/ Showdown
Object of Desire/ How far will/ Character arc/ Showdown
Object of Desire/ How far will/ Character arc/ Showdown
Object of Desire/ How far will/ Character arc/ Showdown
Object of Desire/ How far will/ Character arc/ Showdown
Object of Desire/ How far will/ Character arc/ Showdown
Object of Desire/ How far will/ Character arc/ Showdown
Object of Desire/ How far will/ Character arc/ Showdown
If you want to see more applications of the Story Grid methodology, below are links to my analysis of various novels and television shows in blog posts and podcasts:
Story Grid Showrunners Podcast – Parul, Melanie, and I analyze hit TV series using the Story Grid methodology.
My blog posts analyzing other Television series – my person take using the Story grid 5 Commandments to look at my favorite TV series – Jack Ryan, Batgirl, For All Mankind, Hanna, and more.
Novel analysis – I analyze some of my favorite books using the Story Grid 5 Commandments and 6 core questions – First Blood, Old Man’s War, Waylander, and more to come!
Category: Authors, Blog, Screenwriters, television, tv series, WritersTags: anti-hero, anti-heroine, eve polastri, george r. r. martin, han solo, harry potter, jack reacher, Jack Ryan, jack sparrow, lisbeth salander, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, raskolnikov, Robert McKee, sherlock holmes, tyrion lannister, walter white
Afghanistan 2002.
With 25+ years of military experience, let me help you make your action characters and scenes more authentic. Contact me and tell me about your writing project.
© 2020 Randall R. Surles