5 Rules for Creating the Fantasy Novel's Hero

Where would the Harry Potter series be without Harry Potter, or the Lord of the Rings series without Frodo? What would the Barbarians be without Conan? The hero of a fantasy novel will have a great deal to do with whether the novel succeeds or fails, so it's important to create a good one. Here are some guidelines to help you get started.

1. The hero must be isolated. In the Harry Potter books, Harry is an orphan and an only child. His only living relative, his aunt, despises him. And so he starts off the story quite alone and unprotected. In the novel 'The Gates of Sleep' by Mercedes Lackey, the heroine, Marina, doesn't start off as an orphan. But when her aunt, a wicked sorceress, puts a curse on Marina at her christening, her parents are obliged to give her up for her own protection. Later in the story, she is orphaned--- and is taken away from her foster parents and into the custody of her aunt, the one who put the curse on her.

In some fantasy stories, the hero is not an orphan, but probably wishes to be. In the Last Herald-Mage series by Mercedes Lackey, young Vanyel is no orphan. He has parents and a load of brothers and sisters who don't accept him, and in time he's packed off to his aunt Savil, who doesn't have time for him.

In either case, the hero starts out isolated, and thus is vulnerable. Friends and allies may come along during the course of the story--- but often our hero is without that help when it is most needed.

2. The hero must not be powerless. A pure victim may awake our sympathy, but not our interest. In the Southern Vampire series by Charlaine Harris, Sookie may not be as strong as the vampires and werewolves she interacts with. But she does have the gift of telepathy, which sometimes gives her warning of danger. In addition, it makes her a valuable asset to the vampire community, giving her protectors--- and problems. In the Last Herald-Mage series, Vanyel has his latent magical gifts awakened, becoming a powerful mage himself rather than just a pawn of those with power.

3. The hero must not be all-powerful. Imagine the lack of suspense in the Harry Potter series if Harry could banish Lord Voldemort with a simple spell. Giving a fantasy hero too much power is as bad as giving him none. In 'The Serpent's Shadow' by Mercedes Lackey, the heroine Maya has magical gifts, but is completely untrained in their use, so is very vulnerable to her enemies until she gets training and allies.

4. The hero must be a part of a conflict. If the conflict is between a good force and an evil force, the hero must be a part of the good force. In nearly all fantasy fiction, the conflict is between one force that is more-or-less good, and one which is evil, or given to performing evil deeds. Let's face it, the Harry Potter series would be much less compelling if Harry and his friends were just like Lord Voldemort, willing to sacrifice innocent lives to serve their ends.

5. The hero must be flawed. In reality we know that even the best people--- even ones who are destined to be declared saints--- are not perfect. Sooner or later, everyone does something wrong, or makes a mistake. Harry Potter is oversensitive to any criticism of his late parents, to the point where he hates Professor Snape for disparaging remarks about Harry's father. Harry concludes that Snape must be an evil wizard allied with Voldemort, and ignores evidence to the contrary until the very end.

Creating a well-rounded and believable hero for your fantasy novel is the key to a story that keeps driving forward and will hold the readers interest along the way. Don't skimp on this most important task as you plan your novel. A memorable hero will keep your reader coming back for more, and will help your work find a publisher and a loyal group of readers.

Reference:

Stableford, Brian - Writing Fantasy and Science Fiction - Teach Yourself Books 1997

LeFanu, Sarah --- Writing Fantasy Fiction - A & C Black 1996

Writer's Digest Books --- The Writer's Complete Fantasy Reference --- Writer's Digest Books 1998