When we write, we create main characters. They are the lens through which we experience the story, the sensibility that readers identify with. In traditional terms, this character is the protagonist. In even more traditional terms, they are the hero, the one who struggles, confronts, wrestles and learns. As writers, how do we go about creating a hero that our readers believe in, and that we ourselves can understand and sustain? It’s no different than how we create ourselves as we go about our day, faced with dragons and villains that test our capacities. A weak and simple adversary does little to help our main character evolve and display a depth of resources and flaws. The dragon may even live within the protagonist or can be the most precious part of the hero’s life. But the essence of a good story is this: the better the villain, the better the hero. Whether evil is defeated or not, the struggle is all. I offer an example:
I have an infestation of wool moths. They are not poetic, except for their silver slippery, sliding wings as they slither along the sides of the bureau, the cedar chest, the soft wool coat. They curl themselves by the hundreds into tiny spiral sweaters matching what they have eaten. We play a game of hide and seek and catch me if you can. I am exhausted and discouraged and raging. Twice I have washed all my sweaters. I have thrown away coats, blankets, sweater, rugs and socks. They have eaten them all. They are relentless. I have used cedar blocks, moth balls and bars, moth sticky paper, mint, lilac, and sunlight. Now I am freezing them. Trash bags full of garments sit outside my back door. The internet says freeze, thaw, freeze, thaw. Then wash. But to dry the wool garments, they must be hung in a moth-free environment. I transport them to my office and drape them over chairs. When they are dry they immediately go into sealed bags and into trunks, drawers and storage buckets. I have vacuumed, scrubbed, dismantled beds and furniture. I have unscrewed the heat vents and baseboards. I live under the ravages of minute teeth, a scourge of spinning larvae and tiny fluttery wings. But I have learned respect. Individually, these creatures are as lovely as snowflakes, as formidable as a blizzard. So far, my efforts have fallen short. Will I keep trying? And if I do, what will vanquishing this foe look like?
So, when setting out on your writing adventure, you might consider how worthy the enemy is. How complex and relatable are they? Perhaps begin with what makes the hero stumble, what daunts the hero’s resources. And then let your hero engage with best practices and bad habits. Wait, watch, listen, and the real story will be revealed. Good vs. Evil is never so satisfying as when the hero tries and learns and misses the point, turning away only to see the story from another angle entirely. Perhaps the villain is heroic as well. My point is that a challenging villain needs to be a very worthy adversary, perhaps even detestable.
Upcoming Events
Maud & Addie Are Here!
Release Date: May 6, 2021: Maud & Addie, a middle-grade novel. In 1910, sisters, Addie and Maud Campbell are swept out to sea off the coast of Nova Scotia. With a half-filled picnic hamper, a carriage blanket and their wits, they survive the North Atlantic and landfall on a deserted island. As castaways, they become scavengers and inventors, facing the truth of who will save them and who they might have become.
Available for pre-release purchase:
Regal House Publishing for advance hardcopy & paperback: https://www.regalhousepublishing.com/product/maud-and-addie/
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Online Writing Workshops & Retreats:
March 20 & 21 Two-day Poetry Retreat: 10:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. EST. $200. We will write and shape our writing into poetic forms, respond to what is strong, what is working and discuss the effect of poetic elements to support the overall poem.
Tuesday Mornings, 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., eight weeks beginning January 26, ending March 23, 2021. https://www.writingfulltilt.com/online-workshop/ $360
Contact: maureen@maureenbjones.com
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