The Hero's Paradox: How to Write Flawed Characters without Undermining their Heroic Potential
- Author
- Zena Dell Lowe
- Published
- Thu 23 Sep 2021
- Episode Link
- None
THE STORYTELLER’S MISSION WITH ZENA DELL LOWE
S2 - EPISODE 4 – The Hero's Paradox: How to Write Flawed Characters without Undermining their Heroic Potential
Follow along with the cheat sheet below, or DOWNLOAD FULL TRANSCRIPTS FOR FREE on the podcast page of our website at www.thestorytellersmission.com.
EPISODE DESCRIPTION –
In this episode, Zena addresses the practical implications of the adoption of anti-heroes in society, and reveals certain things that writers from the Christian community must do to avoid pedaling a false worldview or adding to the cacophony of noise that already plagues society. For example, we need to think more clearly about the moral implications of the character flaws we give our protagonists, and we need to make sure we handle those flaws appropriately over the course of the story. The goal is to make sure we are saying something true about the way people are or the way the world is by the end of the story, which means the writer must accomplish certain things, including:
1. Justifying any nasty character traits that the protagonist happens to possess;
2. Giving the protagonist the option to choose a different path or course;
3. Making sure the protagonist comes to see their own depravity;
4. Making sure the character experiences a crucible that warrants a radical change;
5. Seeing the protagonist as a hero in the making, and navigating his story accordingly.
UP NEXT – Next week, we'll look at the role of free will in determining the moral worldview of a story, and how some of the most influential stories of the last decade have actually caused terrible harm.
WANT MORE?
The Storyteller’s Mission online platform is your go-to place for help with all your writing needs. Sign up for one-on-one COACHING, get a SCRIPT CRITIQUE, or register for one of our ADVANCED CLASSES ON WRITING today!
TOPIC REQUESTS?
If you have a question or a specific writing related topic that you would like Zena to consider addressing in a future podcast, SEND AN EMAIL to [email protected]. We’d love to hear from you!
SPECIAL THANKS -The Storyteller’s Mission with Zena Dell Lowe would like to thank composer CARLA PATULLO for the original music she graciously permits us to use in the intro and outro of this podcast. To find out more about this amazing talent, go to www.carlapatullo.com
