Tough Guy Character. Part I
“Courage is not the absence of fear. It is acting in spite of it,” said Mark Twain. Or he said something similar, but this variations hits the spot for today’s discussion.
What makes a hero heroic?
I’m not talking about finding hidden depth in Everyday Joe. I am talking about that save-the-day hero. The one who gorgeous actors portray on screen. The one who readers have a crush on. Yeah, that guy.
He’s fearless. He’s unbeatable. He’s … difficult to write well.
Let’s look at a scene: We’re in Paris Island where a group of new marine recruits is suffering under the lashing tongue of a drill instructor. They are running along a road, lugging sledge hammers with them for added sadism. Andy has the lead, but Rex is lagging. He had done alright the first mile, threw up after the second and now, on the third, he is about to collapse from exhaustion. Rex keeps dragging himself after Andy, falls, gets up and falls again. The medical team swoops in to offer him an air conditioned ride back, but Rex shakes his head. “I don’t quit, Sir!” he tells the medics, even as they strap an oxygen mask onto his face. “I’ll catch up.” Alex yells back encouragements.
So, who do you care more for? Andy, who actually accomplished the task, or Rex who tried really hard? Rex wins our hearts because he struggles and suffers and won’t quit. Andy, who put in his suffering before heading out to bootcamp, is taken for granted.
This is good news if you want to write about the underdog, Rex. Underdog stories have an inherent leg up on the sympathy scale. But what if your story is about Andy? Well, now you’ve got a conundrum: watching Andy succeed at tasks generates no cudo points. But if Andy keeps struggling and failing, you no longer have Andy… you’ve got Rex.
How can we keep Andy both tough and sympathetic?
1) Handicap him. Superman had kryptonite, what’s Andy’s doom? Twist his ankle, weigh his pack with stones, demand that he perform despite faulty equipment. Pros: you are able to let Andy struggle, without taking away his general “high achiever” status. Cons: ankles heal, packs get repacked and equipment is repaired eventually. You can’t keep up a string of accidental events forever.
2) Give Andy a nemesis. The drill instructor has seen hotshots like Andy before and he’s determined to break him down. Whatever it takes. Pros: A victim of injustice and persecution, Andy will get extra sympathy from the reader. Cons: without careful planning, the conflict becomes static. What will have changed between the first and tenth time the DI shoves Andy into the dirt?
3) Focus on the costs. Andy didn’t become a super athlete by eating hamburgers. Instead of focusing on his achievement, show the costs he is paying for it. Having never had time for friends, he is painfully lonely. He has PTSD because his last trainer – his father – brutally forced him into shape. He’s developing a hernia, but is so afraid of letting down his team, he lies to the medics about it. Pros: the reader will cheer for Andy’s success because it is fair that hard work pays off. Cons: these side topics may derail the main plot of the story.
Bottom Line: Courage is not the absence of fear. It is acting in spite of it.
What’s your take? What techniques worked for you in shoring up support for your tough guy hero? What have you seen work in books or movies? What have you seen that failed miserably?
<Posted by Alex Lidell. Author of Service of the Crown, Dial Books for Young Readers, 2012>
