I have written a bit here about heroes. Real life ones mostly and I have known my share but what I am talking about now is the fictional sort. I write about romance so of course I love them. A story would be lifeless and boring without them. They come rushing in to save the day and make the story more exciting and wonderful.
What is it about our heroes we love so much? Is it how much they love the girl? Of course love is important. The romance is heart pounding and makes us sigh and hope that in the end there will be a happily ever after. I am not sure that is really it though.
Is it how good looking he is? I mean let’s face it he has to be gorgeous or what is the point? I know there may be plenty of awkward heroes out there but in the end they have enough charm and fabulousness to make our hearts go wonky. But as important as good looks are in a hero it still isn’t what makes me love him.
It’s sacrifice. What is he willing to give up to save the girl/world/universe? Only everything. The hero has to be willing to sacrifice everything to accomplish the goal. I know it’s a lot to ask but it’s fiction. That’s the beauty of it. I can ask the hero to give up everything to save the day and not feel bad about it. 99.9% of the time it works out in his favor anyway so mostly I'm helping him out.
I do love an exciting world saving sacrifice to make a good guy a great hero. What would we do without them?
I’m glad you said “sacrifice” that is exactly what I was thinking, even before I got down to that paragraph. Sacrifice is the heart of a great hero!
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