21
My kid asked why my story's hero always wins the fight
We were talking about my space pirate story over breakfast, and my seven year old just said 'but what if the bad guy is just scared, like when I have a bad dream?'. I had to stop and think about writing a whole scene from the villain's point of view. How do you make a bad guy feel real without making your hero seem weak?
2 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In2 Comments
stellabennett4d ago
Love that your kid made you think about the villain's fear! @sagelane has a great point about it making the win harder. But I don't think a villain's fear makes them weak. It makes them scary in a different way. Think of a cornered animal, it's terrified but it will fight the hardest. Your space pirate hero could win by understanding that fear, maybe even using it, not just by being stronger. That makes your hero clever, not weak at all.
6
sagelane4d ago
Used to think villains needed to be pure evil for the hero to look good. Your kid's question is smart though. Giving the villain a real fear, like your kid's bad dream example, makes the hero's win harder but more meaningful. The hero isn't beating up someone weak, they're stopping someone dangerous who's also messed up and scared.
4