The Do's and Don'ts of Writing a Story

HOW TO: Heroes

Strong motivations - the hero is usually unsuspecting of their part in the conflict until it hits them in the face, so it's important that you build a believable motivation in them to take action against the antagonist in the short time between finding their place and embracing it. 

Make the reader care bout them - the hero is the hero because the reader roots for them. If the reader has no motivation to give a damn what happens to them, they won't, so you need to create a substantial reason why the hero deserves the role they're in, or a reason they rise to the occasion. 

Family matters - a hero's family history, family issues, or chosen family structure firms how they progress along their journey. Make the family one of the most interesting parts of the hero story, because no hero us a hero without guidance of people who care about them. 

Compelling internal conflict - the typical character development archetype must include a sense of aversion to accepting their role in the conflict. There should be a conflict in their mind about whether it's worth risking whatever it is in order t hep the cause and whether they feel it's their responsibility to fight the antagonist. 

Pump them full of contradictions - archetypes by themselves are boring, people are complicated and contradictory and shifty. The hero shouldn't be one-dimensional simply because they do the right thing in the end. 

Equally compelling villain - for every good hero, there needs to be an equally evil villain. Not just evil but also complicated, rounded and easy for the reader to (somewhat) empathise with. It's not a story if it's just some random person walking though the forest fo 17 chasers to come upon an evil witch with no real motivation or backstory or traits that create conflict in the hero. If a hero us just there to kill the problem instead of holding onto some hope that the villain can be saved, they're just an assassin.