Want to write a fabulous hero your readers will fall in love with and remember forever? Do you want to better understand what makes him tick, how he approaches life, and more importantly, how he'll go about the vulnerable business of exposing his heart to the heroine?
At the March HODRW meeting, we had the pleasure of having our very own Tami Cowden, Caro LaFever, and Sue Viders as the guest speakers. They shared with us the hero archetypes from their non-fiction book, Heroes and Heroines: Sixteen Master Archetypes, which is currently under consideration at Gryphon Book for Writers. After tons of research, both by reading books and watching too many movies to count, Tami, Caro, and Sue came to the realization that across the board, no matter the medium (film, TV, books), or the genre (romance, action/adventure, sci-fi, thrillers, etc.), there are eight core archetypes for all heroes. Here they are:
The Eight Hero Archetypes
THE CHIEF -- This man is the quintessential alpha hero. The born leader or the conqueror. He's tough, decisive, goal-oriented. He can be overbearing and inflexible, and his motto is, "Do something or get out of the way!" In his work he tends to be at the top of his career field – maybe the CEO of a major corporation, or the prince. Some examples of Chiefs: John Wayne in most of his movies, Captain Kirk of Star Trek, Marlon Brando in The Godfather. In romance novels, Kathleen Woodiwiss' hero in The Flame and The Flower was a Chief, and many of the Harlequin Presents books have Chief heroes. If this man were trapped in a basement with an unconscious heroine and a bomb ticking, his first reaction would be anger, which he would, of course want to take out on someone else. He can never admit he's made a mistake, and since he's been trapped, well...he knows he's made a mistake. He's used to being in charge, so he's going to make a command decision about what to do, and he's going to make it quickly and act on it. This is the guy who'd get on his cell phone and demand that someone come get him out. Or, because he's a planner, he might have told someone ahead of time to come looking for him if he didn't return.
THE BAD BOY – He's the rebel, perhaps the boy from the wrong side of the tracks. He can be bitter and volatile, a crushed idealist, but he's also charismatic and street smart. He hates authority and doesn't buckle under to anyone, which is why he often chooses jobs where he's his own boss. In western historicals, he's the perfect outlaw. Some examples of Bad Boys: James Dean, Patrick Swayze in Dirty Dancing, Jack Nicholson often plays Bad Boy roles. In romance, he's the hero in Teresa Medeiros' Nobody's Darling, and you can often find him in Silhouette Intimate Moments books, or in Harlequin Temptations. If this man were trapped in the basement with an unconscious heroine and a bomb ticking, he'd be very physical. He's going to be resentful and have a bad attitude, but he's used to being in tight spots. He's a Bad Boy, after all. He might pick the lock or just beat his way out – and really enjoy it!
THE BEST FRIEND – This is the beta hero. He's kind, responsible, decent. Mr. Nice Guy. He doesn't enjoy confrontation and can sometimes be unassertive because he doesn't want to hurt anyone's feelings. But he'll always be there. This is the guy, who in school was often unappreciated. Women didn't realize what all he had to offer until he was an adult. Examples of Best Friends: Tom Hanks almost always plays a Best Friend in his movies, Bill Pullman in While You Were Sleeping, Jimmy Stewart in It's a Wonderful Life. In romance, you can often find Best Friends in some of the light comedy lines like Harlequin Duets. Many of LaVyrle Spencer's heroes are Best Friends. Trapped in the basement, this man would at first be incredulous. "I can't believe this is happening!" But his first act would be to care for the heroine. He, of all the archetypes, would seek her help. He's practical, down to earth, so he'd assess what could be done and get to work. He'll be very determined because he's responsible for the heroine. He's a people person and he'll always put their needs first.
THE CHARMER – Fun, irresistible, a smooth operator, yet not necessarily responsible or dependable. He might be a playboy or a rogue, and he's not going to have an easy time committing to a woman. He's not crazy about hard work, and he might be in sales, or a gambler in the wild west. Examples of Charmers: Ferris Bueller, or Tom Selleck in Magnum P.I.. In romance you can find him in some of Susan Elizabeth Phillips' books (Heaven Texas or Lady Be Good). Light comedy also works well with this hero, so he might appear in Duets, or in Harlequin Americans. If this guy's trapped in the basement, he'll be smooth. He might try to talk his way out with the bad guys. Only as a last resort would he do something physical, like break out. If he's rescued it might be by an old girlfriend who happens along. After all, he's a playboy and knows everyone!
THE LOST SOUL – This man is tortured, secretive, brooding, and unforgiving. But he's also vulnerable. He might be a wanderer or an outcast. In work he's creative, but probably also a loner, so he might be an undercover cop, or do something artistic. Examples of Lost Souls: Heathcliff, Hamlet, Nicholas Cage in Moonstruck. In romance, Laura Kinsale and Mary Jo Putney tend to write Lost Souls, and you can probably find him in some of the Silhouette Intimate Moments books.
If a Lost Soul is trapped in the basement, he'll be fatalistic. His whole life's been a series of despairing events and this will be just another in the long line of doom and gloom. He won't care about saving himself, the only reason he'll try to get out is for the heroine's sake. He might go crazy, bashing against doors and windows with a surge of adrenaline. He's able to call up enormous physical strength in a situation like this. He's the most likely to know of a hidden tunnel through which they can escape, since he's lived most of his life in the shadows. Rescue? Not likely, unless it's via the heroine. The Lost Soul has no friends.
THE PROFESSOR – The first time you meet him, this guy might not be your idea of a hero – logical, introverted, inflexible. But he is genuine about his feelings, and he's also honest and faithful. At work he likes numbers and cold, hard facts, thank you very much. Examples: Spock in Star Trek, Jeff Goldblum in Independence Day, and Kelsey Grammer on Frasier. In romance, Jayne Ann Krentz writes Professors, as does Amanda Quick, and if you pair him with a ditzy heroine, he'd be a great hero for light comedy.
Put a Professor in a basement with an unconscious heroine and a ticking bomb and he'll be totally calm. This man will look at the bomb itself, analyze all the facts of the situation, make calculations, and see all the small details around him. He'll think his way out.
THE SWASHBUCKLER -- Action, action, and more action for this hero. He's physical and daring. He has no fear, he's a daredevil, or an explorer. Give him thrills and chills and he's happy. Examples: Indiana Jones, Jackie Chan, Michael Douglas in Romancing the Stone. In romance he's the perfect pirate. Read Karen Robards and Fern Michaels. A bomb in the basement? What an adventure! The Swashbuckler might use the explosion of the bomb itself to blast a way out. However he does it, it's liable to be a show. If he's rescued it'll be pure chance, and he'll be slightly offended because, after all, "He could have gotten them out himself!"
THE WARRIOR – He's the reluctant rescuer, the knight in shining armor. He's noble, tenacious, relentless, and always sticks up for the underdog. If a protector is what you're looking for, this is your man. He won't buckle under to rules, or play the game just to get along. Examples: Hercules, Dirty Harry, and Stephan Segal and Bruce Willis often play Warriors in their movies. He's the FBI agent or the Navy SEAL. In romance, Suzanne Brockman writes Warriors, and many of Linda Howard's heroes are Warriors as well. Trap this man in a basement and his reaction is going to be pure outrage. "How dare the villain do this to the heroine!" He's a protector, so his focus is going to be on rescuing the heroine. Like the Professor, he's going to see the components of the things around him and use them to make a weapon or figure a way to get out. It's possible he's had Special Forces training, and he's naturally a warrior in every way. He's not going to be rescued. This man IS the cavalry. Any rescue would come through the heroine.
Now -- take these archetypes and apply them to your favorite books and movies. Apply them to the heroes in your own writing and see what you can find!
Tami, Caro, and Sue will be speaking at the RWA National conference in Chicago this summer, where they'll do workshops on both the eight heroes, and the eight heroine archetypes. If you're going to be in Chicago, you won't want to miss them!
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