 Action/Adventure: May 02, 2007 Issue [#1684] |
  Action/Adventure
This week: Edited by: W.D.Wilcox  
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Why does the hero always get the girl? |
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Romance In Action/Adventure
Have you ever noticed that in most Action/Adventure stories they always add a ‘romantic interest’ for the hero?
That is what prompted me to write this week's newsletter. I thought I'd touch upon Romance in an Action/Adventure Story.
We all know, the hero always gets the girl, right? At least, that's the standard template for an Action/Adventure story. But that got me to thinking. In an attempt to write something entirely different, something out of the norm--new and refreshing--what can I do? I mean, the hero gets the girl--end of story.
Well, what if, we turned that standard mold upside down, inside out, and reversed it somehow? But how? They've already done the reverse, where the heroine gets the guy. Which is the same template, but with a different gender. So, what about a story where the hero doesn't get the girl? What if the hero dies?
Oh, wait…that's been done before too.
How about where the romantic interest turns out to be the Bad Guy?
Nope, seen that...done that.
Well then, what?
I know! How about where the hero hates the girl? Hmmm....maybe.
Or how about where the romantic interest hates the hero?
That’s better still!
But how could a beautiful woman end up hating a fantastic hero? How could she end up disliking a man who has gone through hell-and-high water, vanquished all the evil-doers, only to stand alone atop a high hill with a torn shirt, the wind blowing through his naturally wavy hair, and the sun glinting off his perfect laser-whitened teeth?
It requires some thought.
What could a hero do that would completely turn the story's romantic interest against him?
With some heavy contemplation, I think I could come up with a few things.
For one, what if the hero accidentally kills one of his sweetheart’s family members, or worse yet, her child? Now, that would definitely make her hate him.
Picture, if you will, a hero in a hostage situation, rushing in to save the day, and then losing the hostage during a gun battle. Or maybe, the Bad Guy turns out to be the love interest’s brother or father or something, and has to be eliminated. That would surely turn her against our hero, even if she loved him like life itself.
So, we have a kidnapping. The mother pleads with the kidnapper for the life of her child. He guarantees the boy's safety as long as she comes up with the cash and doesn't call the police.
Enter the Hero.
He knows the history of this kidnapper, knows the man is a homicidal maniac, and must be stopped. The Hero assures the beautiful woman that he will save her son no matter what. They fall in love, even as The Hero grows closer and closer to finding the boy.
In the final climax of the story, the Hero attempts the impossible, and tries to take the Bad Guy down. All he has to do is kill the maniac, save the boy, reunite him with his mother, and live happily ever after. But we all know that in real life, things don't always work out the way we plan.
The child is killed, the Bad Guy escapes, and the mother is devastated. How could she have trusted this Hero with her most prized possession and in the end lose all. She now hates him...end of story.
Uh...it would seem, in my attempt to write a Romantic Action/Adventure story, I have come upon the formula for writing a tragic melodrama. Oh well, I never could write romance anyway…
Until next time,
billwilcox
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Heart Thumping Action And Adventure
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Furious Feedback
Mark  scribbles:
Too true Bill, I agree 100%. This topic is the thick frothy head on my rootbeer - it reveals where a lack of forethought undermines the effort. We writers should always think out the story and characters before we get to the end. (or even begin?) In fact, I often start my imaginings with a conclusion, then build motive and character, leading to the story. If the ending isn't strong enough to inspire, it probably isn't worth writing. Another great newsletter making me think, thanks again!
likenion writes:
Great newsletter! That's so true. I totally stand behind every word and the advice that you give are more than helpful. I was having problems with my endings for ages, but these points and guide lines were more than helpful for me to figure out how to end some of my stories. I hope you make in the future other great newsletters.
Raine begs to differ:
It’s also important for you to remember that your story has to have the 'right' ending, because there’s no going back once you’ve written it.
I beg to differ. That's called revision, rewrite and/or edits. If you write the ending and it feels passive or uninspired or if, in your revisions you find plot threads that never got tied up, you can always fix that. I've even seen books that had been previously published, re-editted and re-released (Dean Koontz has done it a couple of times).
SHERRI GIBSON  buried in books:
I agree that a writer's instinct lets him/her know when to end a story. Personally, I like a good mystery that leaves me wanting to read more.
Sherri
Ðungeon Щarden  annoncer for 'This Is Your Life':
Mr. Wilcox, I remember a writing contest I ran a few years back there most of your entries had unsatisfactory endings. It's nice to see you cover a lot of the problems you had then in this newsletter.
I want to add one more tip to the list. Don't think killing off the main character is a good way to end a story. There are only two good ways to kill a main character. 1) The character is a better person because of it (ex. is willing to give up his own life to save others), or 2) as a warning to the reader (i.e. beware, lest the same fate befalls you).
One of my pet peeves is having the hero die as a twist-ending. Having the main character die and/or the villain winning is not a twist in itself. Unless the ending really makes the reader re-think the whole story, all you’re really doing is cheating them of a happy ending.
Puditat finishes with:
Hi Bill.
I never got around to reading your April edition of the newsletter until this morning.
I just had to let you know what perfect timing you have. I am just writing the final 1.5 chapters of my novel that's been in the works for over 2 years now. I was a little daunted by how I was going to successfully tie everything up and your editorial helped remind me of some things that are going to help ensure I do it as best I can.
Thanks!
Puditat
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