Words from the Heart

Today we welcome author, Linda Lee Kane to Words from the Heart to discuss ideas for creating heroes and villains. I hope you enjoy reading her thoughts and advise.   Heroes and Villains  Most thrillers tell the story of a hero who leaves the comfortable, known world and ventures into the dangerous unknown, often at risk to his/her life, to bring benefit to humanity. As such, thrillers hearken back to myth is that span all cultures and epochs. Look at Wikipedia’s list of Heroes and World Cultures and Heroines in Folklore and mark those that appeal to you the most. Keep a list of ideas, and heroes in a notebook to refer to later.  When creating motivations for heroes and villains, a fundamental principle to remember is that making a decision between good and evil is never really a choice. All humans will choose well as they see it. You must tell why your villain is picking his own right (which your reader will perceive as evil). This is where your moral gray...

Back a few months ago, I wrote the following: Every human has heroes. These are the beings we look up to, we emulate, we forget are human. I have several heroes. My parents are heroes. They have struggled with poverty, disease, addiction, and a host of other obstacles throughout their lives. Growing up was hard, but hindsight being 20/20, I have come to realized that they gave me so much! It is through my mother that I came to know and love writing, art, theater, music. Four generations: Me, my daughter, granddaughter and my Mom It is through my father that I learned to create something from nothing. My Dad Both my Mom and Dad helped me see that no matter how little I had, there was always enough to share with others who were worse off than myself. I decided to revisit this after my Dad died yesterday. In the short span of 24 hours, I have come to hear from so many other people who saw my Dad as a hero. Doctors and nurses who fought to keep him alive...siblings, children, grandchi...

Every human has heroes. These are the beings we look up to, we emulate, we forget are human. I have several heroes. My parents are heroes. They have struggled with poverty, disease, addiction, and a host of other obstacles throughout their lives. Growing up was hard, but hindsight being 20/20, I have come to realized that they gave me so much! It is through my mother that I came to know and love writing, art, theater, music. Four generations: Me, my daughter, granddaughter and my Mom It is through my father that I learned to create something from nothing. My Dad Both my Mom and Dad helped me see that no matter how little I had, there was always enough to share with others who were worse off than myself. His Holiness the Dali Lama is another hero. His gentle manner, true humility and extreme compassion are inspirational to me. This is the official website for His Holiness: http://www.tibet.com/DL/index.html It tells his incredible story and has many great links to Tibetan history. ...