Preface: The Hero Protagonist

Within every great author there is a great story.

And in every bad story, there's just something that's not working. We may find we don’t quite like the plot or the surroundings. Or maybe the characters aren’t very awesome. But what makes a bad story truly bad more than anything is bad dialogue.

Dialogue is our day-to-day communications with others. Bad dialogue is bad communication. Yes, there are many awful plots out there, unrealistic characters, or promising adventures that wander around to nowhere. But it is the dialogue that either saves or destroys a story completely. Words are powerful.

What does that really have to do with YOU?

We are so deeply involved in our own unique stories. Each story is a journey and there are many things that happen along the way. That means we also have patterns of dialogue that are either actively helping move our story along or keeping us stuck somewhere in Chapter 5.

So, what story are you telling yourself?

Is it an adventure? A mystery? Is it a sad or upsetting story? Or maybe it's a flop? Whatever it may be, there’s probably some pretty powerful dialogue in it, isn’t there? It may even be bad dialogue but it's still powerful. It could be affecting how you feel about the overall plot, the meaning behind the surroundings, the characters... Maybe it’s not really the story you're wanting to tell at all and you're not using the words you really want to use.

But that’s okay. First drafts will always look a little messy.

So, where do you start?

1. Start where you're at.

Great stories don’t all start with “Once upon a time there was a perfect baby born in a perfect land somewhere far far away and everything worked out great. It was awesome.” Sometimes it’s in medias res or “in the midst of things.” Sometimes it's starting now exactly where you’re at...

So, who are you in the story? Are you feeling like the hero? The villain? The funny sidekick? Or maybe you’re feeling like the reader; detached and in search of a real adventure. It’s important to understand who you are in your story at this moment, and more importantly, recognize that this as an opportunity to decide who you want to be.

Got that part down? Well, here’s an exciting plot twist!

2. Recognize that YOU are the author of your Story.

So, what does it mean to be the author of your story? That means you’re the expert! You get to shape your story.

3. Discover that YOU have the power to Define Your Character Roles by turning your “weaknesses” into characters.

Are you easily angered? Does your anger hurt those you love around you? Or maybe you often feel sad, hopeless, and consumed in negative deep thought? You’re the one feeling it so it is easy to see these feelings as being a part of yourself and your reality. You may see these aspects as being weaknesses that you have to fix. These weaknesses might also be characters that the Hero is constantly battling against.

That's why it's important to remember, YOU are the author. You can also step outside of your story at any time to check for errors. The more we edit our story the better we understand a little more about each character. Sometimes we find that weak characters are actually secret allies and sometimes arch enemies are just misunderstood characters with bad dialogue. Remember, heroes and side characters aren’t perfect – they’d be incredibly boring if they were...

4. Deconstruct your narratives.

You know that negative story you're telling yourself? How no one appreciates you or no one understands you at all? When you think of "no one" you might be thinking of the characters: Friend, Family, Peer, Love Interest, etc.

One thing remains the same...

If there's bad dialogue it's most likely a bad narrative.

Your characters truly want to thrive in your story and your Hero doesn't need to be weakened by kryptonite. You're Hero is destined to be strong.

This is about Creating Good Dialogue, Patching Plot Holes, Inner Exposition Planning, Re-writing Boundaries, Life Storyboard and The Hero's Future.

Before proceeding, there are some crucial questions that the author must first consider. The most important of these are:

• Are you writing good or bad dialogue for your Hero?

• Is your Hero effectively communicating his needs and expectations with these characters (or with themselves)?

• Are there Villains in the Hero's story? Are any of these characters misunderstood?

• Is it possible that your Hero is actually mistakenly playing the Victim?

• Is your Hero set in an unrealistic flop?

• Does your Hero even know that he has superpowers (like super-strength)?!

So, make sure you're writing something worth reading, something that your Hero can achieve!

And Lastly,

5. Write a good ending to the Hero's journey.

Okay, not all great stories have "good endings" but yours absolutely should. Create not only an achievable ending but one that challenges the Hero to grow. You have a new perspective now... an author's perspective! Your new story has so much potential! We are all excited to read it...

Ready for another plot twist?

YOU are actually the Hero of your story.

You don’t want to be a hero? Well sorry 😬 that’s the premise of every great superhero story! And just like every hero, you’ll have to own up to the responsibly that you actually owe to yourself. YOU are worth saving. You have superpowers. You are incredible. You also have complex allies, wannabe supervillains, and an awesome action-packed story to tell!

And no... you don’t have to wear a cape if you don’t want to.

This is just an overview of a new journey with YOU as the Protagonist.

Future posts will be short and easy to read through in just minutes!

I'm excited to be on this journey with you.

Interested in following the YOU as the Protagonist journey?

Check back for more articles in this category with topics like:

Defining Character Roles, Deconstructing your Narrative, Creating Good Dialogue, Patching Plot Holes, Inner Exposition Planning, Re-writing Boundaries, Life Storyboard, and The Hero's Future.