What makes a story really exciting and stand out from the rest? What does it contain that makes you go ‘Wow’ at the end of it? Surely, your plot was really fun too, the climax on point and the end totally unexpected. So how come it still fell flat on its face and didn’t give you the score that you were expecting? More importantly, how come that friend of yours always manages to get more marks than you?
These are probably some of the questions that run through your mind whenever you are attempting a short story. You just don’t seem to be able to break through the barriers of that below par score no matter what you do. But, have you ever thought of changing something else other than the plot? The plot is important, no doubt, but another thing that is equally important in propelling the story to its excellent end is the main character, the hero of your story. He/she drives the plot forward.
The success or failure of the endeavour that has been taken on will depend on the leadership, and your hero is the epitome of the said leadership. Without a captain, the ship will be rudderless. No one will know where it is headed. And this captain needs to be not only heroic, but also suitable for the kind of ship he/she is steering.
The description of the hero or the main character of the story needs to be two-fold.
⦁ Physical appearance
⦁ Skills and knowledge they possess
Their physical appearance is important, but also equally important is the personality that they possess. That is not to say that the hero must always be outgoing and extroverted. You could have a very quiet main character who gets the job done without the flamboyant flourish of a show-off. However he/she may be, you must simply ensure that their character traits match the needs of the plot. If the plot is about a quiz competition, then describing the hero as athletic and physically strong will not help with an effective narration of the plot. A bookworm will be a cooler choice.
In addition, the plot and the hero need to work as a team. Whenever you are drawing a character sketch, you must always give him/her traits that will help with solving the conflict of the story. This is very important. It will also bring the plot to an organic end and will not seem forced or artificial.
Let us suppose you are writing a story about friends going on an adventure when the car suddenly breaks down in the middle of nowhere. To add salt to the wound, there is no cell reception and to hope for another car to pass by soon is like hoping for rain in the Sahara Desert. Before you begin the story, plan your hero well. He/she will be the one who will get everyone out of trouble and solve the problem.
Sandy pushed her spiky yellow hair out of her blue eyes with a thin finger and wondered why their old Toyota suddenly came to a halt. Groans of despair rang through the car as Matt who was driving tried to turn on the engine that only spluttered and coughed. She paused her Gran Turismo video game that she was playing on her phone and looked around. She seemed annoyed at having to pause just as she was about to beat the second car. Annie began to hyperventilate and throw a fit next to her. Calmly, Sandy looked at her and said, “This is why you should get off those social media sites. They teach you nothing except to behave like a drama queen. How is this helping?” Annie gulped and quickly took a mirror out of her purse and carefully dried her eyes, making sure her mascara was not smudged.
Quickly, Sandy got out of the car and went to the front of the car. She told Matt to open the hood and peered inside. There was a green ooze all over one side of the engine. This is the coolant, she thought to herself. “The radiator is overheated,” she called out to the others in the car.
“How did she know that?” Annie softly whispered to Gracie, who was sitting silently, not knowing what to do.
“Sandy is an excellent mechanic and loves cars,” Matt answered them, nodding his head as if proud of a prodigy that he had created. “So, what should we do?” he called out to Sandy.
“Nothing,” Sandy said nonchalantly, cool as a cucumber. “We wait for twenty minutes, and the engine should cool down by then. Then we will be fine. But we will need to find a garage soon.”
This was an introduction to the hero of the story, Sandy. What features did you notice about her? She loves cars and knows a lot about them. This is shown right at the beginning when she was playing a car race. This also tells the reader that her knowledge will come in handy. Her friend Matt also knows this about her. He helps with emphasising this trait of hers. Did you notice how cool she remains throughout the ordeal? You will also need to make the main character impressive, someone the reader can trust. Once you begin to panic, then you cannot think clearly.
As a foil to her (contrasting character) we have Annie who is more prone to fits and overreactions. This small intrusion helps to show Sandy in an even better light. So, you may include it. Notice the advice she gives Annie? Sandy is also intelligent and doesn’t like wasting time on useless things. Do you see how much information has been shared about our main character in just a few lines?
And to add the cherry on the cake, Sandy has also been made to look somewhat impressive with spiky hair and a cool demeanour. It doesn’t hurt that the main character also looks good! Notice how artificial things like makeup have not been used to describe her face? On Annie’s, yes.
So, now do you see how each sentence in the introduction has been carefully written to show the personality traits of the main character? The resolution also is something that the hero comes upon by herself. There is no waste of words. Nothing feels forced. Nothing feels like a quick band-aid solution. Go on! Create your hero now.