So many Heroes, So
Little Time!
What’s your idea of a hero? As many types of people there
are in the world, there will be ideas and aspirations!
I’m fascinated by the whole concept. A hero can be of any
race, age, colour, sexual orientation, build, hair colour, academic level,
physical ability, job … you name it, we can and will love and appreciate him. We
read about them, we write stories about them, we admire them and cherish them
and sigh for need of them.
Can we help it if we’re entranced by the image? Our hearts
are excited by adventure and strong passion, while our heads admire loyalty and
integrity. To find the combination in one man – well, what more could we ask?
And there’s such a range to choose from: the musicians, doctors, firemen,
cowboys, old and young, indoors and outdoors-men, saints and sinners, tall,
blond, short and lean, rough and tough and strong and mean… well, you get the
picture. Heroic behaviour can burst from any one of them.
And one of the most likely scenarios is when love comes into
the equation. Then we’re treated to those who love from afar, and those who
fight for their love. The big, strong guys who face up to each other in a
crisis but want to snuggle up in a snowstorm. Those who struggle with
expression, while others charm with soft words.
And we probably all have our favourites – whether we like the shy,
sensitive, intellectual type, or the buff, muscled, strong and silent
type.
But hey! Whoever said, as a reader and author, I had to make
a choice? (and yes, that is Marlon
Brando with a kitten *g*)
On the other hand - heroes can be flawed and their heroism
erratic. Sometimes they’re selfish, they make mistakes, they miss the bloody
point. But they all have the potential to be Hero. And the fun of writing them
is to see whether we can bring that out in all situations – through time and
space, with lovers, with enemies, with women and men. Our hearts want to seek
the best of human nature, to admire kind and loyal and brave behaviour. It
doesn’t have to be on a battlefield. He doesn’t have to be alarmingly handsome
– which, after all, is a matter of taste. It’s the spirit that we seek!
In my regular posts I thought I’d touch on a few of the best
– *hero types* that is, get your minds out of the gutter! Let’s chat about
So what and
who are *your* favourites? It may be the wounded hero, the flawed, the geek, the military, the medical, the sensitive, the rough diamond, the bad-guy-done-good, the good-guy-tempted-by-bad, the reluctant, the silent, the rebel, the artist or the sportsman.
Are you holding on for yours?
~Clare London~
Writing ... Man to Man
www.clarelondon.com
This was originally posted in my regular spot at Sinfully Addicted to Male Romance, where I write as "Hero Hunter". I hope neither blog minds the cross-posting :).
5 comments:
Now I'm hearing Bonnie Tyler's "Holding Out for a Hero" in my head. Not a bad way to start out the weekend. ;)
So many types of heroes...they match all kinds of moods. The one that came to mind after your post is the hero/main character of Count of Monte Cristo. He's our for vengeance, and yet I love him. :) Husband and I are currently watching Breaking Bad, so Walter White has also been an interesting hero of late, too.
Off the top of my head,I think of a man with a glint of laughter in his eyes.
My husband's currently undergoing PT therapy. Yesterday, while I waited for him, a young mother--maybe 23, 24--came in with a Downs Syndrome baby boy. My heart went out to both of them. Young mom with a lifetime of love and heartache ahead of her is a hero, absolutely. Guess heroes come in all shapes, ages, and sizes.
Oh, I like that Elise!
These are such good examples - and I hope to write about heroes like them in the future :).
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