Being that I usually dive head-first into the genre of action adventure thrillers, I get to read some great stories with a lot of tough as nails heroes, thwarting  the villainous plans of their antagonists; saving the world one scene at a time. Plenty of heart pounding action? You bet! Lots of cliches? Love it!

However, is there room for a hero that is somewhat larger than life, but possessing a softer, more fragile character trait? A hero that knows the path they have been thrust upon has to be followed at any cost, but wishing it could have been someone else.

I have been seeing it more often and I believe it adds a fresh, new dimension to the action hero, whereas reading of their escapades, I know that he, or she is struggling emotionally with their goal. Feeling their pain and  oft times sharing their tears as they suffer personal loss along the way.

When I first started writing my action thriller, Zero Point, I hit the keyboard full steam with my protagonist, Josh Turner. An archaeologist who was your typical, larger than life tough guy with a penchant for adventure and intrigue. About a third of the way through, I became aware of the fact that I really didn't like him on a personal level. For me, that was not good at all. If I didn't like him, I knew he wouldn't stand a chance with a reader.

So I went back to his bio and thought of ideas to make him more of an ordinary person, inadvertently forced into an extraordinary situation. I gave him more emotion; a caring for people and less of the "lock-n-load" mind-set. I threw in a conflict with his father, his mentor, but also his source of rebellion. A personal demon that had  followed him since his childhood. And finally, a reluctant and somewhat clumsy suitor for that special lady. When I did the re-write, I finally could truly say, "Yeah..I like the guy now." I could relate to him more on a personal level.

Can our heroes be tough, vanquish the bad guy, and win the day? Sure they can, but can they also shed a tear along the way? Why not?

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