All Comments on 'Action and Adventure Writing Guide'

This was an interesting and informative guide. The only point I have issue with is an entirely personal one in terms of preference. Your description of the Anti-Hero fits my definition of the Anti-Villain. This disctinction I use to describes an anti-hero is a person of seemingly lazy, disolute or selfish demeanour that actually harbours a well concealed streak of decency such as Elric of Melnibone, Snake Plissken, the man with no name or the early Han Solo.

None the less, thanks for this well though out and written guide. The reminders on conflict types, plot structure and most of all resolution were very helpful.

5*

Thank you for this. I tend to agree with most of your points, although I must agree with the anonymous commenter who pointed out that the anti-hero often does not have a set goal at the beginning of the story, and has to grow into resolving a goal and then either attaining it - through self-growth, or not - through innate deficiencies or handicaps. I would include here the examples of Clint Eastwood's roles in many of his westerns. He often plays a damaged, broken man who has no friends or goals beyond wealth and survival, but attains the goal of defending the weak or innocent, and does so successfully with little conscience and a 'happy to wander off with all the loot available and leave new friends behind' attitude. And yet we love him for being that person.

I would say that he illustrates the epitome of the anti-hero: the dishonourable man who very reluctantly has a goal thrust upon him and yet tries - in his own venal and often anti-social way - to achieve it anyway.

An interesting character for me, from a writer's point of view is: The Wrong Hero.

This is the person who seems to be the hero in the beginning, as a terrible situation or quandary is thrusty upon him or her, and despite some effort, fails to step up and accept the challenge, or proves too weak and without sufficient character to resolve it, leaving the reader dissatisfied and at times hating the character who is still clearly the hero. Stephen Donaldson's great saga "The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant" are a case in point. I think a lot of the 'cuckold' posts fall into this category.

Good post!

I Think Everything that you have said could also be Applied to Not Just Books or Comics Books but also Movie and Show Scripts as well. And and as I was Reading the Death Part I was Reminded of the Show CW Arrow, where in Season 1 Oliver Queen or The Vigilante or The Hood Guy as He was Known at the time, just Killed Criminals by putting Arrows Duh and the Only Goal that he had was to Cross Names Off of a Book Full of Names Of all of these Evil Men. That He found of His Dead Father's. Through A Series of Long Events, the Death of his One BFF at the End of Season 1 which changed him, he has made a Vow to Not Kill Anymore to Honor His Memory. And Not only that he also starting Going After All of the Criminals and Not Just the Ones in the Beforementioned Book of Names. So in Short A Character Death could also Shape The MC Morals, But I think you already Mentioned that.