Stagnation and the Heroic Quest

I was just wondering how the community at large (at least anyone who would read this thread) think about the heroic quest template as a whole? I mean, it's used a lot, even unintentionally, and has worked out well.

Another facet of the quest I was wondering about is how anyone feels about how relatable a hero is before the quest ever starts and the conflict is ever introduced. Is a courageous, righteous hero better to start with than the normal average joe?

Asking this because I've been getting a suprisingly huge amount of flak for the character build I'm using for a novella that involves a heroic quest and journey, and I was wondering if I was just ignorant that most felt a certain way about the whole deal.

I dont mind, as long the story id good, a theme cant really be overused, since what u write makes it unique not actually the thematic issue, there are a lot of successful books that are based on heroic things, most of the greek poetry and folktales always use gods and heroic characters to make it more appealing. If its a good story people will like it no matter what its about. I think its a good idea and i hope to see some of it when its done ^^ as long its good and not some poor spin off lol xD

I think it's important to take into account who the person is before the events that lead to the quest happen. That way people can understand why the hero goes on the quest, and how he/she may act during said quest. The most important part is to make sure that you don't miscast your character by making people think he wouldn't go on a journey for the reason you say, it must fit his background and character instead of being a plot device.

My story is about a man (around 25) who enjoys digging ruts for himself. His desire for stagnation stems from his parents' death at a cultural movement's protest that degraded into a riot.

Not long after his parents die and he is re-situated, he is given and starts to play the cello, proving himself to be something of a prodigy. After fifteen years of playing, he joins the philharmonic orchestra of the city he lives in.

While in his current routine, political tensions with the country neighboring his own spill over, and the neighbors (The Galcian Union) attack and occupy the city the main character lives in, claiming original ownership. Due to their possibly legitimate claim, the Galcian Union enters peace talks with the former government that controlled the city, Tanseele.

Intent on changing as little as possible post-occupation, the main character continues to go to the half-destroyed amphitheater on scheduled concert dates and plays alone. Word of what he does spreads over time and eventually the leader of a resistance movement attends one of his "performances" and turns it into a small rally, making the MC a spiritual figurehead of the movement for people to rally behind. The MC doesn't care since he doesn't really have to do anything, and continues keeping his routine.

As time passes and the resistance engages the occipying military more and more, the standing leader is killed and everyone immediately looks to the MC, who then has to decide between standing for an ideal when he is needed by so many, or to simply keep his safe routine.

so... a digger turned prodigy lives a simple life of playing music, war comes along and resistance groups use him as a symbol. rebel leader dies, people look to him as new leader, shall he accept the responsibility?
hmm if this is the general idea then i gess this is a good start. its just somewhat hard to imagine a digger with hands that master a cello. cause where would he get the education and such for learning to play the cello. 3_3

Sorry, "digging ruts for himself" was figurative. I meant that he enjoys life when things are routine and predictable. He is also a self-taught cellist, only proficient due to his methodical practice schedule that he intentionally sticks to for the fifteen years.

ok i c... well as i said, good start. hope to see the first chapter. :P

To be honest, I'm getting a little tired of seeing the 'Average Joe' or 'Average loser who sucks at everything yet is somehow the one who can save the world' theme. Almost every movie seems to use this theme and it's getting redundant.

I'm not saying your character should start off being a badass, but rather is just a little more capable, like has some background in the fighting arts or something of the sort.

Don't worry, Lang, I don't plan on having him do any fighting. For him it's the decision to become the leader that the group needs or to ignore them and do what he wants. He's not a tactician or a fighter, just a symbol that raises morale.

I share your feelings of average joe supermen, and I figure that I limit it through compounding at least a small natural affinity to fifteen years of him practicing every day to explain why he is such a good cellist at such a young age. Other than that, I'm being careful to not make him good at everything he does.

Well, I don't have any gripes with how your character acquired his skill, as long as there's a good amount of time put into learning it. I'm doing concept work for my own series (debating whether or not I'll post it here) and the two main characters become proficient in martial arts by the time their 17-18 and 19 respectively.

Also, I really should make a habit of reading most of the topic instead of skipping to the last couple of posts

The work itself is now up, albeit not on the forums. As a disclaimer, it is 6,800 words at this point, so I can understand if any find that not worth their time.

http://typewith.me/awo9TmSnbX