How To: Create Your Fantasy Hero/Heroine

2. Who am I?

We're going to start off with the most important thing about creating any character.

A backstory.

You hero's backstory will have a direct impact on how they think and act. It will determine their beliefs and morals. It will make or break their relationships. Basically, it will affect everything. Not to mention their backstory will include the moment in which they began their journey as a hero. They probably won't know this yet, but you and your readers should know. And that's what your hero's journey is about; them figuring out that they are in fact the hero.

**It will be a lot easier to determine your hero's backstory if you know the history of your fantasy world (if you need help with this, make sure you read my other guide; How to Build Your Fantasy World).**

You don't need to make the backstory too long, it just needs to be immersive. It needs to be a part of your story while also being personal to your hero. Meaning that you always need to refer to how the past connects to the present. When thinking about your hero's backstory, make sure you think in chronological order:

Infancy (up to 2 years)

Not much needs to be said about this part of their childhood, as your hero won't be able to remember this far back into their life. It's more just an extra for you and your readers to know. It could somehow tie to the plot later on. It can include who their parents are/were and where they were born. Let's continue with our Harry Potter example:

EX: Harry was born to Lily and James Potter in the Wizarding World, but they were murdered when he was barely 2 years old

Childhood (3 to 11 years)

Begin at the very beginning of your hero's life. Specifically, how were they raised? Who raised them? Did they have a happy childhood or not? Pick out key moments that are defining to your hero.

EX: Harry was raised by his Aunt and Uncle in the muggle world, who kept him in a cupboard under the stairs and generally resented him due to his magical abilities; which they kept a secret from him. Until a big hairy half-giant broke into his house, told him he was a wizard and made a pig tail sprout out of his cousin's bottom

Adolescence (12 to 18 years)

Now, think about the moments that happened immediately after their childhood. Bear in mind that these are probably the years that had the most impact on your hero, especially psychologically. They would have remembered every moment of their adolescence. They may even still be in it, or just coming to the end of it, so it could be very fresh in their memory. Although this is a fantasy world, it's still important to think about the basic things that happen in normal adolescence. Such as,

Education: How was your hero educated? I don't necessarily mean school. Although that could still be applicable if say, your story was something like Harry Potter where your characters attend a school like Hogwarts to learn how to use their abilities. However, if your hero lives in a fantasy world where their abilities are normal, or they are a different species (elves, mermaids, fae etc.) In this case; how was your hero educated about their species? Who were they taught by and was it a biased view? Have they been taught what is right and wrong? Or, has your hero had to fend for themselves and figure out all of this themselves?

EX: Upon learning he was a wizard, Harry returned to the Wizarding World to begin his magical education. It was during this time where he learned the truth about his life and his parents.