I recently read the following post by Charles Yallowitz on his Legends of Windermere website. While I suspect those of you who are not writers probably won’t find it useful, perhaps you will find it interesting. Just one of the many problems we have to sort out.
Very few tropes are as common in fantasy as the destined heroes. This motivation has existed since the days of mythology and continues to be used today. Authors find twists and variations on the concept of destiny and fate, but it tends to boil down to the same thing. The hero is on a path that was chosen for them by a greater power, which brings up the question of if they are in control of any of their actions. Needless to say, readers and authors have railed against the concept. Does that mean it should be shunned and ignored? I’d be a hypocrite if I said yes since the God of Destiny is a major player in my stories. In fact, Legends of Windemere is all about destined heroes . . . Of course, there’s more to it than that, which I will get into after we go over ‘Fate vs Free Will’.
This has been a debate for years if not decades. It shouldn’t be surprising since the concept of destiny has been overused to the point of ultra-cliché. Audiences see the use of destiny or fate or being chosen by a higher power as a cop out by the author. Why does the hero go on this dangerous adventure? Well, they don’t have a choice. More importantly, it goes against our desire for freedom, which is shown through free will. Readers want to connect to the characters and destiny can be a glaring obstacle.
What do you think about the idea of destiny in novels?
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Dragons Rule OK. V.M.Sang (author) 
I don’t mind destiny, Viv, as a trope in fantasy novels, but I still want the character to struggle big time, either against his destiny or to achieve his destiny. It should never be a free ride and should be riddled with twists and strife and failures. Great question and post from Charles. Thanks for sharing and adding your own thoughts. 😀
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You are right, Diana.
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The comment link at the bottom sent me to the wrong place, twice.
So, I’ll comment here:
Of course destiny is somewhat of a thing humans overlay on the actions of what may be an ordinary person who feels compelled to take on an extraordinary quest. Did the person really choose to do that because they perceived the responsibility was put on *them specifically by some Higher Power? *Or did they feel they had no choice, in fact, felt pushed into it in spite of their reluctance (a more contemporary situation–the reluctant, if not obstinate, hero).
Life is like that. Some run away from an overwhelming challenge while others take it on with relish or at least convinced it’s their duty. Those conflicts are what make the story interesting. A hero striving for adventure becomes boring and rather egotistical very quickly. Thus, the reluctant hero or the one who accepts (eventually) the quest out of a sense of duty makes for more interesting twists and turns in the storyline. In my latest project, *Dragon Train, *my main hero takes on a big challenge in small steps motivated by the “fear of missing out” because his regular life is dull and somewhat stressful because of his abusive father, etc.
I think it’s fascinating to imagine a character driven or forced to act by Destiny (with a capital D). And it’s a comfortable confirmation that there may be powerful forces who manipulate our lives to make us better/braver/more capable than we thought we were. And that’s true in real life, too! RJ Mirabal
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Thank you for your comment, RJ. I suppose the comment link didn’t work due to it being a reblog.
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I finally got around to sending you a few Fall photos from New Mexico. Check your email. I hope you still have the same address!
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Thanks for the pics, RJ. They are beautiful.
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