I'm working my way through Donald Maass's 'Breakout Novel', and the beginning section is on heroes and heroines. I'm just going to call them heroes or protagonists, because we all know that women can be and are heroic, as well.
One of the things Maass says is that we identify with a protagonist not because we like them, but because we see in that character ourselves as we would like to be. That in the outset of the book we should see at least some 'small show of gumption, a glimmer of humor, a dab of ironic self-regard' or some other heroic trait, even if the character is in the middle of wallowing in self-pity or doing something un-heroic at the story's outset.
Another thing he asks is that we take out our favorite three works of fiction, the three we would most re-read now or have read the most. Laura Kinsale's 'Flowers from the Storm' and the Lord of the Rings trilogy are definitely on there. I'm trying to think of another. LaVyrle's 'Morning Glory' would probably be the other, though I doubt I have a copy of it any more.
The rich characterization is what brings me back to those books. Though LOTR has an intense, intricate plot, it also has well-drawn characters. The two romances have very intense internal conflicts and plots, but they're not 'we're gonna die' intensity in the external plot at all. So internal plot and characterization. And actually, LOTR has quite an involved internal journey for Frodo and everyone else. The external plot points tend to overshadow it, though.
So what are YOUR three favorite works of fiction, and why?
