Did you ever read the story of Achilles? He was one of the greatest warriors in Greek mythology. He fought against the Trojans in the Trojan War. His one weakness was his heel. When he was born, his mother dipped him into the river Styx. The river had special powers, and rendered Achilles invulnerable…well, everywhere except for his heel. You see, when his mother dipped him, she held him by his heel, so his heel never touched the water. This is what gave us the modern phrase, “Achilles Heel”.

Okay, so now you’re probably wondering why I’m telling you about a hero from Greek mythology. In every story in which a hero rises to save the day, that hero needs some sort of handicap. They need something that gives them strength, but also, something that acts as their weakness. These elements can be one in the same. For example, the hero is a soldier protecting the woman he loves. He tells this woman not to follow him into battle, but when his back is turned she follows him anyway. Now, he has to fight his enemies AND watch over her. This generally results in him getting injured in some way.

Let’s look at the hero of Jo Fuentes: Project Sleep. Her name is Jo Fuentes, and she’s a Marine turned hitwoman. Her best friend and fellow Marine Patrick “Sully” Sullivan is both her strength and her weakness. She’ll do anything to protect him, but at the same time, he can be a distraction for her. When Jo is supposed to be focusing on a job from her boss Kelly McCormick, she’s busy worrying about Sully. But Jo’s connection to Sully is a strong one that Kelly will never he able to understand. Jo and Sully were the only members of their unit to survive a I.E.D. attack in Iraq, so there’s nothing that can come between them, not even Kelly…

Who’s the hero of your story? What motivates them to do what they do? Could this motivation also be their undoing? It’s something you may want to consider while you’re writing.