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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/q/42422
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/q/42422
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

In many works of genre-fiction (I'm talking mainly about fantasy and sci-fi, but others genres can apply), and across many forms of media, the main characters ends up being _special_ in some ways.

Maybe it's the _abilities_ the MC has, maybe there is a _prophecy_, maybe it's something in his/hers _birth_ or _upbringing_: it doesn't matter how, but often a character is, somewhat, "chosen". No one else could fill in his shoes because the MC is not-replaceable.

Sometimes this is played up straight. Sometimes prophecies are warped. Sometimes, the whole concept is subverted.

**My issue:** I dislike the whole chosen hero idea; I'm bored of it. Yet as I'm writing my novel I notice that, somehow, I'm falling into it (my MC will eventually get important thanks to the circumstances of her birth; she cannot, therefore, be considered an everyday woman). So I'm finding myself in a contradictory situation - even hypocritical, if you may.

So, here's my more general question:

## How do you avoid writing a chosen hero?

I realize that even when classic elements like manifested destinies and roboant prophecies are missing, you still kind of risk a "chosen" situation. We have the natural tendency to make our characters interesting - after all, we like to read about the struggles of extraordinary characters more often than not.

So, the real question is how to add quirks and characteristic to your characters without making the quirks overcome the whole characterization. Is there a point of equilibrium?

**Related:**

- [the-chosen-one-paradox](https://writing.stackexchange.com/questions/38331/the-chosen-one-paradox)

Original score: 53