Worthiness: The Treasure Topic in Successful Fiction🏅

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. The Hunger Games. Percy Jackson & The Lightning Thief. Star Wars. Divergent. City of Bones.

What does every single one of these fiction books have in common?

An underdog main character who either (1) becomes “worthy” or (2) proves their inherent “worthiness.”

Each book begins by describing the protagonist as an unlikely hero. It then follows the character on a special journey or reveals something previously unknown about the character that makes them stronger, better, or more heroic - in other words, each book reveals that the character actually is worthy.

In Harry Potter, it’s the small boy living in “the cupboard under the stairs” who was able to stump the most evil wizard of all time. It’s the boy who was raised by an abusive aunt and uncle, who very much favor their own spoiled child over sweet little Harry.

In the Chronicles of Narnia, it’s the youngest of four siblings who stumbles through the wardrobe and uncovers a world in which she is a salvation-spreading princess. It’s the little girl that accompanies her siblings in fleeing dangerous World War II London.

In Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, it’s the middle schooler with ADHD and dyslexia, no dad around, and an abusive stepfather who saves Olympus and prevents the Titan lord Kronos from returning to rule the world. It’s the kid who always got kicked out of school and found himself in trouble.

You get the picture.

So why do we chase the concept of worthiness in fiction?

Why do successful adventure and fantasy novels tend to have an underdog main character that proves, despite intense challenges, that he or she is worthy?

When I think about it, the answer is actually pretty obvious: we see ourselves in this type of character (at least, we hope to); we yearn to be the underdog-deemed-worthy by circumstance, the one they didn’t see coming, the unexpected person who by brilliance, grit, and sheer fortune ends up on top.

If your reader can’t relate to your protagonist, you may struggle to sell adventure, fantasy, or other types of fiction. What people most love to relate to is an underdog who beat the odds and succeeded: a character who doesn’t seem to be worthy, but proves that they are.

When you outline/draft/edit your fiction book, consider what makes your underdog character worth writing about. What makes him or her an underdog that becomes (or realizes they always were) “worthy” in some way?