Childhood heroes

Sometimes the stories we hear early in our childhood can shape the way we think about the world. Heroes and heroines from our favourite books, films and games can provide role models, and inspire to become the best people we can be.

In this project, we’re going to try and recapture some of the magic of discovering exciting new characters for the first time

The characters we meet early in our lives can shape the way we think about the world.

Activity One – Choose a childhood hero

Take a moment to choose a character who inspired you as a child. This could be a figure from a fairy tale, battling against a wolf or a
giant. It could be a superhero, learning to control new, unusual powers. Or it could be a child taken far from their home, learning to get by in new surroundings.

Once you’ve made your choice, jot their name down on a sheet of paper. Then try and answers to the following questions.

You’ll probably find it easy to think of one or two answers for each. What happens if you try and list more? The more answers you can come up with, the better you’ll understand what makes your character tick.

What qualities does your character have, which makes them unique?
What are biggest challenges that your character faces? How do they overcome them?
Does your character have any weaknesses? Are there challenges or situations your character might find it hard to deal with?

Activity two – Retelling your character’s story

To remind yourself what you loved about your character, can you retell their greatest adventure in exactly five sentences?

Thinking about how you can summarise a story in only a few words will help you identify what’s most imporant about their journey.

Activiy three – A new world awaits

The next step in this project is to imagine transporting your character into a completely different world. You could pluck Harry Potter from Hogwarts and drop him into the world of The Jungle Book. You could put Peter Rabbit on a spaceship or Little Red Riding Hood in Gotham City.

But you don’t have move characters between worlds to create a new story. Taking someone who’s at home in the countryside and setting them loose in the big city – or vice-versa – could lead to new adventures.

Harry might be king of Hogwarts – but how would he cope in a different world?

As before, try and come up with as many answers as you can to the following questions.

What new challenges does your childhood hero face in their new location? What do they struggle with most?
How do their unique qualities help them cope with unfamiliar circumstances?
Is there anything about the new location which brings out new qualities or talents in your childhood hero?

Activity Four – A whole new adventure

Hopefully, the exercises above have left you full of ideas about new adventures your childhood hero might have.

Your challenge now is to create a whole new story for them. Again, see if you can tell it in just four sentences.

(Of course, if you want to write more than that, you can. But if you can start by focussing on what’s most important about character’s journey – on the key details that you can’t tell their story without – you may end up with a more focussed piece of writing.)

Activity Five – Time to reflect

Sometimes, after we’ve suffered a stroke or brain injury, we can feel like we’re living in a slightly different world. Ordinary tasks might feel difficult or unusual. We might feel like none of the rules we used to understand still apply.

Take a moment to reflect on what your story about your childhood hero has taught you about how people might cope with unfamilar circumstances. Are there any learnings from this exerise that might apply to your own life?

What can your childhood heroes teach you about your own trials and adventures?

Try more exercises and projects in our writing toolbox.