Tired of writing heroes that fall flatter than paper? Join Melissa Walshe at the Topsham Public Library this summer to explore ways to bring protagonists to life. Students will look at writing heroes in three sessions designed to complement one another while also being useful as standalone workshops. The workshops will take place at 6 p.m. June 2, July 7 and August 4.

June 2 will feature a workshop titled “The Only Good Hero is An Anti-Hero.” With the rising popularity of dark fiction such as “Game of Thrones” and young adult dystopias such as “The Hunger Games,” the classic notion of a hero seems to be losing ground to more complex champions. In this one-hour workshop, the class will discuss examples from pop culture and borrow from the concept of alignment in role-playing games to consider how making a protagonist a bit wicked can be a gripping way to engage readers’ emotions.

The July 7 workshop is called “The Hero’s Choice.” The beliefs of heroes are one thing: their actions are another. What makes the questionable choices of one hero sympathetic and another just plain pathetic? In this one-hour workshop, the class will discuss examples from pop culture and consider the questions that need to be answered in order to imbue a hero’s choices with the life that comes from believable motivation and a consistently developed perspective.

The final workshop on August 4 is titled “When The Good Die Young.” Happily ever after is a trope so outdated it’s almost due for a comeback. Part of drawing the reader into the world of a hero is creating a genuine belief that it’s possible for bad things to happen to good characters. In this one-hour workshop, the class will consider great and mediocre examples in modern fiction and discuss the principles behind setting a lovable hero up for complete failure… without isolating the reader.

Walshe works with words in just about every possible way. She published her first book, “Autumn’s Daughter,” in 2014. She is a professional copywriter for Shines and Jecker Laboratories. She has an Ed.M. in language and literacy from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and a B.A. in linguistics from the University of Southern Maine. Most of her waking (and dreaming) hours are spent thinking about how to tell a more compelling story.

For more information and to sign up for 1, 2 or all 3 workshops, go to topshamlibrary.org/writeyour heroes-alive-writing-workshop signup, call the library or email emma@topshamlibrary,org. The workshops are for ages 14 and up. Spaces are limited and Topsham Public Library cardholders will be given first preference, so sign up soon. The Topsham Public Library is located at 25 Foreside Road in Topsham. For more information, contact the library at 725- 1727 or at topshamlibrary.org.