Chosen-One Narrative

In recent years — and especially in YA books —, the ‘Chosen One’ has become a mainstay. The trope of that one person who has been chosen by a higher power, such as a prophecy or a divine being, or who is the first one to break the mould of regular people in the world, is exceedingly popular. What pitfalls await you when you’re trying to write this kind of narrative, though? Yes, trust me, there are quite some pitfalls to avoid, especially as the trope has become so common.

While the narrative of that one person who is destined to bring down the dystopian system is very common, not everyone who does so is a Chosen One. For instance, Katniss in the Hunger Games is not a Chosen One. She is thrust into a situation in which she has to fight the system instead of just keeping her head down and surviving, but she wasn’t chosen — she chose herself, if you must have a ‘choice’ in that case.
So the first important part about the Chosen-One narrative is that there must be something or someone choosing someone else. This something or someone must be a higher power of sorts. Harry Potter is ‘chosen’ both by a prophecy and by Voldemort himself (as Neville would also have qualified as the Chosen One in this case, but by going for Harry, Voldemort ‘marked him as his equal’ as per the prophecy). The prophecy does qualify as a higher power, even though Voldemort doesn’t. Luke Skywalker isn’t a Chosen One (but Anakin Skywalker is, following the prophecy of ‘the one to bring balance to the Force’), even though, like with Katniss, circumstances push him into the role of the hero and he fills it.
If you want a proper Chosen-One narrative, a higher power of a sort must choose your main character. That higher power could be a prophecy or a magical creature or a deity or something similar. It can’t just be that guy who says ‘you look like you could slay that Dark Lord.’

Being a Chosen One also isn’t just about a random person becoming a great warrior. The basic skill to solve that problem the Chosen One is supposed to solve must be within the person who is the Chosen One. They might not know it — often, they don’t —, but it must be there.
Anakin bringing ‘balance to the Force’ in a universe in which there’s two Sith Lords and a number of dark Jedi, yet a large order of regular Jedi can only mean pushing the Dark Side, even if the Council doesn’t realize it. Now, everyone can fall to the Dark Side, if some will more easily than others. Yet, if Anakin is to bring ‘balance to the Force,’ he must go dark. Not that we didn’t know that before — we know who he becomes, after all. Yet, he doesn’t wake up some day and says ‘I’m going to be a Sith Lord now.’ It’s a process fuelled as much by Palpatine’s manipulations as by the actions of the Council and the general things happening to Anakin along the way. His past as a slave, his fear to lose his wife and kids (whom he’s forbidden from having) like his mother, and the general Skywalker impatience make it easier for him to fall to the Dark Side, but the development is still there. We see why he ends up behind the mask (even if it could have been done better…).
If the mere presence of the Chosen One makes other people solve the problem instead, though, you’re doing it wrong. The Chosen One must be the only one qualified to deal with the problem. If they’re not, if there’s someone better suited for it who can and would do it, then you don’t have a proper Chosen One, but more about that later.

Often, the Chosen One has a connection to the story’s villain. They are bound to confront the villain for something or the villain has singled them out for some reason. The easiest way to tie them together is through some kind of family connection. Either the villain has killed parts of the Chosen One’s family or, even worse, the villain is part of the Chosen One’s family.
Of course, such family matters make for an easy conflict. If the villain has killed the main character’s whole family, there isn’t much to understand about why the main character focuses on bringing the villain down. If the villain is part of the same family, the Chosen One might want to bring them back — or clear the family name by killing them, depending on the kind of story you are after.
Yet, that has become a trope of itself by now. Instead of seeking revenge for the death of one’s own family or only focusing on bringing the villain back from their evil ways, the villain and the main character can also be connected through the very problem it is all about. If the Chosen One was chosen to put together a MacGuffin of sorts, the villain could be hoarding some parts for other reasons or could be the one whose power will suffer once that MacGuffin is running. If the Chosen One is the secret heir to the kingdom, the villain can be ruling it even without being related to the main character (they could either rule ‘instead of the missing heir’ or simply have taken over after the last heir disappeared). Like this, both sides are invested in the situation without being directly related to each other.

It is, of course, possible to subvert that regular Chosen-One narrative. The easiest way would be to portray a ‘Chosen One’ who is fake while someone else does all of the actual saving of the world. Or to show a Chosen One who refuses to act and forces others to do their work instead, showing that it was not about being chosen by a higher power at all.
What you should avoid, though, is something like the undeserving hero. A Chosen One who is not showing any of the skills necessary, but gets pushed into the narrative as the only one who can deal with the problem. At some point, a Chosen One should show why they’ve been chosen — should show that they possess the necessary skills to win the day, solve the problem, and defeat the villain. Or not really be the Chosen One and just a decoy who believes they are. If your Chosen One is not doing a thing and others are saving the day, unless you make a point of it, then you have the wrong Chosen One.

As mentioned, the Chosen-One narrative is very popular and, thus, very common. If you feel you have to use it, try to make it your own, try to subvert it a little, try to make something new out of it. Exploring the Chosen-One narrative in a story can be very interesting and create a great story, but just following through with what everyone has been doing already won’t make your story stand out.