Whose story do you want to tell?
That’s the question authors ask themselves every time they begin to work on a new project. There might be a vague idea of the genre, the setting, maybe an idea of certain plot points, but who will be the main character?
When I first began writing years ago, I would write stories similar to basic fairy tales. The two major characters I would write were a hero and a villain, and looking back now, it’s funny to see how I used to write those characters in such stereotypical forms. The villain would be nasty and selfish, and the hero would be kind and brave. As I got older, read more books, and found out more about the world, I learned something important:
Heroes are just ordinary people.
It doesn’t matter if the main character of a story is a girl who works at the grocery store, a powerful sorcerer, or a boy who can move things with his mind. They all are individuals with hopes, dreams, and a whole bunch of flaws that keep getting in the way. Those flaws are what endear us to a character. We want to see a character overcome those flaws and reach a happy ending. This may come as a shock, but readers aren’t really interested in perfect characters who always do the right thing. It’s more fun and rewarding to see the character struggle and fight to succeed.
Let’s take a look at some examples to explain what I mean. Tony Stark [Iron Man] is one of my favorite characters in the Marvel Universe. I’m going to discuss some points of his character from the movies, but I think it’s fascinating and can apply to any kind of character creation [vague spoilers ahead].
Overall, Tony doesn’t seem like a nice guy… at all. It’s kind of surprising that I like him so much. He’s arrogant, shows off his wealth, treats people sarcastically, and he can be extremely selfish. So why is it that I will defend him if anyone tries to convince me of how horrible he is? Because I can see how he’s growing, how he’s trying to overcome his flaws.
When he almost dies because a piece of shrapnel is inching closer to his heart, Tony adapts and creates a device that saves him; demonstrating his determination and will to survive. Though he has a playboy reputation and steers away from commitment, he eventually falls for Pepper and would do anything to protect her, even if it means destroying all the suits he created. There’s a constant push and pull where Tony has to choose to overcome the flaws in his character, and the audience (hopefully) appreciates him for it.
As an exercise, think about your favorite books or favorite protagonists. Some examples might be the Pevensie children from The Chronicles of Narnia, Anne from Anne of Green Gables, or Alina from Leigh Bardugo’s Grisha trilogy. Try to remember why you liked those characters, why you cared about their story. Was it because of how perfect they were all the time? Probably not.
Let’s use Anne as our next example. She is a young girl full of energy, imagination, and a temper. All three of those qualities could be both positive aspects and her flaws. Her energy exhausts Marilla, Anne’s overactive imagination gets her into lots of trouble, and her temper causes her to make impulsive decisions- like breaking a slate over Gilbert’s head. As readers, we love Anne for those qualities, but we also cringe when she uses them poorly or they become a problem. She isn’t perfect, but we love her both in spite of her flaws and because of them.
Creating a well-developed protagonist is hard work. I’m always so tempted to give mine all of these great qualities and protect them so that nothing bad can happen to them. Sadly, that just doesn’t make a great story. Don’t be afraid to make your protagonist… human. Let them have flaws. Maybe they’re selfish, or maybe they ignore their friends sometimes, or maybe they’re just scared. That’s completely okay and will most likely result in an even stronger story.
So what are some ways you can start to create and learn more about your protagonist?
One of my favorite methods is to write a list. I’ll grab a notebook or open a new document on my laptop, and I’ll list out 25-50 “facts” about my character. Sometimes the fact might be super simple — Her eyes are green. But I also try to come up with some backstory or some negative qualities — She doesn’t trust people easily. Some might just be a sentence, others I might go into more detail. Not all of this information about my character needs to be included in the story, but I’ll keep it in the back of my mind as I write.
Another question I’ll ask myself is: What does my character want? If I’m going to write an entire novel about this character, then I need to know about their goals and motivation. How far will this character go to achieve whatever it is that they want? Would they make sacrifices? Would they have to become a better person? (Or maybe a worse person?) Sometimes the obstacles that characters might face on their journey to achieve their goal is not some villain in a dark hood, but the weaknesses and flaws within themselves. The key is to somehow help those characters push past those obstacles and become better people.
To wrap this all up, here are some final thoughts to keep in mind as you begin to craft your protagonist. Your readers want to care about the character. Though a perfect protagonist who does no wrong might be fun, readers will care more about the character who fumbles a little bit and has to overcome their own insecurities and flaws to get what they want. Don’t be afraid to create an imperfect character, they tend to become our favorites.
- A Solivagant Writer,
Britney Lynne Wolfe
Thank you for joining us for this week's Solivagant Writers. Leave us a comment below and tell us what you thought. This week's Solivagant Writer was Britney Wolfe. You can follow her on social @b_lynne_writes. Give us some love and share this post if it helped you in your writing. Farewell until next week, and have a happy Monday!
Written by: Britney Lynne Wolfe
Edited by: Sarah Robinson
Produced by: Bethany Lord