Read the previous post: How to Create a Vile Villain
I want to give you a perspective on the protagonist, and what
makes a memorable main character for the bad guy to face. I will say that this
is probably one of the broadest subjects in all of fiction writing, because the
main character can take on so many forms and go on so many journeys, whereas
the villain usually has a straightforward goal.
(Please excuse the gender bias...I just don't feel like
typing "him/her" or "s/he" all the time)
Tip #1: SEND HIM ON A JOURNEY TO OBTAIN A DESIRED GOAL
This is the same concept as Tip #1 in my post, 6 Tips to Hook Your Reader in the First Chapter. The main character in
every work of fiction, whether it be fantasy, science-fiction, horror, mystery,
romance, literary...whatever, needs a goal important enough to force him to go
out and find some way to obtain his desire.
This could be finding treasure,
discovering a country, killing a king, or even defeating an army. There are
hundreds of adventures. Choose one you love, and make your main character need
it so much that he will go mad if he doesn't reach it. This drives the story,
creates tension, and generates interest.
The reader will ask: "How will he
defeat the dragon that terrorizes the kingdom?" The only way to find out
is to read on.
Tip #2: MAKE HIM ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL TO THE PLOT
Make your MC someone who sticks out of a crowd. Someone
readers want to read about and discover the life of. Nobody would have read
Harry Potter if Seamus Finnigan was the main character. We would miss the whole
point of the story! We wouldn't know what happened between Harry and Quirrell
would be a complete secret....actually no, because, naturally, the whole school
knows!
Okay, bad example.
But you see what I mean? We wouldn't see the action. There
would be no love story with Harry and Cho and Ginny, or Ron and Hermione. We
wouldn't see the Polyjuice Potion, or the Chamber of Secrets, or the Triwizard
Tournament, or the cave and the fake Horcrux. So much of the story would be
missing, and we would only see the parts that Seamus witnessed.
So make the main character someone that compelling,
interesting things happen to.
Tip #3. MAKE THE READER CARE ABOUT HIM
Remember this above all else: Emotion is the strongest
offensive move you can make when writing a story. Love, anger, sadness,
anxiety, butterflies in the stomach, ALL THAT. If you write with emotion, your
reader will feel it (hopefully, at least). Let's say they do. That means you
did something right. You are giving the reader an experience.
Make the reader care. Create sympathy for him. Or make him
do something cool that readers like! Give readers a reason to want to know more
about the main character.
Tip #4. DEVELOP A BACKSTORY FOR YOUR MAIN CHARACTER
You didn't just pop into this world. Events lined up so that
you were born. Your parents met somehow. They had you, raised you, and created
experiences for you. Then you ventured out into the world and had your own
experiences.
Everything you are today is based off a series of events
(sometimes unfortunate) and choices
(if you believe in free will, of course). We all have a history, so give your
main character a history. Make it compelling. Make it relevant. Show that your
character was forced to become who he is today, and there is no one else he
could be. I mean, you're creating a whole story, might as well deepen it while
you have the chance.
 |
| Speaking of unfortunate... |
Tip #5. MAKE HIM BELIEVABLE. GIVE HIM FLAWS
Flat characters aren't fun (unless his name is Flat Stanley,
of course). Develop him as a real person. Give him real quirks. Reasons he
would bug you in real life. What's that pestering thing he does? What beliefs
of his challenge your own beliefs? Give him those beliefs. Make him biased. Make
him arrogant when it comes to a sport he's good at, or how he might feel
"above" someone.
Come on, there's something in all of us that we can admit
to. USE IT. Develop it. Make him react based on his beliefs, when one of the
other characters might have done something completely different. Make a flawed
character, because NOBODY IS PERFECT.
Tip #6. GIVE HIM FRIENDS AND COWORKERS AND A SOCIETY WITH
WHICH TO INTERACT
Show readers how your main character perceives the world. Show
readers how he talks to people.
Does he have a lot of friends, or a close knit group, or any
friends at all? Is he shy and looks away or down while talking, or does he hold
a firm stare? Does he stand tall, or slouch whenever he has to be around
strangers? Does he help someone in need on the street, or does he walk by
without a second glance? Does he appreciate his friends, or does he patronize
them? Does he take charge, or does he follow? Does he like large groups, or
prefer the quietness at home?
This is all about deepening the MC, because the more readers
know, the more interested they become, and the more they can relate.
Tip #7. GIVE HIM A SET OF VALUES...TO BREAK
Your main character needs to live his life a certain way. He
doesn't go around wreaking havoc one day, and saving the world the next. People
are consistent. People are decent (mostly). A majority of the population
doesn't go around acting completely bipolar. We have schedules. We have morals
and values and stick with them. We form decisions around them.
So should your main character.
As quickly as you can, show what a normal day for your MC
is, so the reader can tell whenever he does something against those morals and
values. Because in every journey, things won't always go your MC's way, and
he'll have to break some of his rules to continue forward. Interesting…
Tip #8. GIVE YOUR MAIN CHARACTER A UNIQUE TRAIT
This is important. You've created a believable character. We've
seen all his flaws and interests, and know what family life is like. But
something is still missing. A REASON HE IS THE HERO.
Your main character must possess something that no other
character in the entire story does. That can be magic powers, or a special gun,
or a special set of skills, or knowledge that only he knows. Something. Anything.
GIVE IT TO HIM. Your main character shouldn't share this. And he has it because
it is essential to the plot and will help him defeat the villain’s fatal flaw
(see How to Create a Vile Villain Tip
#7).
The same holds true for the main character. Your protagonist
and antagonist will confront each other in some sort of final battle, and this
is when both of their unique traits will be most important to the story,
whether these be flaws or advantages.
Be creative when expressing it. And remember, keep it
logical. Readers hate coincidences (aka deus
ex machina).
The main character of any story should fascinate us. We
should love him. We should know everything about him and feel like he is a
long-lost friend. He should be compelling, at the center of attention, and be
flawed.
Flat characters who are perfect in every way are BORING. We read books
to be interested and love what we read. Pull this off, and you'll see whole fan
pages dedicated to your characters.
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Great post! One of my favorites is #4. I love developing backstory, though sometimes, I go a bit overboard.
ReplyDeleteAlexa S. Winters
thessalexa.blogspot.com
Yeah, backstory is definitely important, and it takes a bit of practice to lay it out evenly so you aren't just infodumping. We've all been there and done that hahaha
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