CRAFTING YOUR PROTAGONIST
Whether you are writing in first person or not, your protagonist is going to be the character your readers spend the most time with. Let's talk about how to make sure that time is well-spent.
Your story is only ever going to be as strong as your protagonist. Creating a character who fits your narrative and is up to the challenges your plot entails is essential to crafting your story. After all, it is all built around one person's experiences. They can't shy away from them, or your plot will fall flat. Here are some tips on how to craft the perfect protagonist.
Make your protagonist relatable
Your readers need to identify with your protagonist. This means they need to find some common ground with your protagonist. They need real-life characteristics, hobbies, goals, quirks. Things that make them endearing and set up the groundwork for your readers to connect with your protagonist on an emotional level.
Make your protagonist represent something
There are certain moral pillars that society has set in place. Things like honesty, integrity, individuality, respect, fairness, and loyalty. Your protagonist has to embody one or more of these moral pillars for your audience to support them. They need a reason to fight for the things they do.
Give your protagonist room to grow
Have you ever found yourself reading a book or watching a movie and find yourself liking the entertaining side characters more than the main character? Maybe they get themselves into more interesting situations because of their quirky flaws, maybe they are funnier, screw up and create conflict, etc. This happens because they aren't perfect. As I wrote in All the Beautiful Things, "Perfection is lovely, but it isn't intimate." If your main character never makes mistakes, is the perfect embodiment of everything good, or has no endearing human pitfalls to overcome, they are going to be a very flat, unrealistic character. Your readers have to love the character before they are going to root for them, and if there is no room for them to grow, your readers won't connect with them as an individual.
Set your protagonist up to take action
Your protagonist needs two things. A reason to take action, and the means to do so. Your protagonist can't just sit there and wish their problems away. They need to be assertive and take direct action to move your plot along. Now, does that mean you can't have a shy or even scared protagonist? Not at all! If a lack of self-esteem or some deep-rooted fear is a character trait you want your main character to have, go for it! But you still need them to make decisions and move. You could make them the only one capable of taking up their fight, or give them an ultimatum to get them outside of their comfort zone. But they have to have the strength to overcome whatever is put in their place, even if maybe they don't believe it at first.
Give your protagonist motivation when things get hard
The difference between a protagonist and an antagonist is that the protagonist has certain lines that they just won't cross. That need to take the higher road can really come in handy when coming up with conflict for your story, because you can cross over into using your protagonist's unyielding standards against them to stir up internal conflict. They need a reason to stay true to who they are, and their actions should never go against those traits. Some ideas for motivation can be found in Maslow's Theory of Human Motivation. Which goes as follows:
To meet physiological needs such as food, water, sleep, warmth, etc. Basic survival needs.
Safety. Things like shelter, security of the body, resources, etc.
Love and belonging, which includes all their relationships with friends, family, and intimacy needs.
Esteem. Self-esteem, confidence, achievement, and respect.
Self-actualization, including morality, problem solving, and lack of prejudice.
A good protagonist will, at one point or another, strive to meet each tier of these needs. These are the things that we, as humans, long to fulfill. They are the basic requirements that we consider create a healthy, whole individual.
Your protagonist is a very important part of your story, and taking time to really dissect who they are at their core, what their motivation is, and what they need to learn from going through what they do is vital to good storytelling. If you aren't in love with your protagonist, if you aren't fighting for them, aching when they fall short, and giving them the strength they need to stand back up again, your readers won't be either.
