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How to make a good protagonist?

9 years ago

I love making characters. I love making them work together. I love making a deep persona, and i love making even deeper villains. But there is one specific character i HATE and ANGSTY ANGSTY GAWD LORDY NO LOOOOATH making.

The protagonist.

1) PERSONALITY

The problem with a protagonist's personality is that it's either bland or brave and innocent (which ends up being bland). If you make it anything else, for example, spunky, people will go "How snarky! How rude!". If you do shy, people go "You're so lonely! Quit being an attention hog!" UUUUUGH. A protagonist is supposed to move the story forward (or backwards, or maybe just move it, I guess). What kind of personality can move a story forward?

2) BACKSTORY

I don't want an overly dramatic back story but I dont want a bland, "i'm just a normal person". It's like all the other things have been done. 

3) MOTIVE

I can make motive's for everyone else....but the protagonist. That's the person you're seeing the world through,right? So you want to see why they are doing what they are doing. Only I don't know what I want them to do. Like, love. Usually love in books is some baseless whim and a sudden obsession. Should the motive be love? Then, how am I gonna do that? Without making it sound like some stupid teenage crushing?

4) FLAWS

I like flaws, but I don't know ones appropriate for a protagonist. Short temper and over trusting-ness is way overdone. Even better than a flaw though is a good quality that is also a flaw. Like in ToraDora, Ryujji has this good guy, forgiveness is key thang. When Tiaga's formerly manipulative and untrustworthy father returns for her affection, he tells her to forgive him, even though Minorin is like "NOPE". It's actually pretty nice for a while....until BLAM! The daddy sends a text to poor old Ryujji to tell him to tell his daughter that he'll be missing her show and that they wont be able to love with each other for a while, money's in the bank, bye. His good quality backfired...not on him, but on someone else.

This is why i stick to 3rd person or swich off characters. i don't know how to make good protagonists at all!

How to make a good protagonist?

9 years ago

If you have this much trouble with the protagonist, then I really question your ability to make deep villains like you claim you do lol.

How to make a good protagonist?

9 years ago

haha i know what you mean but thinking negative is a lot easier than thinking positive.

I can make the antagonist (if he is evil, ya know) pretty corrupted but still not a piece of cardboard.

It's just, is a protagonist supposed to be the exact OPPOSITE of an antagonist? Actually, when I think about it, it would be cool if the protagonist and antagonist where similar. 

How to make a good protagonist?

9 years ago

(See: The Following)

How to make a good protagonist?

9 years ago

Re: The Following- You know, I think Ryan may have killed just as many people as Joe by this point.

How to make a good protagonist?

9 years ago

1. Make 'em bland first, then make their subtle traits more pronounced over time.

2. Set up all your plot twists in the backstory.

3. Easy : you don't make your characters sex-addled teens.  Younger or older or just prude, just don't see them as lovers from the starting block.

4. Make them softcore antagonist.  Just less hated than everyone else.

How to make a good protagonist?

9 years ago

Here's my advice. Think of one of your favorite side character you've come up with. Someone with a really deep, fun or interesting personality, the type of side-character that everybody says is their favorite... Now make them the main character and screw what everybody else thinks, at least you'll have fun writing the story. Alternatively, make the main character the villain cheeky

How to make a good protagonist?

9 years ago

1) Dont make the personality an archetype. Base them on someone you know, or on realistic reations. Usually characters with cookie cutter personality traits are empty. Also conflicting personality traits is a good way to start if nothing else. A personality should be real. Dont assign traits. Make a viewpoint. Dont ask how a shy character would react, ask how someone you know would react. 

2) Backstory really depends on the plot. Dont do tragic, that has no oomph anymore. There are a range of emotions, a joyful and happy life can set up a entitlement or confusion when things go bad, or feel like you dont understand others problems. A hard life, that has a lot of work can say otherwise. Think Han Solo, Superman, Wonderwoman, Kirk. None of these characters were necessarily Tragic. A backstory just says what shaped them. How did they come to be the way they are? Also everything has been done, always, nothing new under the sun, the key is to make it your own.

3) As for Motive, motive really does center on plot, but a good catch all otherwise is survival. It is a motive you dont have to think too much on, and forces the character to move. That and necessity. Give them a deadline and they will be motivated to act.

4) Flaws, well anything works as long as it is an actual flaw. I am so tired of clumsy characters for cuteness. But just to name a few. Cynical, unskilled in an important area, addiction, hesitant to act, physically slow/weak/glass jaw, lack of control over something about them (from powers to anger issues to despair) influenced by someone they shouldnt be

 

Honestly though in these games, empty characters are a plus because as a game you want to self insert.

 

How to make a good protagonist?

9 years ago

... *quirks an eyebrow* I think your problem is that you buy too much into the stereotype of what a protagonist 'should be' rather than just making a character you want to see as the lead.

I think the closest I've come to making a "typical hero" as my protagonist is making a decent guy who really doesn't try to be a hero or anyone particularly good (he's a criminal--not by choice, granted, by necessity), but has a set of personal morals / convictions that he sticks to and as a result, he gets swept up in a series of both fortunate and unfortunate events.

These events challenge his narrowed view of the world and general apathy about the greater good, pushing him to make a choice between giving up his convictions to return to a lonely, peaceful life or fighting for his beliefs and loved ones. Later on, having made the latter choice, he starts grappling with a separate desire to forsake his principles for something a little less noble than peace: revenge against the man who murdered his mother and unborn sister.  

... And he chooses revenge, because that's one of his flaws. So many heroes are "above" that sort of thing, able to let go of the past, to forgive and move on...but he's not, because he's human.

Also, he never moved the plot forward. The plot moved him. xD