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!