Creating Your Story’s Protagonist

It’s likely that more than one character in your novel has the potential to be a protagonist. If you’re stuck between two or more, try taking into consideration what you want the tone of your story to be. Whether you favor a more serious, lighthearted, comedic, or emotional tone — which of your characters can best offer that?

You might also consider choosing an active character to be your protagonist, as opposed to a passive character. Active protagonists drive the plot forward by making decisions and following through. Passive characters are less favorable as protagonists, and are usually dragged along the journey or “go with the flow.” Basically, if your hero doesn’t want to leave their house, there’s no story.

That being said, passive characters can make interesting narrators. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, Nick Carraway is a passive character recounting the protagonist’s — Jay Gatsby’s — experiences.

If you’re still stumped on who your protagonist you should be, there is the option of using multiple POVs, such as George R.R. Martin did for his A Song of Ice and Fire series (how else was he going to narrate the events from various locations and in multiple storylines?).

For more about the 4 different points of view, read my article here.

MOTIVATIONS & FEARS

Under the “Creating Your Story’s Antagonist” article, we discussed how to construct the antagonist’s motivations and fears, which inevitably led to their less-than-moral deeds.

Typically, the key factor which drives the plot forward is the protagonist’s actions — which are often based off their motivations and fears. It is more common for a hero to be driven by motivation — despite fear — and for a villain to be driven by fear guised as motivation, but there is, of course, room for overlap. If your protagonist is mainly driven by fear, it should be a justifiable fear that is tied to a positive motivation:

• The motivation to create a better world, in which there is no longer an oppressor creating division and war. They dream of a peaceful world.
  The fear that the world will fall to the hands of a tyrant who wants division and war. They worry about a destroyed world.
• The motivation to save a loved one who is being held hostage by this antagonist (this conflict could bring the protagonist head-to-head with the villain).
  The fear that they will never see their loved one again or that something terrible will happen to them unless they free them.
• The motivation to fulfill their duty as a soldier or a knight. This duty may have been tasked to them, or they may have chosen it — driven by their ethics.
  The fear of breaking their vow to protect and of not fulfilling their duty. If they are ethically influenced, they may have a fear of doing wrong.

As you can see, motivations and fears often come hand-in-hand.

In the third example, there is another force which drives the protagonist forward: duty, similar to fate. Both of these are motives which are not necessarily chosen by the hero, but which they are uniquely — and sometimes divinely or supernaturally — tasked with. The burden of responsibility falls on their shoulders, whether they like it or not.

A popular example of a hero who doesn’t have a choice but to fight is Harry Potter in J.K. Rowling’s series Harry Potter. In his first year at Hogwarts, he takes it upon himself to stop Professor Snape, who he later found out was actually Quirrell, from getting the Philosopher’s Stone. In his second year, he finds himself facing Voldemort yet again— this time in the Chamber of Secrets and armed with a Basilisk. In his fourth year, he accidentally brings back Voldemort’s physical form with his own blood. In the fifth book, we finally learn why these two characters are always being drawn to each other: That “neither can live while the other survives,” prophesied by Professor Trelawney. Harry Potter was marked as a child as Voldemort’s “equal,” and embedded with a Horcrux. So, while he seems to be acting out of free will, is he truly? He innately places a burden on himself to “save the day,” and we don’t fully understand why he’s so important to the villain and why they are drawn to each other until halfway through the series.

It is possible for your protagonist to have some immoral and reckless motives, too, such as greed or revenge. Harry Potter himself was driven by revenge on more than one occasion: For Sirius Black (allegedly) betraying his parents, and then for Bellatrix Lestrange killing Sirius Black. The crucial detail here is that, in the films, Harry stopped himself before killing Bellatrix — not wanting to be like Voldemort; a villain. Likewise, your novel’s protagonist should turn away from impulsive motives — even if they are tempted — although that can become blurred when the villain must die for the greater good.

Personally, I think it’s interesting to see a protagonist’s motivations grow throughout the course of the novel. A great example of this is in Suzanne Collin’s The Hunger Games. Katniss was initially motivated by her sister, entering the games to protect her at great risk to her own life. She had no desire to change the order of things, but simply wanted to survive, if not for herself, then for her family. During the first games, her motives expanded to want to protect Rue and Peeta also — her allies. Shortly after the second games and her District being bombed by the Capitol, she accepted her role as the Mockingjay — as long as President Coin promised her friends, who were being held hostage, immunity.

For her sister, her friends, and all the oppressed under President Snow, Katniss was finally ready to fight back headfirst. Survival was no longer about “keeping the peace,” but about winning. She developed a desire for revenge, too; to kill President Snow — which became even stronger after she thought he killed her sister, her primary motive. When she discovered that it was actually President Coin who killed her sister, she opted to kill her instead. By doing so, she not only got her revenge, but prevented another dictator from taking Snow’s place.

Motivations are similar to goals: Motivations being the driving force, and goals being the desired result. Just like with your antagonist — and all of your important characters — you’ll want to consider the following:

• How far is your protagonist willing to go to achieve their goal? 
• Are they willing to disregard some of their morals in this pursuit?
• Are they willing to sacrifice themselves? What would make them sacrifice themselves?
• What is stopping them from achieving their goal? For example: the antagonist, a belief or a judgement, a lack of information, or a fear?

Just as your protagonist should have external obstacles to overcome, they should also have fears which they must overcome within themselves in order to succeed (crucial for their character arc). Unlike the antagonist, the protagonist is often able to let go of or face their inhibitions (the fear of loss or abandonment, death, rejection, failure, etc.) in the end to achieve their goals. It is especially interesting when the protagonist and antagonist have similar or opposing fears, to see how they handle it differently or how it puts them in conflict with each other. See under “Connect to the Protagonist” here for more on this.

*To have your reader take the protagonist’s side, their motivations should seem justified. 

THE CHARACTER ARC

It shouldn’t be easy for your hero to achieve their goal, as that would make for a very boring, very short, story with little to no satisfaction for the reader who ventured on the hero’s journey alongside them. Rather, you want to give your protagonist various types of conflicts, which they must overcome to achieve their goal.

Here are the main types of conflicts found in literature:

Character vs. Character

The most obvious conflict type is character versus character. This is where your protagonist and antagonist come in, although there can be minor heroes and villains, too. The protagonist cannot achieve their ultimate goal without stopping the character(s) they’re in conflict with.

Character vs. Self

Another popular conflict type is character versus self. These are the internal struggles, fears, and beliefs the protagonist must rewire and/or face in order to succeed. This type of conflict can be done in many different ways:

• They don’t believe they can achieve their goals (self-limiting beliefs), or they fear failure. 
• They refuse to ask for help, having been let down before (ultimately, they fear abandonment). To overcome this, they must put trust in others. 
• They have a character flaw, such as bring hot-tempered, impulsive, or perfectionistic to a fault, which they have to let go of. 
• Their worst fear comes true: How will they react? Will they be tempted to go down a dark path?
• They are faced with a moral dilemma, where their previously held beliefs no longer seem ethical.

Character vs. Society

In this scenario, the protagonist is faced with a flawed society, or a flawed aspect of their society. It is much more difficult to dismantle societal beliefs — as they are complex — than to defeat a single villain. Some examples could be:

• A society which as intertwined religious beliefs that hurt innocent people.
• A society where everyone is expected to fit into set categories and abide by the “way of life” they’ve deemed “best.”
• A society with racism, sexism, transphobia, homophobia, etc. 

A famous example of character versus society is The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The protagonist, Hester Prynne, committed adultery within a puritan society — a grave sin. The consequences of her act were shunning, and being forced to wear the scarlet letter “A” (for adultery).

Character vs. Technology

This type of conflict is common in Sci-Fi genres. Some examples are:

• Technology becomes intelligent enough to gain a type of consciousness and/or may (attempt to) wipe out humanity.
• The negative consequences of modern day or futuristic technology are expanded on.
• In Frankenstein, Mary Shelly gives a warning of what could happen if you try to tamper with the laws of nature and push science to its limits.
• A bioweapon, nuclear technology, weather manipulation, etc. is used by the antagonist.

Character vs. Nature

It’s not just technology that can be weaponized against humanity, but Mother Nature herself:

• An epidemic or pandemic 
• A natural disaster, or a series of disasters
• Flora and fauna (For example, the protagonist has to live off the land, or an invasive species starts disrupting ecosystems.) 

Character vs. The Supernatural

Your protagonist must contend with the inexplicable in character vs. supernatural conflicts. Aliens, ghosts, monsters, werewolves, vampires — you name it!

Character vs. Destiny/Fate

How much autonomy does your character have? 

If you want to include this type of conflict, you must decide if you want your character to defy their “fate” (the expectations society places on them, either specifically or culturally), or fulfill their fate (such as Harry Potter fulfilling the prophecy that he is the only one who can defeat Voldemort)? This will depend on the message you want your story to have.

In order for this to be considered a conflict, your protagonist must struggle because of it — whether that be struggling to accept it or rebelling against it. They may also struggle with the idea of destiny itself.

When undergoing any sort of journey, change is to be expected — or an arc in character. Some of the most gratifying ways in which a protagonist can grow are in ways which are crucial to their success.

This does not necessarily mean that every change will, or should be, positive. Frodo Baggins in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings is introduced as a simple, naïve, and relatively happy Hobbit. By the end of his quest— the ring having weighed down and chipped away at him along the way — he experiences a loss of innocence. He no longer feels at home in the Shire and cannot forget the horrors he saw and endured.

You may also consider giving your leading character an all-is-lost moment. During that time, usually placed around the climax, it seems as though the conflict(s) are going to win. This is a chance to show just how much your protagonist has developed; that they can push through it and find a way to succeed, when they might not have been able to at the beginning of their adventure. It also presents an opportunity for your hero to overcome a fear or an internal conflict once and for all.

The hero may even find themselves in a situation where they have to let one conflict win — usually at their expense — in order to defeat another. This self-sacrifice trope is popular for heroes. During Harry Potter’s famous all-is-lost moment, he surrenders to Voldemort, ready to die to save everyone he loves. This is a stark contrast to Voldemort, who’s key motivator is avoiding death at all cost.

MORE THINGS TO CONSIDER

How do they defeat the villain?

It’s a good idea to have at least a general idea of how the protagonist will win in the end, that way you can develop their character to prepare for it. Consider your hero’s unique skills: Whether it’s wit, resourcefulness, intellect, magic, sword fighting, etc. — it makes sense for this to play into their victory. The way they succeed should also align with their morals. If they are against killing, war, or violence, it doesn’t fit for them to win in that way.

The Hero’s Journey

In fiction, and especially fantasy fiction, heroic protagonists usually follow a similar path. It’s not a necessity, but if you’re struggling with the plot, this can help:

1. The Call — The hero is called to go on an adventure. There might be some hesitation, but they decide to go — or they have no choice.
2. Meeting the Mentor — The hero meets their guide, who supplies the necessary tools and/or knowledge.
3. Crossing the Threshold — The hero leaves their ordinary life and enters their new life. There’s no going back now, and it can be a lot to process — but it’s also exciting.
4. New Friends and Foes — After leaving everyone and everything they’ve ever known behind; your protagonist meets new people. They have the potential to become allies or enemies.
5. Trials — The journey comes with challenges which the hero must find a way to overcome, though there may be some losses. This will help mold and strengthen them in preparation for the main conflict, learning clues and skills that are needed to fulfill their mission.
6. The Revelation: Death — Here is the where the crucial information or circumstance is revealed and the hero experiences their all-is-lost moment. They may lose their mentor around this time.
7. The Revelation: Rebirth — Despite almost losing everything, the hero finds a way to come out victorious.
8. The Journey Home— The hero does not want to go back, but they must. Nothing is the same anymore.

Character Likability

It is important for your reader to care about your protagonist — to root for them and to feel sympathy when they face struggles. To achieve character likability, try to:

1. Make your protagonist imperfect. No one is inspired by a perfect and faultless character who’s had life handed to them on a silver platter. Boring. Doing this will also make your character more relatable.
2. Give your protagonist admirable qualities, such as courage, determination, and kindness. You don’t want to make them so atrocious that the reader can’t tolerate them.
3. Give your protagonist charismatic qualities, such as a sense of humor, kindness, and confidence.
4. Make your protagonist interesting and 3-dimensional: Blank-slate protagonists can be boring to read. 

Let your Protagonist Fail

Don’t be scared to let them fail at times, as failing can be crucial to growth.

For more on character creation, check out my three-part series: 1, 2, 3.