Often, though, writers make the equally costly mistake of introducing the catalyst too early or not giving the protagonist enough quality screen time before the story is set in motion. This tends to result in an immediate disconnect from the character because the audience is not given enough of a window to learn about the character in their ordinary world before the conflict arises.
Having that clear foundation almost guarantees that your audience will relate and connect with your protagonist from the very start. That's the best possible position your script can be in coming out of the gate. No one wants to watch a movie about a character who has his or her awesomely perfect life all figured out; talk about a snoozefest. But the other extreme is just as unwatchable. Yet I have read many a script where the protagonist immediately alienates by being rude, narcissistic, immature, intolerant, and intolerable.
Although making a character flawed gives him or her ample room to grow and arc, characters that are too unlikable and unredeemable make it impossible for the audience to develop any emotional connection to them from the start. Find a healthy middle ground in which your character is somewhat flawed but still sympathetic and relatable so that you're not trying to get your audience to root for a giant jerk. Imagine a close friend of yours is relaying an emotionally charged story to you.
Perhaps the events of the story make your friend exceptionally angry. Working remotely allows her to do even more of the things she loves, like traveling, cooking, and spending time with her family. Your email address will not be published. Make Them Relatable That Means Flawed Even in film adaptations of classic comic books, producers have started making our ultimate heroes a bit more human. Outline Their History Every character has a history, even if we as readers or viewers never get to see all of it.
Ask important questions about the events that made them into the person we see on the page, such as: Have they ever experienced a trauma? What was their childhood like? Do they maintain a relationship with their family today? Where have they lived? Did they have any past significant relationships? What kind of work have they done? Create A Character Profile Answering some basic questions is a great starting point for giving life to your character s. Find Their Motivation As the central character, your protagonist will need a reason for doing what they do.
Give Them Something to Lose There must always be a risk that your character will fail in his quest. If you enjoyed this post, then you might also like: Protagonist vs. While you could label Chiron as passive at times, the movie is about him actually coming to terms with who he is on the inside, so he can act on it on the outside.
Those people help him come to terms with who will become, and in the end, he actively chooses to pursue love.
Instead of letting love find him. Look, we know everyone has hot takes on Star Wars. But what I love about the original film is that Luke is equal parts passive and active. Luke is going to be a farmer, but the world gets forced upon him. Still, when the lumps come, Luke is ready to take them on. His personality carries him over every movie. Villain protagonists are not as common, but they always spice up a traditional three-act structure. Megamind takes the idea of a villain and makes him sympathetic.
Young Adult has a great logline. And ruining the lives of the people around her as she goes. But we watch that movie because her actions are always so compelling. The five-season journey, taking Walter White to Heisenberg, is a true villain story. How do I convince people that a character that has evil powers is good in a story? The best antagonist is actually somebody that the reader can relate to; i. Not Helpful 1 Helpful 0. If the world you're writing your story in has non-human characters then no, your protagonist doesn't have to be human.
They certainly don't have to win - we only have a phrase for "happy endings" because some endings aren't! Not Helpful 0 Helpful 0. How would I write about a weak protagonist who becomes stronger through questionable deeds?
Explain the motivation behind getting stronger, did someone die because they weren't strong enough? Do they have to save a loved one? Do they have an enemy they have to beat? If the motivation behind getting stronger is fleshed out the audience will better understand why the character is going to such lengths to become stronger.
And decide are they going to end up evil or good, or somewhere in between? Delving into whether or not the character feels guilty for getting stronger through questionable means can also make for an interesting character exploration and set up for a character arc. Maybe make the mom in your story strict, and not allowing your protagonist to do certain things.
Does the mom in your story have hidden secrets from her daughter? Has the daughter hidden secret from her mom? Think about those things and also think about why is the daughter good and the mother bad. Many interesting stories when an antagonist onto the good side. This also means that the antagonist should have some emotions shown when they are still on the bad side, such as insecurity. Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.
By using this service, some information may be shared with YouTube. Helpful 6 Not Helpful 0. Helpful 5 Not Helpful 0. Keep a file of your characters vital characteristics to help you remain consistent throughout each novel or series.
Study long-running television shows to see how they develop characters across seasons. Helpful 4 Not Helpful 0. For beginning writers, focus on one protagonist. Multiple protagonists are more complicated and may take more experience to develop successfully. Helpful 0 Not Helpful 1. Don't leave plot holes in the protagonist's story.
If there is a time-skip, make sure to fill in what happened then. Helpful 9 Not Helpful 0. Don't overdo the protagonist's backstory. It doesn't need to include useless information that won't be used later on in the story.
Helpful 9 Not Helpful 1. Related wikiHows How to. How to. More References 8. About This Article. Co-authored by:. Co-authors: 7. Updated: November 16,
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