What is a Protagonist
So, you’re ready to start a story. Here’s the kicker: who is telling it? More importantly, who is your protagonist? In summary, a protagonist is the main character of your story, but that’s not all.
According to the article “What is a Protagonist?” from Oregon State University by Liz Delf and Marisa Williams,
“The protagonist is the character who drives the action–the character whose fate matters most.
In other words, they are involved in —and often central to—the plot or conflict of the story, but are also usually the emotional heart of the narrative.”
Your protagonist drives your story. Therefore, they must be well-developed and appropriate for your story. Let’s be clear: they do not have to be good.
By the end of this blog post, you will have a better grasp on what a protagonist is, why they matter to your story, and some ideas for your next main characters.
Ready to understand narrative perspective and why your protagonist/narrator changes how your story is presented? Check out the blog post below.
Two Types of Protagonists
Just like with narrative perspective, there are a plethora of various protagonists that can be used to drive the action of your story. You could have one protagonist, two, or, even a group, depending on your narrative perspective. Now, remember the protagonist can be evil.
The Antagonist
In the writing world, this is called your antagonist. An antagonist is a character or possibly an idea that is written to oppose the protagonist. Your antagonist could be your central main character, flip-flopping the norms.
For example, such stories with antagonist main characters are
- American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis
- The Stranger by Albert Camus
- Wicked by Gregory Maguire.
Realistic Villans
However, an antagonist may not just be the typical Hollywood villain, with flashy capes and an urge to disrupt the main character’s peace. Actually, most of the time, they have ulterior motives for their crimes and are fighting internal battles, which cause them to act evilly or cause harm.
To put it into perspective, the antagonist, when written as the main character, may struggle to accept social norms, social pressures, or internal mental battles. Writing your main character as an antagonist can actually be extremely influential to your story, especially if they have a massive character arc, because it allows the reader to see their perspective and fight the urge to empathise with their actions and thought processes.
Remember, when writing, do your research. All characters are mirrors to real people, who they are and why can always be explained through psychology. Using psych, learn how to accurately write characters (male or female) based on their childhood development and attachment patterns.
See blog post below.
The Hero Protagonist
When it comes to various types of protagonists, the hero is a very common choice. When you are sitting in High School English class, your teacher has or will probably want you to read one of the following classic stories:
- The Odyssey by Homer
- Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
- The Giver by Lois Lowry
- Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse
- The Iliad by Homer
- The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
- Sir Gawain and the Green Knight by an anonymous poet
- The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
- The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien
- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J. K. Rowling
When your protagonist is a hero, they typically follow the same goals. They are seen as the good guy who has strong morals. They are the resuers of general unrest, set on their long mission to restore balance.
Quick tips on writing a Protagonist
Now, it is time for you to create your protagonist. Firstly, remember that in your story, you will have the opportunity to change your protagonist’s perspective. You can utilize this to create a bad guy into a good one and vice versa.
Remember: you do not want to reveal too much about your protagonist at once. Instead, let that information trickle out as the story unravels. Additionally, do not let your protagonist take the easy road or struggle without obstacles.
Wants and Needs
Protagonists aren’t invincible, even if you design them to seem that way. Their greatest enemy and weakness could simply be themselves. Tied back to every character, they have a want and a need.
Wants
According to the article “What Does Your Character Want? Desire vs. Plot Goal vs. Moral Intention vs. Need” by K. M. Weiland,
“The Want is a desire arising from the limited perspective (based upon the Lie the Character Believes) with which the character begins the story. The Want informs the story’s specific desire and plot goal, but is not necessarily either. Rather, it is the deeper, more foundational longing that inspires the specificities of the story’s plot.”
Your character will start the story with a want. This want will drive your protagonist into creating the story’s action. Their want isn’t their true desired outcome, but rather, a stepping stone into what drives the plot.
Needs
Therefore, a character’s need will come later. The need is actually the truth behind something the protagonist is fighting against. For example, this could be revealing the dangers of a government, the fear of facing one’s self or others, or restoring peace in some way.
K. M. Weiland continues,
“The Need stands in opposition to the Want. If the Want is Lie-based—a desire arising from the character’s currently limited perspective of himself and the world—then the Need is Truth-based. Indeed, the simplest way to think of the Need is as the Truth. The character Needs the Truth.”
Now, can you see how important character development is? Your protagonist must undergo a significant change from the start of your story to the end. However, if you struggle with understanding why this is necessary, have a refresh on how a story is formatted to drive action and end in resoloution in the blog post below.
Protagonist Character Ideas
Now, onto some ideas to get the ball rolling. Scroll through these examples and find your next protagonist!
- A sadistic mail delivery person
- A clown suffering from the need to belong through performance
- An old woman who wishes to learn how to dance again
- A young trans man trying to date someone ashamed of their sexuality
- A talking tree, whispering of what heals the world, as no one listens
- A pregnant woman in a society where children are forbidden
- A teenager trying to run away to another country
- A forlorn poet struggling with depression meets a new lover
- A roommate changes from optimistic to antisocial through their relationship with their other roommates
- An inmate gives therapy sessions to other inmates
- A Borderline Personality senator has just been promoted to a higher, more powerful position
- An insecure woman moves into a female-only neighborhood
- In a world of only genderfluid persons, a nonconforming child attempts to break away
- A famous singer loses their voice and additionally all their supposed friends
- A man sets the stage to take revenge on his cheating husband
- They met two years ago, and she spends all her free time trying to find him again
- Could murder be extreme, or just quitting his 9 to 5 take care of his oppressive boss, who seems to make his life unlivable purposely?
- A new drug created by her allowed for the complete alteration to her brain’s framework; she now thinks and acts like a man, to the shock of her horrible husband
- He’s on a journey to discover the long-kept secrets of his neighboring tribe and how they seem to be living longer than his people
- A burglar has a change of heart following his last victim’s downward spiral of suffering
- When given the power to take a life, a sociopath quickly learns the hardships of solitude after the rest of humanity is obliterated
- The king only wished he could wear the queen’s dresses
- A dog discovers how to pronounce English and decides to advocate for better conditions for all pets
- The embodiment of her latest nightmare gains consciousness and decides to torment her everywhere she goes
- A teacher has a nervous breakdown and decides to follow his fears of making amends with his parents
- A depressive woman is given the power to make others cry
- A man holds the wisdom of the universe and is dismissed as insane
- A goddess appears to one woman and tells her how to live forever
- A parent finally understands the pain they have caused their child after going to an A.A. meeting
- A baker creates treats that will instantly produce a rush of dopamine in anyone who consumes them
Enjoy writing!
More ideas of protagonists are coming to your mind? Have more suggestions for stories with the hero or antagonist driving the story? Comment down below!
Leave a Reply