Writer’s Tools: Creating a Protagonist

“selective focus photography of boy wearing black Batman cape” by TK Hammonds on Unsplash

J.J. Hartly September 5, 2018 Articles, Writing

Every story needs a Protagonist, but not many authorities tell you the best way to create one. I’m a fan of K.M. Weiland and her book: Creating Character Arcs, so I’ll be sharing with you my version of her ideas on Creating a Protagonist.

Here’s the bullet points of her elements needed to create a protagonist:

-The Lie he believes
-The Truth he must learn
-His Wants versus his Needs
-The Ghost of The Lie
-The Characteristic Moment

I find the easiest way to create a protagonist is to actually start at the beginning of the story with their Characteristic Moment. This is the introduction of the character: name, gender, age, race/species, nationality, occupation, physical characteristics, and the personality trait most relevant to the scene/story goal. This is the moment you want to create sympathy or interest from the reader for the protagonist. This should all be accomplished within the first few paragraphs or pages of your story.

To further develop your protagonist, you’ll need to create The Lie the protagonist believes and The Truth the protagonist must learn. The Lie will be the obstacle to what the protagonist Needs, but will…