The Art of Protagonism
We all love the good guys in the books, right? They're the heroes, the one's who bring justice and hope to the weary. So now I shall explore the art of the good heroes of our beloved books.
The protagonist is the one who wards off the evil, wether by their actions, words, or by using their glow-in-the-dark sword to fight off the flying squirrels. The protagonist is always the one trying to solve the problem and keep evil from being victorious.
When creating your protagonist for a story, their problem has to be able to be solved. You can't give them an impossible challenge because no one would read it--there's no hope. We, as humans, have that wanting of hope for the ones who need it. We don't like the word impossible. (We as in me, unless you're like that too.) So don't give your good guy something impossible (like staying the same age forever, perhaps as a child, and getting others to complete that goal too) because no one will really have the heart to read about the person who thought they could do something impossible and failed. It wouldn't be a logical idea.
The personality of your protagonist can be anywhere from the subtle, shy person, to the crazy and outgoing one who's out there with their glow-in-the-dark sword fighting even MORE flying squirrels. Give your hero traits that make them unique. Make me want to root for them when the time comes for the final flying squirrel battle. Make me cry when they die because the King of Squirrels brought out the plasma beam ray gun. If you don't make them seem like I could pull them out of the book and chill with them for a day (even if they have a glow-in-the-dark sword), there's no way I'll connect with them and even have any feeling for them when they go through hard times and the King of Squirrels just fed the hero to the hippo. Make your character seem real enough that I'll love the book and put it on my "Corners of Awesomeness" list.
COMING SOON: The Art of Humor
<3 Seana
The protagonist is the one who wards off the evil, wether by their actions, words, or by using their glow-in-the-dark sword to fight off the flying squirrels. The protagonist is always the one trying to solve the problem and keep evil from being victorious.
When creating your protagonist for a story, their problem has to be able to be solved. You can't give them an impossible challenge because no one would read it--there's no hope. We, as humans, have that wanting of hope for the ones who need it. We don't like the word impossible. (We as in me, unless you're like that too.) So don't give your good guy something impossible (like staying the same age forever, perhaps as a child, and getting others to complete that goal too) because no one will really have the heart to read about the person who thought they could do something impossible and failed. It wouldn't be a logical idea.
The personality of your protagonist can be anywhere from the subtle, shy person, to the crazy and outgoing one who's out there with their glow-in-the-dark sword fighting even MORE flying squirrels. Give your hero traits that make them unique. Make me want to root for them when the time comes for the final flying squirrel battle. Make me cry when they die because the King of Squirrels brought out the plasma beam ray gun. If you don't make them seem like I could pull them out of the book and chill with them for a day (even if they have a glow-in-the-dark sword), there's no way I'll connect with them and even have any feeling for them when they go through hard times and the King of Squirrels just fed the hero to the hippo. Make your character seem real enough that I'll love the book and put it on my "Corners of Awesomeness" list.
COMING SOON: The Art of Humor
<3 Seana
Personally, I think it's awesome when a protagonist goes through his/her quest and completes it successfully-- but dies in the act. The world is saved... but the protagonist cannot live in it.
ReplyDeleteYou can't do sequels on that, though.
True. Unless you decide to add another protagonist, but then again, people might not care anymore now that their favorite little hero koala is dead.
DeleteThe best book I found like this-- the best trilogy, in fact-- was the Bartimaeus trilogy by Jonathan Stroud. Perhaps I've told you too much already, but the story is absolutely unique and almost heartbreaking by the end. Love it.
DeleteHmm. Perhaps I shall see if I can find this trilogy, perhaps not. I'll have to find time...
Delete