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Building a Strong Protagonist

All stories that we remember over time—even the most action-oriented plot imaginable are character driven. Whether your protagonist triumphs or fails, the story's success rests on her or him. As writers, our purpose is to create that great protagonist—the one the editors call compelling, dynamic, and memorable.

First, writers need to have a good understanding of human nature. That means observing what goes on in our world. Linda Seger in Making a Good Writer Great identifies this as the O.N.E. process—Observe, Notice, Experience. How do people act as they go through their ordinary days? How is their world view different than yours? How are their value systems and beliefs different from and similar to yours? This is a never ending process and a rich source for developing ideas to make characters be real.

Second, writers can add to their craft of how to develop characters. There are several wonderful books on this topic that you may want to add to your library: Goal, Motivation, Conflict by Debra Dixon, Story by Robert McKee, Creating Characters: How to Build Story People by Dwight Swain, The Complete Writer's Guide to Heroes and Heroines by Tami Cowden, Caro LaFever, and Sue Viders. These all provide keys to developing memorable characters, especially protagonists. The tools I use are distilled from these sources among others.

While reading this, you could come away with the impression the process of creating a great character is linear and structured. It's not. The tools help, but in fact, the process is more art (magic) than craft. I don't think I've used these tools in exactly the same order or the same way twice. My heroes and heroines come alive for me through the following loose (heavy emphasis on loose!) process of discovery.

1. What's my general idea for this story? This must consist of a situation and a character. Sometimes one or the other will have more dimension. At this point, the character and the plot are nebulous and I play a lot of "what if" to determine what's interesting about this situation and what within the situation makes things more complicated for this character. For me, character and plot are inseparable, each affecting the other. I begin to think about basic attributes and skills required for the character to function within a general idea. That initial idea might be something like: An FBI agent finally catches up with the criminal he's been tracking for years, only to find he's dead. Whether I continue with that idea or drop it depends on how the "what if" process goes. To be interesting, the character's core beliefs must somehow be tested by this situation. To continue, something about that idea must gel to the point of having interest enough and conflict enough to sustain a story. For me, those two are always character based.
   
2. What general type is my hero or heroine? Hero and heroine archetypes are a useful method to paint the broad strokes for your character. If you have a professor, certain traits immediately come to mind, such as being methodical, liking research, possibly being inventive, and so on. These traits become particularly fun to play with when you put the character in motion with another character who has totally different attributes. What, for instance, would drive a methodical person crazy? Maybe someone who is spontaneous and doesn't think things through. What would most bother a control freak? Another control freak. Again, it's impossible to separate the actor from the act. Both the dimensions of your protagonist and the plot will move in a particular direction simply by the characterization attributes that you choose. Robert McKee differentiates characterization and true character this way. Characterization consists of those external traits that can be observed, such as being methodical or being a control freak. True character is the essence of that person when everything else is stripped away and is revealed only under pressure. How does that person behave, for example, when the building is on fire and the lives of the children trapped on the third floor rest on her decisions and her actions? So, I begin to imagine what the greatest pressure is that can be exerted on this character in the general plot idea that I've come up with. The sense of danger that is integral to this question, whether physical or emotional, is what keeps a reader turning the pages.
   
3. At this point I ask the following questions. The answers to these come to me over time. I used to try to answer these questions right away. Now, I ask them, then let my imagination percolate. What overriding goal, need, or want does this character have when the story opens?
   
   • Why is this goal, need, or want important?
   • What obstacle stands in the way of achieving the goal or satisfying the want or need?
   • What two strengths are this person's best?
   • What is this person's weakness or flaw?
   • How do the strengths overcome the weakness or flaw?
   • What is this person's greatest fear?
   • What is this person's biggest regret?
   • What is this person's most powerful dream?
   • What is this person's most cherished belief?
   
   In romance, there's one more question: why are these two people perfect for each other, and why is a happily-ever-after impossible?
   
   The answers to these questions should reveal a character's core beliefs, such as respect must be earned, money is the root of all evil, an eye for an eye, boys are better at science and math than girls, and so on. Whether the believe is true is irrelevant so long as it's true to the character. As these beliefs come to light, your imagination will probably take hold of new twists and turns that your plot can take. After you know what your character is most afraid of, you know what he or she must face as the plot unfolds. After you know what the most cherished belief is, you also know that you must challenge that belief, even if at the end the belief withstands the pressure put on it.
   
4. The Goal, Motivation, Conflict model can be used for the story as a whole or it can be used to plan specific chapters and specific scenes. When I get stuck, 99% of the time, it's because I've failed to give a character sufficient motivation for the goal he has, either to carry a scene forward or to carry the whole book forward. Another way to think about goals is to imagine what a character wants, both in this particular moment and for the story as a whole. Want implies motivation that can be expressed as a because-he wants to eat because he's hungry, she wants to become a surgeon because she'll make her father proud. If you have something that keeps a character from getting what he or she wants, you have conflict. Knowing what your characters want and why they want it at any given point is the basic building block for putting them into action.
   
5. Sometimes the character may be very clear. Some writers may be ready to plot out the book with the appropriate character growth and turning points within the plot. For me, it's never that easy. I find that I don't really get into the skin of a protagonist until I put him or her into motion. Before I ever begin writing Chapter 1, I make a lot of notes that consist of back story, characterization, tidbits of scenes (the majority of which I never use). At this point, I develop a formal plot for the book (which is another topic). All of this work is rehearsal and allows me to work out the characters before I commit myself to Chapter 1. If you're one of those writers who habitually discover that your story really begins in Chapter 3 or 4, you're doing the same type of work. None of this writing is wasted-it's the stuff you need to know that provides your characters with depth and texture. After I'm more or less satisfied with what I've gathered as background material, I begin writing. I don't even try to write a synopsis until after I've written at least three chapters. My characters always surprise me with new revelations that my subconscious doesn't reveal to me until they are well into the story. I always discover something important about my hero or heroine three to six chapters into the book that significantly alters whatever I had initially planned for the plot.
   
6. After I've written those background pages and feel somewhat acquainted with the character, I begin to more formally develop the character. What's her goal at the beginning of the story, what's her motivation for having that goal, and what stands in the way of her getting it? At this point, goals generally define the external part of the story—the plot. The interesting part is why the character wants a particular goal—what values and beliefs drive a character in a particular direction. Is the motivation based in a need for power or freedom or security or a fear of rejection or being out of control or not being lovable enough? If a character has motivations in conflict, then you have the beginning of wonderful internal conflict. For example, as a writer, you need time alone to write and to maintain the relationships in your life you probably also need to spend time with your spouse or children. Two conflicting needs and motivation. Motivation is the most important piece and poses the crucial question of, "Why does your character have this goal?" Whatever the answer, it must be deeply important to the character even if the surface answer is casual. Pay attention to what your characters do, not just what they say. This is where true motivation is revealed. In fiction, motivation needs to be compelling, and to be so, it must be important and consequential to your character.
   
7. To give a protagonist depth, I want to understand the rough times that shaped the character's temperament, values, and personality. I interview them, usually as part of the background writing and again when I get stuck. Things like, tell me about the worst day of your life. When you were a child, what were you most afraid of? Tell me about your best friend. Tell me about the person you love most Tell me about your most cherished possession. Answering these questions as the character accomplishes a number of things. First, you begin to get a good sense of that character's voice. Second, if you simply write freely and without judgment, all sorts of things come to the surface that you may not have originally planned. Of all the techniques I use, this one is the most valuable for me. I'm always amazed at the things my subconscious reveals about characters. When I'm stuck, I've written letters to the characters asking them to tell me what they think the problem is, and I'll set a time when I'm going to answer that in the voice of the character. Since these characters are extension of you, you may think that they couldn't possibly know-if you don't know, how could they? Try it the next time you're stuck, and I think you'll be as surprised with the answer as I always am.

As I said at the beginning, this process is more art than craft and more nebulous than linear. You may be a writer who likes to do lots of preparation work, write lots of backstory, and outline extensively before you begin Chapter 1. Or, you may be one of those writers who prefers to plunge into Chapter 1 when your enthusiasm for the project is at its highest. You will still go through the process of figuring out what makes this character interesting enough to spend several weeks or months with and what it takes to bring him or her to life. As with every other writing technique, there is no right or wrong—simply the way that works best for you.

Sharon Mignerey is the current RMFW Writer of the Year. Her next book is a romantic suspense set in the inside passage of Alaska and will be released in August (Too Close for Comfort, Silhouette Intimate Moments).

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