Character Creation 101: Protagonists

[Story_Marc]

This was a satisfying pain in the ass to work out. I was so happy that... Well, here's a peek behind the scenes from this week.

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This is the refinement of everything I've done with character construction. There is much more I can do, but I am positive that these are the 6 things you wish to tackle. Together, it will give you a solid foundation for everything character writing-wise.

Next week, I hit Part 2 on Antagonists and possibly Supporting Cast members.

For those wondering why my videos have been much longer recently, I'm getting certain infrastructural things out of the way right now.

 

[LEGENDGOD1]

This was a satisfying pain in the ass to work out. I was so happy that... Well, here's a peek behind the scenes from this week.

View attachment 37594
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This is the refinement of everything I've done with character construction. There is much more I can do, but I am positive that these are the 6 things you wish to tackle. Together, it will give you a solid foundation for everything character writing-wise.

Next week, I hit Part 2 on Antagonists and possibly Supporting Cast members.

For those wondering why my videos have been much longer recently, I'm getting certain infrastructural things out of the way right now.

Another Juicy tip from Sage Marc. Thanks for this, it may seem less important but its very handy

 

[Story_Marc]

Another Juicy tip from Sage Marc. Thanks for this, it may seem less important but its very handy

I consider it some of the most essential stuff. I can discuss all sorts of fun things with people on tactics I can provide, but they aren't as practical or valuable without this grounding. They're more midstream and downstream stuff as opposed to upstream.

For instance... Regarding antagonists, I have an entire breakdown on the many different ways to structure stories with multiple antagonists and tips for writing them. But it's pointless for me to give if someone doesn't have the proper antagonist for their story first, or isn't able to discern what sort of antagonist best suits their story.

 

[CharlesEBrown]

Saw an ad on Facebook for a "Two Week Character Creation Challenge" and thought "Two weeks? If I can't make a character in two HOURS I messed up somewhere..." But then, coming from a role-playing game background, most of this stuff - under less detail and no precise terms, is already there I think; less structured (except in a few very rare games) but there.

 

[DireBadger]

The problem is, when you hit the true motivation, it's entirely possible to paint yourself into a corner.
My character in 'sentenced to Paradise', for example, has realized that just because he's an isekai, that doesn't mean he wants to spend his life adventuring and growing stronger to do whatever the violent crap is that isekai protagonists always seem to to throw themselves into... he has the staggering realization that being a murderhobo SUCKS.
Which means he still needs a narrative focus to continue the plot. That's gummed my writing up for weeks, because while I have an outline for plot development, I need to find a compelling new motivation not to turn it into an overworked cozy tale. I HATE anything that can be labelled 'cozy' comfortably, and he got there via watching two new adventurer friends get EATEN.

Basically, without convenient genre blindness, protagonists are MUCH harder to motivate.

 

[Story_Marc]

The problem is, when you hit the true motivation, it's entirely possible to paint yourself into a corner.
My character in 'sentenced to Paradise', for example, has realized that just because he's an isekai, that doesn't mean he wants to spend his life adventuring and growing stronger to do whatever the violent crap is that isekai protagonists always seem to to throw themselves into... he has the staggering realization that being a murderhobo SUCKS.
Which means he still needs a narrative focus to continue the plot. That's gummed my writing up for weeks, because while I have an outline for plot development, I need to find a compelling new motivation not to turn it into an overworked cozy tale. I HATE anything that can be labelled 'cozy' comfortably, and he got there via watching two new adventurer friends get EATEN.

Basically, without convenient genre blindness, protagonists are MUCH harder to motivate.

...You just proved the value of my system...

In your case, you gave a character a strong emotional reason to want something… but no story designed to challenge, test, or evolve that motivation.

So when the character grows disillusioned or wants to walk away, the whole narrative loses its spine.

That’s a design problem. That’s not a motivation problem. That’s not a SPINAL problem.

Plus, you know, that touches into what's literally brought up in The Narrative Wound.

Also, keep in mind I didn't create this method in a vacuum, which the video addresses. So if you're creating in a vacuum and not addressing the whole system, as I even detail in the video, you're pushing back against something that doesn't exist.

 

[naosu]

Well its good to be focused on the basics. Its really the basics like you are suggesting with your Spinal system. And we can all use a refresher every now and then. Both of you have really nice book covers btw.

 

[Story_Marc]

Well its good to be focused on the basics. Its really the basics like you are suggesting with your Spinal system. And we can all use a refresher every now and then. Both of you have really nice book covers btw.

Hopefully, this is not just a refresher (though I imagine it is for some). It's more... well, it's a sequence for tackling it, too, and methods for it.

After all, an issue I've found in the writing world is that all kinds of loose information just out there, with no formal framework for tackling it.

Take the whole concept of a character's misbelief. This isn't anything new to have brought up. However, when someone should and how best to is an entire matter in and of itself. That's actually why I've been sequencing how each part is tackled. Such as having the universal core conflict down first, then using that specifically to figure out the type of protagonist, which inherently provides the goal, and then pivoting to the question of "why do they specifically want this (what does it mean to them?)" followed by then tackling the misbelief.

The method part, meanwhile, is entirely fresh, as I had to build that from the ground up.