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Monsters are real and roam the earth, and so do monster hunters. A hunter has fallen in love with a monster and must find a way to keep his boyfriend safe from the other hunters while also trying to not be labeled as a traitor to humanity.

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niggazinmoscow

I’m printing this tweet and putting it on my desk

quiteliterallyhotsauce

FACTS

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scribblespecters

Oh I hope I’m doing this right

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thatwritergirlsblog

Writing great protagonists

So, I recently did a post on antagonists and thought I’d add my two cents on MCs:

1. Make the reader care

This is extremely important. The reader should want to follow this character’s journey, and should be interested in the character’s fate. The only way to do that is to ensure that your reader cares about the MC early on.

So, maybe your protagonist “saves the cat” or is an all-round good Samaritan. Maybe they’re really funny or smart or relatable etc.

Just make sure that the character isn’t simply a vehicle for the story to happen to. They need to have qualities that people find endearing and interesting.

This doesn’t mean that your reader has to like your character all the time, it just means that there should be more than indifference.

Make sure to introduce some quirky or admirable characteristics in the first chapter (preferably the first scene). This will spark interest in the reader from the get-go and make them that much more excited about reading the story.

2. Arc

This is so important. I talked about redemption arcs in my post on antagonists, but people forget that the good guys should also change throughout.

Your protagonist should not be the best version of themself at the beginning of the book. Sure, they should be interesting and endearing, but there should be room for growth.

If the MC is already at their peak, what’s left for the reader to see?

So, identify the weaknesses in your protagonist, their insecurities or psychological blocks etc. Take that aspect of the character and imagine its complete opposite. Now, use the story to get your character from where they are to that opposite point where they are their best self.

This development should be at the heart of your story.

3. Motivation

Once again, this is the holy grail of character. If your character doesn’t have a fundamental motivation, they will come across as boring and the reader will lose interest.

Is there something your protagonist really wants to obtain? Is something taken from them at the beginning of the novel and they want it back. Does someone kill their loved one in first scene and now they are out for revenge? Is some all-powerful demon trying to steal their soul and they’re on the run? Figure it out.

And introduce it early. There needs to be an identifiable motivation from near the start of the story that will get your reader invested. This character’s family has been abducted by aliens and she’s out to save them? Show me how much she loves her family in the early scenes and have them be abducted by the second chapter at least. Now I’m invested. I want to know what she’s going to do to get to the aliens, who’s going to help her and if she’ll manage to save them in the end.

Keep in mind that your character’s motivation can change throughout the story, but there always has to be one.

You can also consider what I’ve been doing with To Wear A Crown, where two of the MCs’ motivation is finding their motivation. Just make sure that there’s drive and a reason for that drive.

4. I don’t want to read about a piece of cardboard that looks human

And no one else does either. (Unless you’re thinking literally. In that case, go for it)

This links up with making the reader care.

Don’t create an MC for the sole purpose of having someone who can take the reader through the story. Even if you’re writing plot-driven novels, the protagonist should be more than just a conduit.

The protagonist needs to have a unique personality. Just like any other character, their voice and mannerisms should be easily distinguishable from the rest of the cast.

So, take the time to develop a character with a combination of cool traits and interests. A quiet girl with mousy hair and no brain of her own isn’t gonna cut it anymore - Twilight, I’m looking at you.

Basically, your MC should be a person, not an empty shell for the reader to climb into.

5. Think outside the box

Okay, this one is a little weird and this isn’t advice as much as a suggestion.

I would love to see books where a human being (or some other humanoid) is not the protagonist.

Maybe the story is told from the perspective of an animal or even a plant? Maybe Death narrates the story, or the devil, or God? What about a book about climate change where the Earth is the MC? A slice-of-life tale told by a statue? The Notre Dame fire narrated by a gargoyle? Whatever floats your boat.

We could go in so many interesting directions and I would love to see more people doing this.

That’s all I have for you for now. If you guys have any writing advice topic you’d like me to cover, please feel free to request it in my asks.

Reblog if you found this useful. Comment with your own ideas on out-of-the-box protagonists. Follow me for similar content.

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muppethole-deactivated20240312

me writing dialogue: “what is man but a vessel through which a higher entity may see? what is his purpose? must he find a purpose? we are but stardust; the universe comprehending itself.”

me writing action: they ran real fast from the bad men aand legs hurty

incandescent-creativity

me writing action: Her legs pounded against the earth, the familiar jolt grounding her like nothing else could. Magic, gods, royalty—she didn’t know anything about that. But running? That’s something she’d been doing since day one.

me writing dialogue: “I dunno man whatchu wanna do” “I dunno. What do you think?” “Hey man I don’t know”

bidootdoot-deactivated20190601

me writing action: room go boom

me writing dialogue: noppity nope, that ain’t dope

witchesvscapitalism

The holy trinity of writing

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i-am-verybusy

some writer snob somewhere: Do not start sentences with But or And because doing so is grammatically incorrect.

me, writing my fic: But I don’t care. And you can’t stop me.

bich-the-moss

Sometimes…..the flow of your creative prose…..is more important….than grammatical guidelines,,,,,,

ziraseal

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friendlyjerkbr-deactivated20200

Sometimes I make a meme about myself because I’m terrible. It’s charlie_the_writer on Instagram.

@chaosandtrickery

promptsforthestrugglingauthor

Writing Prompt #788

“Well, what do you think?”

“Do you want me to be encouraging or honest?”

“Well, can’t it be both?”

“No. Definitely not.”

nephyria

“asexuality is just the lack of a sex drive, or a really low one” uuhhh no. really, no. that is incorrect, you have been lied to, i’m sorry.

asexuality is the lack of sexual attraction to anyone. sex drive is your horny meter. you can still be horny and not be sexually attracted to people! similarly you can be sexually attracted to people and not be horny!! amaze

captoring

oh my god this actually clarifies so much thank you

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thelallybrochlibrary

Six Ways to Support Fan Fiction Authors – The Lallybroch Library

mikotyzini

Every couple of months, I go through what I refer to as ‘Discouraged Writer Syndrome’ (DWS, for short). It’s characterized by the ‘W’ questions:

What am I doing? Why am I wasting my time? Who really cares?

The only reason I’m bringing this up is that I count myself as one of the fortunate ones, with a decent amount of followers and reviewers built up over time, and I still feel this way. Don’t worry about me - I normally get over it in a day or two, but that might not happen for everyone. Someone else might quit, taking with them any stories we might’ve loved.

So please, if you can, encourage the writers you like to continue. Encourage the artists you like to keep drawing. Encourage the meme-makers, video creators, theory posers, and anyone else who’s created something you like to continue what they’re doing. Be generous with support and kindness, and you never know what might happen.

roominthecastle

me [angrily yet softly, through gritted teeth, while crying]: i love to write

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shippingweekly-deactivated20210

My readers: Your writing is so clever and thought out! You probably planned out the whole story!!!

Me, on the outside: I did!!!

Me, on the inside: I have no idea what I’m doing, please, this is a call for help, if you see this message—

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biggest-gaudiest-poltergeist

Did you know that beetle wings used to be sewn onto dresses? Like, hundreds of them on each dress? It's equally creepy and beautiful.

oh my stars, anyone have pictures?

foreverafaller-deactivated20190

Something like this I believe!

biggest-gaudiest-poltergeist

that’s one of the famous ones, a Lady Macbeth stage costume from 1888. apparently it wasn’t uncommon in victorian fashion:

we should bring embroidery like this back (but w/ imitation wings). we should all be walking around with beads & wings, clanging

squeeful

Jewel beetles drop their wing shells as a natural part of their life cycle and are probably better ethically than plastic substitutes. They’re easily bought; I recommend getting the ones with holes predrilled.

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