10 Signs of a Great Protagonist

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

At the heart of every story is a person with a problem, and the more compelling that person is, the better the story will be.

Imagine you’re having lunch one day when you overhear an animated group at a table, gossiping about a bunch of people with crazy lives. Some of them debate which hottie Jess should end up with, while others discuss the terrible behavior of Selene, and not one of them can agree on what Alastair is really up to.

You lean closer, curious about this wild group, and soon realize they’re not talking about life on the cul de sac, but their favorite novel—or more specifically—their favorite characters.

If you’re a writer (or a reader), discussing fictional people as if they really existed is normal. For writers, it’s even encouraged.

A well-drawn character comes to life on the page, and we know them as well as we know our friends and family. In some cases, we know our characters better than the flesh and blood people we interact with every day.

When fictional characters are fully developed, they become real to readers.

Characters lie at the heart of a story, and a flat, boring protagonist leads to a flat, boring novel. Cardboard cutouts walk around and spout their lines like bad actors. Emotions are only as deep as spilled wine. Motivations stem from the authorial version of “Because I said so” and there’s no sense the hero we’re supposed to love even cares about the problem they’re facing.

And no writer wants that.

We want our protagonist to feel so real our readers consider leaving their spouse for them. We want them to be people readers talk about long after the book is over. We want them to be worthy of the stories we’ve spent so much time developing and writing.

Here are ten things to remember to create a memorable protagonist:

1. A great protagonist has a problem that needs solving.

You'd think this would be obvious, but I’ve read plenty of manuscripts where the protagonist could have died on page one and the story would have continued without missing a step. 

Make sure your protagonist is the one with the problem that has to be solved. They’re central to the conflict and the story, and if you took them out, you’d have no story.

(Here's more on Where Does Your Novel's Conflict Come From?)

2. A great protagonist has the ability to act.

A good protagonist causes the story to happen and moves the plot through their actions and choices. Even if they're trapped in a cell, they're able to look for a way out, or try to pick the lock or break the bars. They don't just stand there.

Make sure your protagonist is in a position to create change, even if it’s a huge battle to so do. 

(Here's more on 7 Ways Your Characters Can Screw up Their Decisions)

3. A great protagonist has reasons to act.

Imagine how unrealistic Die Hard would have felt if John McClane had been a tax account and not a cop. Or if he was just in the building and didn’t have a wife being held hostage by bad guys. Why on earth would he have risked his life if there wasn’t a good reason?

Plenty of people might be able to deal with the story's problem, but the protagonist has cause to get involved. If your protagonist is risking their life or happiness, make sure it's for a reason readers will understand.

(Here's more on Goals-Motivations-Conflicts: The Engine That Keeps a Story Running)

4. A great protagonist has something to lose.

But just having a reason to act isn’t enough. Losing something that matters is a powerful motivating tool and will force your protagonist to do what they normally wouldn’t. They'll take risks they'd never take if they didn't have this consequence hanging over their head. 

It's the risk that raises the stakes and the tensions and makes readers worry.

(Here's more on Goals, Conflicts, & Stakes: Why Plots Need All Three)

5. A great protagonist has something to gain.

This is an important aspect of the story’s stakes that's sometimes forgotten or not thought through well enough. Give your protagonist a reason to keep going when everything tells them to give up. They deserves a reward for their struggle, and a positive reason to put their life (or heart) in danger. 

Without someone worth gaining, readers will wonder why they're struggling so hard to win.

(Here's more on Three Questions to Get to the Heart of Your Story)

 

6. A great protagonist has the capacity to change.

Character growth feeds the soul of the story, and turns it from a series of plot events to a tale worth telling (and worth reading). 

A great protagonist has the ability to learn from their experiences and become a better (though not always) person. They won't be the same person they were when the story started.

(Here's more on The 5 Turning Points of a Character Arc)

7. A great protagonist has a compelling quality.

Maybe they’re funny and likable. Maybe they’re twisted and fascinating. They might have an unusual talent or skill, or a unique manner. Whatever it is, there’s a quality that makes readers curious to know more about your protagonist as a person. 

Often, what's compelling is also contradictory, and wanting to know how these two things work together is what keeps readers hooked.

(Here's more on What Makes Your Protagonist Heroic?)

8. A great protagonist has an interesting flaw.

Perfect people are boring—it’s the flaws that make them interesting. Flaws are also an opportunity to show character growth and give the protagonist chances to change. 

Maybe they know about this flaw and are actively trying to fix it, or they have no clue and their change is forced upon them. Maybe this flaw is the very thing that will allow them to survive and overcome their problems. Or, it might be the cause of the plot’s entire mess.

(Here's more on Are You Making This Character Flaw Mistake?)

9. A great protagonist has a secret.

Open-book characters are usually predictable, and predictable doesn’t keep readers hooked and guessing what will come next. 

If the protagonist is hiding something, readers will wonder what that secret is and how it affects the story. Let your protagonist be a little cryptic until readers are dying to know what their secret is.

(Here's more on Shh! It's a Secret: How to Raise Tension and Conflict in a Scene)

10. A great protagonist has someone or something interesting trying to stop them.

A protagonist is only as good as the antagonist standing against them. Where would Sherlock Holmes be without Professor Moriarty? Dorothy without the Wicked Witch? Buffy without Spike? 

Give your protagonist someone worth fighting or their victory is meaningless. Think of your antagonist as the opposite of your protagonist—the dark to their light, the evil to their good. 

(Here's more on 10 Traits of a Strong Antagonist)

A protagonist who knows what they want and makes the story happen is a far more compelling character than one who sits around and waits for the story to happen to them.

Dig deep. Because a great protagonist is more than just someone in the middle of a mess.

EXERCISE FOR YOU: Look at your protagonist and identify how these ten things apply to them. If you discover some are missing, brainstorm ways you might fill in those holes. Maybe give them stronger motives, or a secret that could ruin their life, or maybe it’s the antagonist that needs further development.

Who's your favorite protagonist? Why?

*Originally published June 2013. Last updated October 2020.

Find out more about characters, internalization, and point of view in my book, Fixing Your Character & Point-of-View Problems.

Go step-by-step through revising character and character-related issues, such as two-dimensional characters, inconsistent points of view, too-much backstory, stale dialogue, didactic internalization, and lack of voice. Learn how to analyze your draft, spot any problems or weak areas, and fix those problems.

With clear and easy-to-understand examples, Fixing Your Character & Point-of-View Problems offers five self-guided workshops that target the common issues that make readers stop reading. It will help you:

• Flesh out weak characters and build strong character arcs
• Find the right amount of backstory to enhance, not bog down, your story
• Determine the best point(s) of view and how to use them to your advantage
• Eliminate empty dialogue and rambling internalization
• Develop character voices and craft unique, individual characters 

Fixing Your Character & Point-of-View Problems starts every workshop with an analysis to pinpoint problem areas and offers multiple revision options in each area. You choose the options that best fit your writing process. It's an easy-to-follow guide to crafting compelling characters, solid points of view, and strong character voices readers will love.

Available in paperback and ebook formats.

Janice Hardy is the award-winning author of the teen fantasy trilogy The Healing Wars, including The Shifter, Blue Fire, and Darkfall from Balzer+Bray/Harper Collins. The Shifter, was chosen for the 2014 list of "Ten Books All Young Georgians Should Read" from the Georgia Center for the Book.

She also writes the Grace Harper urban fantasy series for adults under the name, J.T. Hardy.

When she's not writing novels, she's teaching other writers how to improve their craft. She's the founder of Fiction University and has written multiple books on writing.

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