What’s a Protagonist?
The protagonist of a story is the main character whom we follow as an audience. They are the main driving force for the action that takes place.
Being that we follow the main character and they drive the plot, it’s imperative that the audience is invested in the protagonist enough to the point they want to see them succeed. The more a reader is invested in the protagonist, the more likely they’d stick with the outcome of your story.
Creating a Good/Likeable Protagonist
To write a character worth following, you must create a likeable and/or interesting character. Here are traits a compelling character worth following may have.
- Underdog – creating an underdog character is one of the easiest ways to make your character sympathetic, relatable, and ultimately likeable. An underdog is someone who appears less likely to succeed due to a disadvantage or perceived weakness. We all love stories of someone who overcomes the odds to accomplish the extraordinary.
- Competent – your protagonist should possess a great talent or show potential to have great talent. People are naturally drawn to those who can solve problems with the skills they earned. Conversely, we are annoyed by someone who consistently messes things up. Be mindful of which characters contribute to solving or causing problems.
- Flawed – On the contrary, your protagonist shouldn’t be great and perfect at everything. Like all humans, a realistic character has flaws. Give them traits that make attaining their wants or needs difficult.
- Compassionate – displays compassion or a sense of justice. To nobody’s surprise, we like people who are selfless and at least try to do the right thing.
- Goal-Orientated – To make a character interesting, they should have a goal and multiple reasons for why they want to accomplish that goal. Typically, a character should be inspired to take action by both an internal conflict and external conflict.
- Magnetic – Likeable characters often have the ability to change the trajectory of what’s going on around them. Make characters who are drawn to the positive traits of your protagonist for whichever reason, whether it’s charisma, boldness, wisdom, or competence. Whatever it is, make sure it’s realistic. Don’t make characters fawn over the protagonist for undeserving reasons, as the audience will pick up on that.
Your character doesn’t need ALL of these traits to be likeable, but you should have a combination of at least some of them with the correct dosage. If you want to create a less likeable character, give them the opposite traits.
What’s an Antagonist?
The antagonist is the opposing force of the antagonist. In other words, the purpose of the antagonist is to challenge the protagonist in accomplishing their goal. Like the protagonist, they have the ability to drive the plot, forcing the protagonist to react and pivot if necessary.
Antagonist forces come in many forms, ranging from a character, nature, society, etc.
Creating a Despicable Antagonist
Here are the traditional traits a villain usually has, although you can can find ways to invert these traits to make them more interesting:
- Powerful – to better make your protagonist appear as an underdog, the antagonist should be competent and powerful.
- Competent – antagonists should be competent to keep the stakes high when they interact with the protagonist.
- Ambitious – Just like your protagonist, the antagonist should have a goal of their own and stop at nothing to accomplish it. Demonstrate how willingly the antagonist is to complete their goal, despite the consequences.
- Cunning – Cunningness is a sure way to make your character interesting and entertaining, thus keeping your reader on their feet. Think of how they can remain one step ahead through trickery and deception.
- Selfish – villains tend to center their own selfish goals, making them a clear opposition who the audience wants to see get taken down. Demonstrate their selfishness by how they treat those working closely with them.
To make your villain more compelling, try inverting these traits. Maybe
Role of Protagonist and Antagonist
The dynamic between the protagonist and antagonist is a push and pull battle not only on a physical aspect (external conflict), but an ideological aspect (internal conflict). It’s a fight between which belief system holds true in the world you created.
The purpose of the protagonist is to have a character whose journey we can follow and sympathize with as we explore the world within. The purpose of the antagonist is to add conflict and/or challenge the beliefs of the protagonist. Plan your protagonist and antagonist wisely to fit the theme you are trying to convey!