Choose Your Main Character and Bring Them to Life

If you have your story idea in mind, but have no idea who your main character is, don’t fret. I find this part to be the most fun. You get to bring made up people to life. The more time you spend on this area, the more compelling your story will be.

Dull Protagonist = Dull Story

What type of character will be strong enough to carry your story through to the end? Male? Female? Younger? Older? When deciding this here are some things to consider so your protagonist is the right fit for your story.

What do you feel is the age range of your readers? Young adult? Adult?

What is my setting? Country? Busy city? Hospital? Haunted house? All of this factors in and around who the story resolves.

Is my theme scary, action packed, fantasy, dystopian, romantic? If you’ve watched a sci-fi movie usually the main character’s name and personality differs greatly from the name and personality of the main character in a Hallmark Christmas special. Same goes for an Old Western.

The character’s name and personality should be believable to the theme of your story. In my novel that I’m currently editing, “The Orphanage,” one of the main characters is Elijah. I chose that name because he was born in the 1700’s but has ties to and time travels to present day. To me, that name fit either century. A more trendy name such as Braeden wouldn’t have been as believable.

Take some time and brainstorm your protagonist. If you’d like additional help in this area, send me an email if you’re interested in a one on one Life Coaching session to help you find your perfect protagonist.

In the next blog post, we’ll take a look at how to really get to know your protagonist inside and out.

[ctct form=”387″ show_title=”false”]