A good main character will thus contribute to the unfolding of the plot and embody your story. This is why it is fundamental that it is memorable. We offer you some keys to creating an unforgettable main character, who will leave an impression
The characters in a novel are the foundation on which the story rests. It is through them that you will transmit emotions and bring your plot to life, page after page. Without the characters, a story has no interest for a reader. More so, a story cannot be fully successful if you have not created a good main character.
A good main character will thus contribute to the unfolding of the plot and embody your story. This is why it is fundamental that it is memorable. We offer you some keys to creating an unforgettable main character, who will leave an impression.
WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE TERMS MAIN CHARACTER, PROTAGONIST AND HERO
These three terms are sometimes put in opposition. But what is it?
THE MAIN CHARACTER
Typically, the main character of a book is the person who keeps us following the story. He is the one who tells it to us, readers. We experience the adventures through his eyes , which makes them the key to the action.
THE PROTAGONIST
The term “protagonist”, often considered as the one who moves the plot forward and who directs it – which is almost the raison d'être of the story being told – is defined by the Larousse dictionary as: “An important character of 'a play, a film or a novel. » Or as the “person who plays the main role in an affair, who is the instigator”. We clearly see here that the distinction between the protagonist and the main character is not so clear.
Etymologically, the word "protagonist" comes from the Greek prota which means "first" and agonists which means "fighter" and "defender". Historically, the protagonist is therefore the one who has a special place in history, particularly in the theater.
THE HERO AND THE HEROINE
The definition of the word “ hero·oine ” has undergone a lot of evolution. Originally, the hero was a man considered a demigod, a warlord who distinguished himself by his prowess in weapons, but also as a person with special courage and strength. In 1540, the term “heroine” appeared and designated a woman showing “strength of soul”. In modern French, the definition of the word evolves to also become the “main character of a literary work”.
Today, the Larousse dictionary also defines the words hero or heroine as “a person to whom an adventure happened, who played the main role in a certain situation”.
A DISTINCTION A LITTLE BLURRY
It is common to read that the main character is the person who tells the story and is impacted by it, unlike the protagonist who directs the action and moves the story forward, while the hero would be the association of the first two.
However, the contours which demarcate the definitions of each of these three terms are a little vague. It is indeed difficult to deny that the main character, just like the protagonist and the hero, is the person most affected and concerned by the action, she is at the heart of the story and must move the story forward .
If these three distinct terms coexist it is because there are nuances : for example, the notion of “hero oine” has a more spectacular, impressive, mythical, even fantastic connotation, with by extension super- heroes and superheroines who are endowed with superhuman powers.
It should also be emphasized that the main character, even if this is not always the case, is very often also the protagonist. It even happens that these three roles come together in one and the same character .
WHAT ABOUT THE ANTAGONIST AND THE ANTIHERO
It seems important to us here to evoke two additional and very distinct notions: the antagonist and the antihero.
THE ANTAGONIST
An antagonist is a character who opposes something. He's a rival . He is the one who will do everything to prevent the protagonist from moving forward by slowing down his actions. He is not necessarily bad and can even sometimes arouse sympathy.
THE ANTIHERO OINE
An antihero or antiheroine is a character who does not possess the qualities expected of the traditional hero or heroine such as courage, physical strength, bravery, sense of equality and justice. Nevertheless, it has a central place in the work.
THE IMPORTANCE OF THE MAIN CHARACTER IN THE NARRATIVE
Your main character can fit into the narrative in a variety of ways. Ultimately, it doesn't matter how you introduce it into your text, as long as it serves your plot and provides structure .
Here are some keys and several techniques for integrating a protagonist into their story.
WHEN THE MAIN CHARACTER IS THE NARRATOR
The main character, in addition to living the story, can also tell it and therefore be the narrator . We then speak of an intradiegetic narrator , that is to say that the narrator speaks in the first person singular “I”, and is part of the story.
In this case, he must narrate both the story and the events that happen to him. He must therefore be an effective instigator , but also his narrative must be well constructed.
For example, in her book People of Bilbao are born wherever they want , Maria Larrea tells us about her life journey when she goes in search of her origins. She therefore has two hats, that of the main character of her story, since it is she who carries out her research, evolves and grows during her story, and that of the narrator who takes us into her life and her thoughts.
WHEN THE PROTAGONIST IS IN THE BACKGROUND
It also happens that the protagonist is a little behind the action . However, we do have the impression that he or she is everywhere in the work. For what ? The protagonist has a central place in the plot because he/she will be mentioned very regularly in the novel and be in all the discussions.
This is the case in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald in which Gatsby does not appear that often in the first part of the story. However, it is on everyone's lips and is the subject of a large number of speculations as to its past and its origins. All of this is narrated by Nick Carraway, the narrator and Gatsby's neighbor. We follow the latter through his eyes and, even if it is Gatsby who will turn the plot (protagonist), Nick also has a primordial place in the story (main character).
WHEN THE SECONDARY CHARACTER TAKES THE PLACE OF THE MAIN CHARACTER
It also happens that the main character is in the background and that during the work, he is supplanted by a secondary character. This process is very interesting in that it allows a protagonist to evolve quite blatantly and therefore involves a secondary character who is sufficiently well constructed, charismatic and interesting, to take this place. This is why knowing How to create a character sheet for a novel is a very good way to help you in your writing project to create strong and striking characters.
Stieg Larsson demonstrated this with his Millennium trilogy . In the first volume, the main character, the journalist Mikaël Blomkvist, will meet Lisbeth Salander with whom he will solve an investigation. In the second volume of the saga, Lisbeth finds herself wrongly accused of several murders and will therefore gradually take up more space to finally, in the last volume of the trilogy, take the place of main character.
WHEN THERE ARE SEVERAL MAIN CHARACTERS
Since the beginning of this article, we have been talking about the main character. But it is also possible that there are main characters in the same novel. The place of the “leader” is then shared between several people who move the action forward together and in different ways depending on their personality.
In The Book of the Baltimores, written by Joël Dicker, Marcus Goldman is the narrator and he is undeniably one of the most important people in the story. But there are also Hillel and Woody, who are much more than secondary characters. They are the actors in the adventures of which Marcus is a spectator and between them, they will create all the twists and turns of the story. These are strong personalities, with complex and worked psychology, who will take the place of main characters, alongside Marcus Goldman.
HOW TO MAKE YOUR MAIN CHARACTER MEMORABLE?
Once you have decided on the role of your main character in your text, you need to make sure that it has a significant impact on your readership . Indeed, the ideal is to have a main character who makes an impression and who brings real added value to your project.
GIVE YOUR MAIN CHARACTER A GOAL
For it to be memorable and for readers to be interested in its destiny, it must be motivated by a goal, a quest . This objective will give meaning to the story and allow it to evolve as the twists and turns arise along its path.
You must adapt this quest to the genre of your novel. Not all the main characters are destined to be confronted with tragic events or to have to carry out perilous quests.
For example, your objective may be the evolution of your protagonist and his transition from adolescence to adulthood, a period during which he will be confronted with many questions and doubts. Their goal will then be to learn about themselves better and to understand the world from a new perspective. These coming of age story characters will obviously not have the same objective as the main character of a thriller who must carry out an investigation and unmask a murderer.
A MAIN CHARACTER WITH STRONG CHARACTERISTICS
Then, to make your main character stand out, you have to give him reasons to be so: a strong personality , humor, facial expressions or original behavior, an unexpected retort, particular character traits, etc.
You can also build on his or her backstory to make him or her memorable. The backstory is the story before the story, what happened in one's life before the beginning of the text. Our article How to write an exciting backstory can guide you in giving a unique voice to your main character.
This is exactly what Véronique Chauvy did in her novel Aux idées du temps , which features Juliette, a woman who lives in Clermont-Ferrand at the end of the 19th century. Her strength of character and remarkable perseverance will enable her to overcome all the challenges that face her.
A MAIN CHARACTER WHO ADVANCES THE PLOT
The editorial advisors in charge of our Proofreading workshop note during their analysis that one of the pitfalls that often comes up in manuscripts is having a main character who does not sufficiently move things forward .
He should not be passive, at least not for the duration of the story. It is necessary for him to take charge of the situation at some point and act for the plot to move forward. At the risk of giving the reader the impression of stagnating , of having a character who does not evolve and of frustrating them since they will not have the answers to all their questions.
MISTAKES TO AVOID
A MAIN CHARACTER WHO LACKS COHERENCE
Another difficulty often highlighted by our Rereading workshop is the lack of coherence of a character. His personality, his way of speaking, his actions: everything must make sense.
It can absolutely contain some contradictions, we all have them in us, but we must not attribute to a character behavior that does not resemble them at all (unless, of course, if this is part of their very characteristic). ). Or, have him change language level from one dialogue to another, otherwise the readers would risk leaving their reading bubble .
Writing good dialogue for a novel is an exercise that can quickly prove difficult, so we have grouped all our advice on this subject in an article on our blog.
A MAIN CHARACTER WHO DOESN'T STAND OUT ENOUGH FROM THE OTHER CHARACTERS
Your secondary characters also carry the story by surrounding the main character, who cannot progress in the story without them. But care must be taken to ensure that the latter stands out sufficiently from the secondary characters, otherwise it will be impossible for him to truly embody his role. If this is desired, it can be interesting for the secondary character to take this place, but if this is not the case, you will end up with a manuscript without a real hero and therefore without anyone to carry the events of the story. satisfactory manner.