The One

Something I struggle with in my fiction is to create compelling protagonists. A compelling protagonist has something that makes them unique; only they can solve the big problem that is being dropped on them.

It’s desirable for this problem to be big, but then it’s too easy to fall into the trap of the character being The One —  Neo or Jesus or Luke Skywalker who will solve all the problems because is a very special boy. It’s the hero’s journey¹¹1 Joseph Campbell, The hero with a thousand faces (Novato, Calif: New World Library, 2008).  which gets long in the tooth.

It is especially annoying when the protagonist gets special powers that they get for no reason except to make the story happen; powers that they were born or bestowed upon for whatever reason.

Some approaches to avoid this:

• Drawbacks: Geralt is a Witcher, who are mutants that are looked down upon; he cannot live a normal life anymore.

• Trade-off: Geralt can drink his potions but they increase his toxicity. Ben Hawkins²²2 Carnivàle, written by Daniel Knauf (3 Arts Entertainment, Home Box Office (HBO), 2003).  has a power that is less like healing and more like transferring life force.

• Niche interest/skill turns valuable: No concrete examples of this one, but someone who has invested a large amount of time and effort in a particular interest/skill that isn’t immediately applicable (e.g. philately) could become a lifer safer when a very specific problem arises.

• Pure luck: Fallout’s Vault Dweller could have been anyone — and in fact, because it is a game, it rather is anyone who plays.

This makes some protagonists not as engaging (for me):

• Corvo Attano (Dishonored series) gets special powers from a mysterious entity called The Outsider, but there isn’t really a trade-off, and it isn’t pure luck either.

Internal traits

James Thayer describes³³3 James Thayer, The essential guide to writing a novel: a complete and concise manual for fiction writers (Seattle, Washington: Sacajawea Publishing, 2016).  the following internal traits of heroes:

• they are kind when it counts;
• they are brave when they need to be;
• they are active, not passive;
• they are not fools;
• they are noble, or at least have a touch of nobility;
• they have the ability to grow.
• they have a weakness.
• they desire something desperately.
• they are quirky.

Thayer mentions two external traits that are important: hardship and the odds.

See also

• Universal character needs
• Character questions