The protagonist. This is the most important character in your story—the character you want your audience to care the most about. So it goes without saying that you should make sure you’re writing your protagonist the right way. Today, I’m going to show you three mistakes writers make with their protagonists, and how to avoid them.

Let me clarify that, in this post, we are specifically talking about the protagonist for a Positive Change Arc story. So if your main character (MC) is a Flat Arc, don’t be too concerned with Point #2 at this time. We’ll be covering the Flat Arc later on in this series, and we’ll also talk about how to write a dimensional character with mainly “good” qualities.

First, let me begin with a short narrative. (Yes, I know it’s an extremely lame plot, but bear with me… it’s just an example.)

Meet Joe, an average factory worker living in a nice town in the mid-western United States. He gives to charity, volunteers at the local homeless shelter, and manages the annual food drive. Basically, he’s a normal, good guy.

That its, until the day he falls down an open manhole and stumbles upon the secret lair of the evil Professor Smit. The professor plans to take over the world using mind-controlling robots, but, unbeknownst to him, Joe has just discovered those plans.

So, what does Joe do? Well, being the law-abiding citizen that he is, he takes it upon himself to thwart Professor Smit’s schemes. Using his secret knowledge of boxing, karate, jujutsu, and taekwondo, he fights off the professor’s tuxedo-sporting henchmen without breaking so much as a sweat.

At first glance, Joe might seem like an awesome main character, but let’s go over some ways that he isn’t quite so great:

1. Unexplained skills/details

Many times, a writer can get so caught up in trying to make things work, or trying to figure out a scene, that they add in a bunch of random details. Now, obviously, not every detail is going to be explained. You don’t need to tell your audience that your character’s green eyes came from their grandma on their father’s side (unless, of course, that explanation is necessary to the story).

However, there are certain things that must be explained. In our example, Joe uses boxing, karate, jujutsu, and taekwondo to fight off Professor Smit’s henchman. How cool is that? I mean, how many people know four different kinds of self-defense?

But that’s just it. Joe is an average guy. As far as we know, he’s never been anywhere or done anything extraordinary. So what’s a guy like him doing with all this self-defense knowledge?

“Who cares?” Some writers might protest. “Knowing four kinds of self-dense is cool! No one needs to know the reason why!”

I agree, that is pretty cool. But just because something is “cool” doesn’t mean it belongs in your story. When any character—especially a protagonist—has an unusual or rare skill, trait, or mannerism, there needs to be a reason for it. Why does he have a scar on his right arm? Why does she always carry a gun with her? Why has he never lost his fear of the dark? Why does she have that odd habit?

The reasons for these details also need to matter to the plot. No one is going to care that your MC’s aunt gave her that locket, unless either the aunt or the locket matter to the story.

Let’s go to our two examples to see how this works in a real story:

Throughout the movie “Beyond the Mask,” William Reynolds performs many impressive athletic tricks, stunts, etc. while fighting or escaping the villain. And, no, it’s not just because it’s awesome. His fighting skills, his knowledge of advanced technology, and even his ability to deceive with ease came from his time working for the East India Company (EIC).

In my short story “In Time of Need,” Tad Griffin really doesn’t have too many unusual skills. When it comes down it, he’s just a boy trying to survive and take care of his sister. But that’s also okay. Your character doesn’t have to be incredibly different (in fact, they could be pretty normal and boring), as long as they’re relatable.

So now let’s fix this part of Joe’s story. Maybe Joe used to be a member of a secret agency years ago, which is how he learned the martial arts. To tie it in with the story’s plot, let’s say that the same agency is now after Professor Smit. Perhaps Joe then teams up with them to take down the professor.

This provides explanation for a detail that otherwise might seem random (and, believe me, your readers will notice). Not only do we get to keep those cool self-defense moves, but we’ve also just added some other elements that are equally cool.

2. No flaws

Joe is pretty much the perfect character. No, seriously, he’s perfect. I mean, look at this guy—he’s probably never even gotten a speeding ticket. Not only is this not realistic, but it’s not relatable. Basically, no flaws equals no dimension.

A flawed character is especially crucial for a Positive Change Arc. Your MC must have flaws that stem from his Lie. This enables you to show his belief in the Lie outwardly, as well as inwardly. Understand that your protagonist does not need to be the evilest person you can conjure up, but he does need to have flaws

Of course, since this is a Positive Change Arc, your MC will eventually move past flaws, but the flaws do need to be there, or the character won’t change.

(Note: Some secular movies glorify their characters’ flaws, rather than portraying those flaws as wrong. This results in a mindset that can cause confusion over what right and wrong actually is. We want our stories to offer clear distinctions between the two, so be careful to avoid putting your characters’ flaws in the wrong light.)

Let’s take a look at our examples again:

Will Reynolds is a professional assassin for the East India Company, and he’s willing to go to great lengths to secure the company’s welfare. During his employment with the EIC, he has aided in brutally killing, oppressing, and enslaving many native Indians.

Oh, yeah, and he’s also the main character of the whole movie.

Say, what? An assassin, the main character? Sounds like he should be the villain.

But it works. To me, Will sounds like a much more interesting character than our friend Joe. (Sorry, Joe.) This is because he’s relatable.

Now, I don’t know about you, but I am definitely not an assassin. But I do know that every single one of us is a sinner in our own way. Like all of us, Will is seeking redemption from his flaws, and we empathize with him because we have flaws, too.

Will’s flaws all stem from his Lie—and, indeed, worsen because of it. When he tries to fix everything himself, he ends up hurting more people (as we’ll see later on in this series).

Tad Griffin’s example is a bit less extreme. A young orphan living in a 19th-century tenement house, he’s a stubborn lad whose one and only goal is to protect his baby sister, Ava. Despite his low place in society, Tad’s got some pride left in him. Not only does he believe that he has to protect Ava alone, but he also believes he doesn’t need help from anyone else. And that ends up presenting some major problems as the story progresses.

This flaw is also very relatable. I’m sure we’ve all had times in our lives when we wanted to do something by ourselves, and our pride kept us from asking for or accepting help.

In this case, Tad’s main flaw pretty much is his Lie. Because he thinks he has to do everything himself, he becomes stubborn and prideful. And, at times, it can even seem like the Lie stems from his flaw.

So let’s give our friend, Joe, a flaw or two. Maybe he’s got some anger towards the agency from something that happened in the past. This stems from a Lie that will probably have to do with bitterness. And look at that… not only will Joe’s struggle with anger make him more relatable, but it will also provide some great conflict to draw from as the story goes on.

3. No personal grounds

Even though Joe was the one who stumbled upon Professor Smit’s plans, he really doesn’t have any personal reasons to go after him. As far as Joe is concerned, he can inform the police and go back to his normal life. After all, why would he purposely team up with the agency that wronged him years ago?

Especially now that your character has flaws, they’re probably not going to go after the bad guy just because… there needs to be a more personal reason behind it. In a Flat Arc (as we’ll discuss later) the MC might go after the bad guy for a reason like justice or duty, but a Positive Change Arc will typically have more selfish interests in mind.

Once again, here are our examples:

Will has a few personal reasons for going after the bad guy, but the main reason is that the bad guy is going after him. While, at times, it may seem like Will is selflessly battling for the greater good, he’s ultimately just trying to look after his own well-being and earn his redemption. (More on this when we talk about the Goal.)

Poor Tad really just wants to get away from his story’s antagonist. But as the story progresses, he ends up having to go on the offense in order to rescue both himself and Ava.

And now, let’s fix Joe’s story. How can he have personal grounds in the main conflict? Well, maybe, he goes home after escaping the henchmen, intending to do nothing more about it. But Professor Smit wants to make sure that Joe doesn’t tell anyone what he’s discovered, so he kidnaps Joe’s niece. This forces Joe to take a personal interest in the antagonist and the main plot. (Who knows? It could also provide a great First Plot Point.)

Using these points, you should be able to create a Positive Change Arc protagonist that is both dimensional and relatable. And, in two weeks, I’ll be showing you how to use the conflict between the Lie and the Truth to further deepen your character.

Tell me about your MC in the comments, or drop in a note or question!