You have the onerous task of creating a world, filling it
with believable characters, and telling a damn good story. Hey, nobody said
writing a story was easy.
I’ve written about Worldbuilding before, in 3 parts here,
here,
and here.
Today, I want to introduce you to 8 necessary roles needed to flesh out your
characters.
The 8 Necessary Character Roles:
Protagonist: Usually the main character. This is the character with a problem that
must be solved, but to do so must get past or through a series of obstacles.
Antagonist: This is the character working directly against your protagonist. Many
times, the antagonist is just as able as your main character, and many times
his or her exact opposite. For the antagonist to remain compelling, he or she
must have as much care taken in creating a backstory, reasoning, and desires as
the protagonist.
Mentor: Plays the “outside conscience” of your protagonist. His or her voice
encapsulates the lesson of the story as well as the theme. While it may be tempting
to make the mentor perfect, there is great drama available when the teacher/
moral compass is also flawed.
Tempter: This is the antagonist’s right hand. The tempter spends his or her
time manipulating your protagonist away from the story goal or to go against
the theme you’re presenting in the story. While this sounds like the job of the
antagonist (and very well can be*), having another character who is part of
your protagonist’s close group can prove just as exciting, and again, there is
drama to be found here.
Sidekick: Throughout the course of your story, your protagonist should come
against incredible odds. The sidekick can have several jobs. The main one is
being an unwavering ally to your protagonist, through thick and thin. While the
sidekick can (and should) become frustrated with your main character’s
decisions at some point, he or she will never leave your protagonist’s side.
Another job is to be the comedic relief. If your story is super serious, the
sidekick can provide an injection of laughter, or give a ray of hope in bleak
times. Yet another job the sidekick can provide is giving your protagonist
access to a secondary set of skills. For example, your main character is a
master thief? Maybe his or her sidekick has an in to high society, where your
master thief can thrive.
Skeptic: This is the lone objector to the protagonist’s method(s). He or she
does not believe in the theme of your
story, nor the importance of your protagonist. In fact, unless there are
previous or built-up loyalties to the protagonist, the skeptic may well go his
or her own way. It’s even possible the skeptic wants your main character to
succeed, but not at the cost of their own goal(s).
The Emotional: This is the character that reacts with his or her gut. This means
being reactive and impulsive, sometimes succeeding in ways that a thinking
character would never try. This also means they can find trouble by not
thinking ahead.
The Logic: This character is a rational thinker who prefers to plan things out
ahead of time. Answers with a matter-of-fact attitude, and usually knows more
than he or she lets on. Has trouble considering things from an emotional angle.
A Little Extra That Helps Me:
Now you know the 8 main roles used in fiction. Keep in mind, there does
not have to be a separate character for each role, but all 8 roles must be
embodied somewhere. As for character creation itself, here is the template I
use when beginning a new story:
Have fun, too! |
Character Name:
Age:
Archetype: (please see the 12 Jungian
archetypes, very helpful in determining goals) soulcraft.com
Quirks: I use three
Flaws: Three again
Skills: Make sure these help the character in the
story
Thanks for reading, and much luck in your adventures!
James Neal writes fantasy, both
novel-length (Of Blood and Blade) and shorter stories (Paints the Invisible Eye).
He’s also on social media, so are cafeteria
tables, but we digress. Click to join him on: