3 Types Of Characters That Could Lead Your Story To Greatness
Differences between “protagonist,” “main character,” and “hero”…
Stories Are Built On Characters:
A story is something that happens to a character or because of a character and the subsequent changes that occur for said character. Basically, someone is one way, this thing happens, that someone is now different than before.
But did you know your character could be as many as three different characters? What I mean by this is your one person — or…non-person …— might be a combination of what I like to call “character profiles.”
This article dives into three of these character profiles: the Protagonist, the Main Character, and the Hero. I’ll show you how these can be both the same and different characters in your story, and why one of them is absolutely necessary, while the other two are not.
The Protagonist: Your Story’s Focal Point
This is your character that I talked about in my previous article. This is the story we follow, or the person who thought one way, then something happens (plot), then they change or grow. The protagonist is who we connect with as readers, who we root for and stay up until the wee hours of the morning wanting to see whether they make it or not.
Now, just because the protagonist is the character who undergoes the change in the story, this does not mean they are the narrator, main character, hero, or even secondary character. There are ways to create a novel or short story from the point of view of somebody that isn’t the protagonist.
Which brings us to the second character type…
The Main Character: Driving Ms. Plot
This guy (or gal…or it…or whatever) is all about POV. Even if your story is told from multiple characters, there is a main person through which we get an exclusive or deeper look into the plot.
If you’re writing in the first person, the “I” could be the main character; or, as in the case of the children’s series Horrible Harry, Harry is the main character but Doug is who we see the plot unfold with. While the story is happening to Horrible Harry (main character and protagonist), we see it from Doug’s (narrator) eyes.
Usually, main character and protagonist are the same person. In rare occasions, however, they are separate people (or animals…or things…).
The Hero: Who We’re All Rooting For
This is the character that isn’t necessarily necessary. While you need a protagonist and a main character is 99% a given, a hero is not always present in a story.
A hero is someone you want to see succeed. Think superheroes: Beat the bad guy, get the girl, save the world, blah blah blah. You know to have everything go good and normal, the hero will prevail and win the day.
So, most children’s books have a hero. Adult fiction, not so much. Sometimes a novel is laden with a bunch of people you have absolute loathing for. You hope they all fail. Hard.
But I digress…
To Recap:
- Protagonists = change with the plot (focal point of the story)
- Main Characters = drive the plot and makes the change happen
- Heroes = Who we want to win/succeed
Who Is Who Is Who?
While this definitely isn’t confusing enough already, this is where it gets really freaky.
Let’s start with the basics…
All stories have protagonists.
At least, they better. That’s the whole damn point of a story — to see someone or something change their beliefs or attitudes towards something in their lives. That is story.
So, seeing as protagonists are the catalysts of change, all stories have protagonists. With me so far?
Most protagonists are main characters.
Harry Potter, Shrek, Katniss, James Bond…these are examples of main characters who are the protagonists. They are the ones driving the plot AND they are the ones changing in the process.
In contrast, Doug in Horrible Harry, Charlie in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird, and Nick Carraway from The Great Gatsby are all main characters driving the stories of their protagonist counter-parts (Harry, Willy Wonka, Atticus, and Jay Gatsby). The main characters are driving the plot — maybe not so much in Horrible Harry, but Willy Wonka and Mockingbird you bet — while the protagonists are changing from a different point of view.
Usually they’re the same, but sometimes they aren’t.
Heroes are optional.
There are some truly sucky groups of characters. For instance, do you like anyone in Lord of the Flies? I mean, it’s really sweet that you want Piggy to be liked and all, but do you really want him to succeed? If he were leader, they’d all die. (Just being honest.)
Sure, Superman and Batman are heroes we root for. But there isn’t always a hero.
Normally, three are one.
The trifecta. Harry Potter for sure. Any superhero who is the focal point of the story. Shrek (’cause Shrek is awesome). These are crowd-favorites, and for good reason: They are characters who change in the story, carry the plot, and we root for them to get everything they want.
Now That I Have You Thoroughly Confused…
Use this to your advantage. Not all of your novels or short stories have to have the trifecta. One can be omitted. You can have all three be different characters or multiple of each.
As long as you have a protagonist that goes through a change, your story’s world is your literary playground.
Jake Lyda is a freelance writer and fiction author. He is currently working on a long-form novel, as well as several short stories. For more information on his freelance writing services, please visit his site. Follow him on Instagramand look out for his weekly fiction stories on Medium. Hope this helped you in your writing journey!
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