25. Characterization: Protagonists
This week JJ and Kelly talk about the characterization of protagonists, how to get a vivid, realistic character, and whether or not "unlikeable" means "unsympathetic."
Show Notes/Further Reading
Characters need a balance of flaws and strengths.
Universal appeal is not possible—it generally means the character becomes incredibly bland.
Specificity breeds intimacy, and specific action shows more than telling details.
There is a difference between an "unlikeable" and an "unsympathetic" protagonist. An unlikeable protagonist can still be sympathetic, but an unsympathetic character just makes us not care.
Active Characters by Julie Eshbaugh
Writing Three-Dimensional Characters by Susan Dennard
Character Movement and Characterization by Kat Zhang
Creating Characters Readers Care About by Julie Eshbaugh
Know Your Characters by Marie Lu
The No-Effort Character Character Sheet for Lazy Writers Like You and Me
What We're Reading/Books Discussed
City of Bones, City of Ashes, and City of Glass by Cassandra Clare
The Rose Society by Marie Lu
Red Rising by Pierce Brown
JJ is in a reading rut, so nothing new.
Off Menu Recommendations
Boredom! Boredom is kind of great. Mindlessness breeds creativity in many ways.
What We're Working On
Kelly is working on freelance stuff
JJ is working on Wintersong copyedits and she has a cover! The cover will be revealed on Monday, April 11, but those who are subscribed to JJ's newsletter will get to see it first!
That's all for this week! Next week we will be continuing our characterization series with an episode about VILLAINS. As always, if you have any questions, sound off in the comments!