Long story short: I chose a protagonist, wrote the first draft, and about a year later -as I've begun preparation for the 2nd draft- I'm doubting who the protagonist should really be. I'm debating between two characters. They both tell the same story in equally unique ways, I just don't know if I'm overthinking it and want something new because it's new, or if I actually need to change the MC for the betterment of the story. So, if you have any advice, I'd love to know what your qualifications are for choosing the best character to tell your story. P.S. (Not interested in doing Multiple POV)
Do you have a preference? If you go with the character you want to write about you'll probably enjoy the process more and be far more likely to finish the project.
I mean, I do have a slight preference, though the story would be more difficult to tell from that perspective. But that's a good point, I haven't thought about it like that. Thank you!
Who has the most complete story arc? It's about the character's inner journey and to the extent that transformation speaks to the theme. So which character changes the most?
The character that changes/develops the most I'd say. You are focusing on a single POV, this is especially important here. If your main character doesn't develop he'll be a narrator injected into the narrative.
When comparing the two, they both have complete story arcs, but one of them does change a little more than the other, and has a slightly more satisfying end to the arc. Thanks for the clarity, I think I'm steering in the right direction. *crosses fingers*
Lol, I never pick a main character. I just tell the story in my head and see where it goes. Either the main character is obvious, or it will be eventually.
A number of factors do come into it for me if it's not obvious who the main should be. I tend to look at the character with the most interesting journey. The one with the most conflict, the most at stake and the one I enjoy writing the most. Who has the best character arc.
Re-read the first three paragraphs and tunes in to hear whose voice is speaking and, most importantly, whose yearning's at play. Or you can always mechanically count who gets most screentime.
Intuition, mostly. I just sorta get a vague idea of who the hero of the story is, then refine it. This tends to be the first step of my creative process, sometimes even before the story concept itself is coming together in my head. I mean, what do you mean by "best"? The protagonist is the character who goes on a journey and grows along the way, thereby exemplifying the theme of the story. As I see it, the "best" protagonist is the one who is comprehensively designed to do that job. What is the actual difference between your two characters? In terms how their stories are told, I mean, not the superficial stuff.
I just start with a main character and have an idea of who they are when I make them in my head, then from there I form a story around those people, so I don't let it play out I make it happen the way I think it should in order for those characters to become the people I want them to be.
What will change with the story if you change your protagonist? Will you focus more on them on a second draft, or keep things generally the same. If having two strong characters works as is, there may not be a reason to define it. You can have many strong, interesting characters without trying to define exactly who the protagonist is. But if you do want to define it so you can focus more attention on their story, which one interests you the most. It's ok to evolve your story. If you're not sure, play with it. Try it out. You'll always have your earlier draft if it doesn't work out.
A rule I like that is particularly useful for scifi & fantasy: given the setting, who has it worst off? It's a good way to find the most possible conflict. Applications: When writing in a world with magic, then it's often interesting to write about someone who can't use magic, or is bad at it (Examples: Rincewind the Wizard from Discworld; Kenton from White Sand, by Brandon Sanderson; the main character in Jim Butcher's Codex Alera). When writing in a very unique setting, it often makes sense to choose an outsider, who, like the reader, has a lot to learn (Example: the children in Chronicles of Narnia) Otherwise, characters with low social status will have a harder time of things. They may, again like the reader, have a lot to learn if they are thrown into powerful circles, and they might even have to deal with prejudice, persecution, etc which highlights the less rosy sides of the society they live in (Example: Vin in Mistborn, by Brandon Sanderson)
I don't choose them, I create them. The story comes first, the characters that populate it come from the requirements of the story.
