I think this question gets asked a lot, just in different ways. Maybe one person would post up a long list of character traits asking for feedback. Another might post up a long synopsis about their protagonist and the protagonist's journey and then ask about what everyone thinks. I personally think there are three major pillars to making a good character. Any good character: That is establishing their goals, motives, and conflicts. But that's really technical and only serves as starting point. I don't think any of those things will allow for the character to move from having a purpose to one that is actually likable and memorable. And that's where I think the art comes in and that's where I'm wondering about input from others. How do you create characters that are memorable and readers just fall in love with. Personally, I think one of the ways is just making the character a good person. I think about why I like my friends or my family and I like them for different reasons. But mostly, I like them because they are good people. They call me and sing happy birthday. They come and help me when I need it. Now that doesn't work with every single archetype of course. So what are your techniques to making a good, memorable and effective protagonist?
Point of note though: 'Likeable' doesn't equal 'good person', doesn't equate to 'good protagonist'. I suspect that the answer will vary from reader to reader. It's not necessarily about making the protagonist 'likeable'. Some characters in some books I read aren't persons I'd 'like' but reading about them entertains me nevertheless. Are all the characters I enjoy reading about good people? No. If a protagonist is not a good person but I enjoy reading about him, I suspect I do that because I admire some personality trait that I wish I had (in an abstract way! I'm not about to emulate some thriller heroes because I admire them in a novel ). A kitten bracing his tiny body for frantic resistance... when I see insurmountable odds and the protagonist hasn't made a complete ass out of himself (presupposing I've seen depth to his character and he's been written three-dimensional), I can't help but root for him to succeed. Which serves your goal. You've gotten a reader.
Your great comments made me realize that I am asking the totally wrong question. The question should be how to make an effective protagonist. One that serves the purpose of having the events unfold around them, but also stick with the reader.
You need to take parts of your own soul and others that you've known throughout life and merge them into characters, protagonist or not. Relatability, humanity and the sincerity of your character, no matter who they are or what they do needs to be derived in some ways from reality. Art is a reflection of reality.
I think it's down to choices, conscious or not, internal and external, wants and needs—when the two conflict, you can get readers to root for the protagonist to make the right choice (as they see it). Then you've your readers by the balls, because they're personally invested in the outcome. Set your protagonist to achieve a goal that he wants, but give him an internal motivation that conflicts with it. Give your protagonist a golden flaw running through his character, that encapsulates his need. You might even make the protagonist conscious of the choice he's about to make at the climax. He's about to give up his heart's desire for... what? If you can show this moment of disillusion, you'll have me at the edge of my seat.
I think I see a lot of that issue where the conflict doesn't feel genuine because there isn't any matching to real life. When we look at the masterpiece Lord of the Rings, there's a lot to relate to with that story. While it's all fantastical and all, we do relate to the issue of how difficult it is to let go of our vices. That conflict turns a simple task of getting rid of the one ring into something people can relate to. I think as a fantasy writer, I have always that challenge to translate something in real life into a fantasy world.
I agree the MC should have a character flaw they need to overcome by the end of the story. This is what causes the character arc, the growth that makes them relatable. I also agree with Maul an author should draw from their own life experience in some ways, though not make the character duplicates of themselves.
Your protagonist doesn't have to be a good person, only a relatable one. The reader needs to look at the character and be able to imagine themselves in that situation. They might not agree with what the MC does, they just have to understand how those decisions could be made and go along for the ride to see how it ends up. Characters must always have flaws, but it can't be shallow or absurd ones, it has to be believable. It has to be something that you could expect to see given the setting, then the MC goes on a journey to fix their flaws or come to grips with them. They don't have to become a better person in the end. They might decide it's okay if they're a monster in the end. The one thing you don't want to do in any of it is make your character boring. There has to be something that draws the reader along for the journey. Story structure will help you with the ups and downs along the way.
What makes an effective or great character is the subject of opinion in many ways. But all those opinions are over rules when the character is in the hands of a great and effective writer. It's all in the skill of the writer. The truth is you can sit and agonise over check lists, character profiles, avoiding cliches - but that is meaningless if you can't translate it to the page. Some writers soon come to learn they don't need these things and can write great characters by instinct alone. There was the quote made by a famous author that I read on another site but never thought to remember the name something about how writing is based on instinct not plans (they used a better word for plans). A great writer has great instincts. Maybe someone will recognise it and correct me. You write an effective character by having good instinct which you either have naturally or develop over time through writing and reading. Adding flaws, adding lies, personalities, goals, wants, needs, making them relatable - they all help but none of those things really pull their weight in the hands of a poor writer. So for me, writing an effective character relies on you being an effective writer. To me, your putting your focus onto planning out a protag rather than focusing on simply improving your skills as a writer. You need to think about all the ingredients not just one.
I've said this before and I'll say it many more times. I learned this originally from visual arts—you tend to hear a lot about the 2 camps, those who advocate rigorous analysis and learning of systems or approaches vs those who say just go wild, just wing it. But the reality seems to be a combination of both. The greatest modern artists (modern in the sense of a rebellion against the classical rules) were the 1st generation, who had received a good solid classical education and then decided to break some of the rules. The world over-reacted and decided you can't teach art, the schools all basically threw out art education, and the next generation just couldn't do anything even close to what their predecessors were able to do. In order to break the rules effectively, you need to first learn the rules. Along the way you're training yourself in important principles, not just hidebound traditions or rules. And without a thorough understanding of the principles of art, you're just a beginner trying to do advanced work. Unless you're some kind of towering genius who can somehow absorb the great ideas of art without needing to study and practice, or who can invent his own system that's as good as the entire edifice of classical art. And most of us are far from that. You need to learn what's been done, what works and what doesn't. You need to learn the principles. In drawing for instance that would include perspective, proportioning and anatomy (assuming you want to draw things people can recognize, or maybe even a human figure or a face now and then). But you don't need to remain slavishly faithful to anything. Once you've learned your chops and practiced your 10,000 hours (of good useful practice) you're ready to start working intuitively and basing things more on feelings or ideas than rules. Just like with learning to walk or talk or string sentences together so they carry meaning, it's necessary to first absorb the basics and develop a great deal of facility and understanding, then you can do whatever you want. But you do need to put in your apprenticeship first. Oh, and I should add, it doesn't need to be necessarily learned through courses or books. some people seem to be able to figure things out just by reading or examining paintings or whatever. Though even that benefits from some study of the principles beforehand, so you know what to look for. I think often people who claim to have had no training actually have read some books or seen some tutorials.
I think for an effective protagonist, that is, one that the reader enjoys, it's important for them to be as relatable as possible. Even in high fantasy, adding real world and seemingly mundane issues like family drama, drug abuse, loneliness or conflicts of interest can be a serious selling point for a story. Star Wars is very high fantasy, but Luke's human interactions with Han and Leia make the story so much more enticing; they're like us, imperfect and emotional. Watching people like that is far more interesting than the Mary Sue a lot of writers like to run in their plots
I would add one further thing to those pillars; the next step which is often missed by writers and roleplayers alike. Binding a character's goals, motives and conflicts to the world & other characters. As for writing /effective/ protagonists and characters in general, I'd suggest reading an interview with Brian Mitsoda. He was the writer behind a video game which is still regarded as having one of the best character writing ever. For a quick summary: "Major characters that the player speaks to multiple times need to show progression based on your previous interactions or actions you’ve taken in the world. One-off characters that you talk to once, need to have hooks or personality traits that make them immediately fascinating, or they feel like just another quest item depository." Though a quote on video game character writing, I think it applies all too well to protagonists & side characters. The "hook" is the highlight, and something that I often find lacking. A reader has to invest in a character and it's far more a "first impression" game than anything else. Hook's the applicable name, as it's similar to the idea of a narrative hook.
I think you're missing a very important factor here: Characters don't matter in a vacuum. It's all about the context. More specifically, it's about the story that character allows you to tell. It's easy to forget, but characters are ultimately just storytelling tools. They are not - in themselves - of any particular value. Your characters aren't going to make much of an impression on anyone outside of their story. They're actors playing a specific role: A role they were designed for, and vice versa. Motives, goals, conflict, all of that is important, but what really matters is what you have to say about all of that. You need to stay focused on the story, the themes, the message you are trying to communicate. You just need to take a good look at your character and make sure everything he or she does is in service of that message. The rest is just a matter of taste.
