forum Making a good protagonist

Started November 22, 2018 by @kat_i_am

tune

Okay so I love my protag, she's great, yeah? But she doesn't seem as well developed as some of my other characters. I've done backstory and flaws and desires/goals and like
everything
but Alice still seems flat
Thoughts? Opinions? Tips?

Could you maybe make her character public or describe her personality and flaws? I'd love to help but I don't know how to without context

here she is!
It's an Alice in Wonderland retelling, so I have to fit within a framework, even though I push it sometimes

Okay so I think she's pretty well fleshed out…
But I don't think you should name her Alice. And I know it sounds crazy, but I think it'll be a nice touch to helping her stand out. Even if you just change it to Alyse or Ally. It gives off different vibes, you know?

Yes, and I'll probably give her a nickname. That's a good idea! But I don't think I'll change it entirely. Thanks though!

You could even give her an entirely different name if you want the character to "symbolize" Alice rather than just be a character with a different coat of paint.

That is a very interesting idea! I would have to tinker with my high concept, but I'll definitely consider that when I'm finished with this draft. I'm hoping through the process of writing will help flesh her out more

Ally.

Thoughts on
Lissie
Cece
Lil
Lili

These are my four favorites I think
I'm leaning towards the top two
especially lissie
what are your thoughts?

I like Lissie a lot!!

Just warning you now, it's generally associated with the name Elizabeth so make sure it's clear her name is Alice.

I will be sure to do that!

I can't wait to read your book someday, it sounds soooooo goooooooooooooood!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THANK YOU

YOU'RE WELCOME!

Ok so for Alice, its a great start but she has like two flaws (if you google character flaws you'll find multiple lists of flaws you can give your character to make them more human) and there is so much you can do to flesh out her personality. What are her quirks and weird habits? How does she deal with her deteriorating mental state beyond being snappy? (As someone with a deteriorating mental state I can tell you that it will definitely affect all aspects of her life.) What kinds of things is she bad at? Does she fidget? How does she deal with losing?
Also, it helps to give characters more identifying traits to develop them more. Most people have freckles or moles, scars, stretch marks, birth marks, etc that are very unique to them. I know a set of identical twins and even their beauty marks aren't in the same place.
And if she still isn't feeling real enough to you be sure to come up with answers to questions about her that might not really be applicable at all like her favorite ice cream flavor or which hand is her dominant one.

Thank you!!