Getting Creative with Characters
Review The Kind of Heroes We Need and then consider if your protagonist is a conventional or typical character. While archetypes do reflect common human experiences, in a time of transition, we may need new types of characters and protagonists. Perhaps the activist working against the status quo is the hero? Perhaps she is a non-human? Perhaps the hero is an autistic 13 year old boy? If our current status quo isn’t functioning so well, or if we are in a time on needed transitions, how can this open up new options or archetypes for characters and protagonists?
Put another way: can you give a more conventional character or protagonist a trait that opens the story up to non-conventional pathways, ie pathways outside of our current predicaments? As one example a very recent kind of “prison” for “civilized” humans is the need to “have a job” and “earn money” This keeps people with LOTS of money in power and create corporations whose main job is to turn the earth into money. Humans have always needed to work to provide food, shelter and community, but are there other systems to do this? Some people have argues that blockchain, for example, is an alternative to money, but it seems to be replicating many of the same issues as a scarce commodity & pyramid scheme.
Try to look at the people villainized by current status quo for alternatives: criminals? people from or in developing countries? kids? old people? poor people? jews in Nazi regimes? women? white men with non-conventional roles?
Create at least 2 character articles based on the Character Template in World Anvil: One for your protagonist, and another for their main helper and/or opponent. You may also want to add info for MPCs using the Fodder, Plotter or Nemesis/Villain buttons.