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Feb 23, 2022 · Here’s an oft-repeated explanation of the three-act structure: “. “In the first act get your principal character up a tree; in the second act, throw stones at him; in the third, get him down gracefully.”. Tweet this. Tweet. You have to throw rocks at your characters. You have to find elaborate ways of making their lives hell.
Jun 5, 2024 · Use it to define the characters and to tell us something relevant about them. As an example, let’s contrast two descriptions. The first is a straightforward list of physical features: “Sarah was tall and thin. She had long brown hair and brown eyes. She was wearing a light blue shirt, jeans, and white sneakers”.
There are many examples of characterization in literature. The Great Gatsby is probably the best. In this particular book, the main idea revolves around the social status of each character. The major character of the book, Mr. Gatsby, is perceptibly rich, but he does not belong to the upper stratum of society.
- Protagonist
- Antagonist
- Deuteragonist
- Tertiary Characters
- Love Interest
- Confidant
- Foil Character
The protagonist is likely a pretty familiar conceptfor most of us: this is the main character, the big cheese, the star of the show. Most of the action centers around them, and they’re the one we’re meant to care about the most. In stories written with a first-person point of view, the protagonist is usually the narrator, but not always. The narrat...
If you’re an antagonist, you antagonize — it’s what you do. Specifically, you undermine, thwart, battle, or otherwise oppose one character: the protagonist. Most of the time, the protagonist is good and the antagonist is evil, and such is the source of their conflict. This isn’t always the case, especially if the protagonist is an antihero who lack...
Most stories have a primary protagonist and a secondary deuteragonist(or group of deuteragonists). This is the character who’s not exactly in the spotlight, but pretty close to it. The deuteragonist’s comic book equivalent would probably be the sidekick. They’re often seen in the company of the protagonist — giving advice, plotting against their ri...
The reason that tertiary characters aren’t called “tertagonists” is because they’re not important enough to really agonizeanything or anyone. They flit in and out of the MC’s life, perhaps only appearing in one or two scenes throughout the book. However, a well-rounded story still requires a few tertiaries. We all have them in real life, after all ...
Most novels contain romance in one form or another. It might be the main plot, a subplot, or just a blip on the narrative radar — but no matter how it features, there has to be some sort of love interest involved. This love interest is typically a deuteragonist, but not exclusively (hence why this separate category). You’ll recognize a love interes...
This one’s even harder to pin down, especially since many stories focus so much on their MC’s love interest that other relationships get left out in the cold. However, the confidantcan still be one of the protagonist's most profound relationships in a novel. Confidants are often best friends, but they may also be a potential love interest or even a...
A foil character is someone whose personality and values fundamentally clash with the protagonist’s. This clash highlights the MC’s defining attributes, giving us a better picture of who they truly are. Though these two often have an antagonistic relationship, the foil is not usually the primary antagonist. Sometimes the MC and their foil clash at ...
- Character. Characters are the players within a story. They can be human beings, animals, aliens, or even sentient objects. As long as they make decisions within the story, they’re characters.
- Plot. Plot refers to the events that happen within the story. It includes every major turning point that the characters experience. In general, every story has a beginning, middle, and end.
- Setting. Setting is a broad term for the world the story takes place in. On a macro level, setting might include the country the characters live in and the climate of that country.
- Theme. Theme refers to the philosophical questions your story explores. Often, theme is revealed in the lesson the protagonist needs to learn.
Jan 16, 2024 · Let’s go over writing terms that help us build characters. We’ll talk about terms that aid in the creation of characters and the different roles a character can play in a story. The ...
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Oct 3, 2019 · Making characters real and believable means life-like, not exactly true to life. For example, take a look at a conversation in real life, and then transcribe every single word over. Your book just doesn’t have the time (and your readers the patience) to stumble over every “um” or “wait, let me go back” in the dialogue.
