Writing the Protagonist and Antagonist

One question many writers have when they begin work on a novel is how to write a compelling protagonist and antagonist. These are vital roles to function well in a manuscript, but sometimes they can fall flat on the page.

Introducing … the main conflict!

What’s a Protagonist? An Antagonist?

Let’s go over the definitions of protagonist and antagonist. The protagonist is the main character, the center of the story, the person whose choices and decisions drive the narrative forward. That’s a bit of an easier definition.

The antagonist is the opposition the protagonist faces, and it can be more ambiguous. Remember what you learned in high school English about man versus nature, man versus man, man versus self, or man versus the supernatural? Any of those elements—nature, man, self, and the supernatural—can be the antagonist in a story. Robinson Crusoe pits the title character against a deserted island. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde tells the story of a man at war with his two selves. Greek tragedies often throw a protagonist against the gods. Les Miserables is Jean Valjean against Javert over the years (and a bonus of him warring against his own nature as the thief repents, and conflict between the revolutionaries and society!). These categories of antagonists can be expanded to include society, technology, and the unknown. What really matters, beyond parsing out examples, is the function the antagonist performs: to challenge the protagonist.

Together, the protagonist and antagonist are the center of conflict and therefore the heart of the plot. The antagonist should be the person (or thing) standing in the way of the protagonist achieving their goal, and the protagonist should make active choices that confront the antagonist in various ways. For instance, in the Harry Potter books, Harry is the protagonist and Voldemort is the antagonist. That doesn’t mean they’re the only character with conflicts, or who have to make choices. Harry, Ron, and Hermione are all main characters who make many choices to defeat evil. In some books they’re up against various professors, students, or members of the Ministry of Magic—but Voldemort is always the ultimate antagonist to Harry’s protagonist.

The choice of protagonist and antagonist will affect everything in the novel, from characterization to the progress of the plot. Conflict will arise from the ways the antagonist—whether that antagonist is the harsh conditions on Mount Everest or a character’s crippling addiction—challenges the main character and offers opportunities for them to change and grow as they move the story onward.

Choosing the right protagonist and antagonist is critical. A firefighter going up against an arsonist has more inherent drama than a firefighter versus a shoplifter. An outdoorsy protagonist in a gentle rainstorm isn’t as compelling as a survivalist against the storm of the century. A protagonist torn between two competing values that are equally strong—say, their love for a spouse and their commitment to a cause—tugs at our hearts more than someone whose interest in commuting by bike is at odds with presenting a polished appearance at work.

By choosing a protagonist and antagonist carefully, and mining those characters for situations of inherent conflict and tension, a well-crafted plot can mirror character evolution in an engaging way.

Let’s perfect your protagonist and antagonist’s conflict in your manuscript! Book me as your editor at Good Story Editing.