Sunday 21 June 2009

Protagonist v antagonist


This is Prudhoe Castle peeping above the trees not a stone's throw from where I live. The trees are magnificent at this time of year - finally in full leaf and so many shades of green.
I am getting to grips with my Regency novel now. I've read enough about writing to appreciate that that though some writers express it better than others, they are basically saying the same thing. The trouble is remembering it when writing!
Constant reminders seem to work for me, so let me jot down what the Gotham writers say about characters. (Remembering that this book is on screenwriting and they have done a separate volume of Fiction which may say something else - I won't know until I get hold of it)
The Protagonist initiates, must be appealing and have the ability to change and demonstrate an arc of change.
The Antagonist presents the strongest obstacle to the Protagonist's goal(s). S/he may/may not be the villain. Sometimes the Antagonist is a force within the Protagonist's mind. (A neat way of expressing the Protagonist's weaknesses)
Minor characters must have desires that integrate with or act against the basic MDQ (Major Dramatic Question, otherwise known as The Plot) They need to be differentiated from each other or they will rapidly become one dimensional.
They like new characters to be introduced in 2-4 lines, not all of it physical description. This I realise I have not done. I've allowed the hero/heroine to describe each other.
Tomorrow - scenes.
and a footnote - I'm still not sure if Gotham is a real place or where Batman hails from. My education is sadly lacking.

2 comments:

Anita Davison said...

Gotham is definitely Batman's home town - how could you think it was anything else? And thanks for the Antagonist/Protagonist definitions -nice and succinct

Jen Black said...

I'm wondering about the Gotham writers....

More flames on the fire

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