Character Builder Role Guide

Protagonist

As the center of your story, a protagonist requires deep planning, especially since they will have an arc to follow as events unfold. We recommend taking the time to visit each tab; if you are a pantser, you may only wish to make notes in the areas that will help you understand this character’s core personality, fears, and motivation so you can write their behavior and choices accurately. For a more structured route, visit each tab and section in order, as this will make your planning easier and ensure all the critical areas of character development are addressed.

Planning the main character of a story takes time, because they require depth to be a compelling lead. Investing in the brainstorming process is worthwhile because it will allow you to gain a clear understanding of who this character is, what they want most (their goal), what motivates them (why this goal is important), and which internal challenges (the lie, fear , and fatal flaw) they will need to overcome to achieve their goal. This information will help you build a custom character arc blueprint in the motivation tab, which you can use to plot out the character-driven elements of your story.

Love Interest

In many stories, the level of planning needed for a love interest is similar to that of the protagonist. What draws the two together will impact not only the storyline but shed light on the protagonist’s insecurities, fears, and unmet needs while indicating what sort of inner growth is necessary. When choosing how much to plan, first consider the importance of the romance: is it the primary plot or a subplot? Then ask yourself: How big is the love interest’s role? The more important a character is to the story, the more you may need to plan.

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