How to create the best anti-heroic (sorta) protagonist?

[junkodudeturkey835]

So while i have yet to start my draft and still planning it (doing it off and off due to a lack of motivation, but it often comes out in bursts), i am thinking a lot about the main protagonist.

I want him to be a neutral guy, neither good or bad in the way he does things he sees fit. He starts out as a rather timid and sheltered in a way, then over the story he develops into a killer (will even kill a whole community if he sees them as a blight to the world, what's left of it anyway *spoilers!*) and vengeful hero out for revenge (i will say its very similar to the last parts of the game "Thief" for his motivation, thats all). But he isn't evil in the sense he won't kill innocent people and would slaughter anyone who did. In the plan i have done he comes across an RV where a family was slaughtered by a psychopath. After subduing the psychopath he uses his bodily energy to power the RV (its future technology that allows for the extraction of bodily energy...and yes, it does cause death if used for a long period of time) and allows him to die as he powers the RV's battery. He feels angry and vengeful despite not knowing the family or the psychopath prior, he just hates it when bad things happen to innocent people.

This however happens over time, mainly in the second half of the novel where it turns into a post apocalyptic adventure revenge story, before becoming an alien invasion story right at the end with an epic battle between the main protagonist and the main antagonist (not the one he is getting revenge on though, this one is the alien).

So anyway, how do you create the best anti-heroic character? And what is the best way to keep him consistent with what he does over the course of the story?

 

[Beaviz81]

Have something as a start of darkness. Like a dark lover, that was my solution when I created a sort of an anti-villain myself.

Also indoctrination can serve the purpose of making a nice character into an asshole. Making him some kind of fanatic can be great.

He can somehow also manage to get the psychopath to confess. The psycho you can make into an exspy of Cook-Cook from fallout New Vegas, which really is a thing you want to do cruel things to.

 

[Jo Zebedee]

With difficulty. Trying to get people to buy into a timid protagonist isn't easy - I tried it. Give them something to cling onto, a belief that he is worth investing in and stick close, close, close to the character. Also, until you write him you will never know him enough to find the answer to your question.

 

[jastius]

you could hide him in a group dynamic.. especially if it is a teen sort of book.. then he can find his own particular spotlight...

 

[Brian G Turner]

So anyway, how do you create the best anti-heroic character? And what is the best way to keep him consistent with what he does over the course of the story?

Give them an emotional development arc (ensure you read about this from books such as Save the Cat). This will imbue them with a set of initial principles, emotional conflict, and change resulting from this.

A simple example would be Anakin Skywalker in the newer Star Wars trilogy.

 

[junkodudeturkey835]

With difficulty. Trying to get people to buy into a timid protagonist isn't easy - I tried it. Give them something to cling onto, a belief that he is worth investing in and stick close, close, close to the character. Also, until you write him you will never know him enough to find the answer to your question.

Timid was the wrong word, more like a fish out of water and awkward.

 

[junkodudeturkey835]

With difficulty. Trying to get people to buy into a timid protagonist isn't easy - I tried it. Give them something to cling onto, a belief that he is worth investing in and stick close, close, close to the character. Also, until you write him you will never know him enough to find the answer to your question.

It is hard for me to really keep a character consistent though, in the past i often have the characters just "do whatever the hell they want" on impulse. Its something i hope to solve soon when i can get writing again.

And i think timid was the wrong word, a fish out of water and socially awkward (typical of someone who is sheltered and is based on experiences in my life).

 

[Alexander Lesnoy]

The arc or rather the fall of Anakin Skywalker was very badly done. Maybe look at Walter White's character in Breaking Bad, someone who settled for safe mediocrity, and now regrets missed opportunities. Every anti-hero must have a motivation in order to go against normal moral standards.

It is hard for me to really keep a character consistent though, in the past i often have the characters just "do whatever the hell they want" on impulse.

Is that just your own personality leaking in? I can really help to take a long time to build your characters, and not just facts about them. It has taken me years.

 

[junkodudeturkey835]

The arc or rather the fall of Anakin Skywalker was very badly done. Maybe look at Walter White's character in Breaking Bad, someone who settled for safe mediocrity, and now regrets missed opportunities. Every anti-hero must have a motivation in order to go against normal moral standards.



Is that just your own personality leaking in? I can really help to take a long time to build your characters, and not just facts about them. It has taken me years.

Its bizarre you mentioned Walter White, since i am watching Breaking Bad right now and thinking the same thing.

And in no way will i allow the Star Wars Prequels to influence my novel, my novel is very much in the style of an 80s or early 90s movie (in terms of atmosphere and characters, and it is movie influenced as well as the story is very much like a fantasy adventure set in a futuristic post apocalyptic world). Infact, its very much a middle finger to most of modern storytelling with their rushed characters and unimaginative set pieces.

 

[Alexander Lesnoy]

...my novel is very much in the style of an 80s or early 90s movie (in terms of atmosphere and characters, and it is movie influenced as well as the story is very much like a fantasy adventure set in a futuristic post apocalyptic world). Infact, its very much a middle finger to most of modern storytelling with their rushed characters and unimaginative set pieces.

This intrigues me. In terms of 80s or early 90s atmosphere -- what examples of movies would fit this? The decade, on the whole, was far brighter and in some ways more naive. Character development has suffered in recent years, I can agree with that.

 

[Jo Zebedee]

It is hard for me to really keep a character consistent though, in the past i often have the characters just "do whatever the hell they want" on impulse. Its something i hope to solve soon when i can get writing again.

And i think timid was the wrong word, a fish out of water and socially awkward (typical of someone who is sheltered and is based on experiences in my life).

And the only way to learn how to balance a real character in your mind and one on the page is to write it. Waiting for the right time, or the muse, or to be in the right place won't make it any easier. I've had a few weeks where for problems not a million miles from the sort you've described, I've had to grind words out and force myself to write even when I almost stop breathing looking at a screen. But it's either that, walk away, and maybe not be able to face it again tomorrow.

My advice on how to make them sympathetic stands: write them, learn their inconsisitenciess, learn to love them and then your reader will, too. But thinking about it won't solve it for you.

 

[junkodudeturkey835]

This intrigues me. In terms of 80s or early 90s atmosphere -- what examples of movies would fit this? The decade, on the whole, was far brighter and in some ways more naive. Character development has suffered in recent years, I can agree with that.

Gremlins, Big Trouble in Little China, Blade Runner, Total Recall and Robocop fit into that in my eyes.

I just find most stuff nowadays has no soul and feels really rushed. And garbage like Transformers and Man of Steel have everything i hate about modern movies condensed into those movies (i am not talking about Transformers as a cartoon though, just Bayformers as i like to call it). The alien invasion element of the story is also more akin to Independence Day, only done in a more intelligent way (as in its more serious). I hate how modern alien invasion movies are just so depressing and hopeless, they feel more like zombie movies too just without the zombies (look at Skyline and The Darkest Hour, both absolutely awful movies). I intend for this story to be adventurous and hopeful. That doesn't mean it doesn't get depressing at times, but i think its best to break the mold and do something that leaves the reader feeling uplifted and happy after finished.

I have talked about movies, but recently i am reading novels again to try and get back into the groove of doing it, and so far i have read John Dies at the End (which i thought was mediocre due to the writer being insanely cynical in how he wrote it) and The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger (which is more like my story in the sense it was an adventurous tale, though it seemed to be more fantasy until the end where it went more into Sci-Fi territory, it was awesome in my opinion though and intend to read the rest of the series).

Im going for a dark atmosphere with rainy environments and (somewhat) bizarre characters, mainly the villains. That doesn't mean the whole story is like that, mainly just the first half as the second half is an adventure story in a destroyed land with an epic battle at the end.

Im sure i went off topic with what i wrote. But that's what i had on my mind.

The last thing i forgot to add is that i intend my novel for ages 16+. I would love to ensure that many people can read it and its not really the kind of story that needs to be made strictly for adults.

 

[junkodudeturkey835]

And the only way to learn how to balance a real character in your mind and one on the page is to write it. Waiting for the right time, or the muse, or to be in the right place won't make it any easier. I've had a few weeks where for problems not a million miles from the sort you've described, I've had to grind words out and force myself to write even when I almost stop breathing looking at a screen. But it's either that, walk away, and maybe not be able to face it again tomorrow.

My advice on how to make them sympathetic stands: write them, learn their inconsisitenciess, learn to love them and then your reader will, too. But thinking about it won't solve it for you.

I suppose one thing i can do when i am able to is to write the character in a certain situation, a short story of sorts. Related to the story the character belongs in but is non-canonical. I could build him up over time and eventually make a consistent character out of him.

Though perhaps inconsistency could be a character trait in itself, if done right that is. Many people can be rather inconsistent at times.

 

[tinkerdan]

Hi RyanJ1996,

In a way it sounds as though your character is close to an Edmond Dantès of Dumas Count of Monte Cristo. If you have not read that you should if you have; reread the beginning.

You need a good back-story for the character as he was and how he gets to where he is that you feel sympathy toward.

This also could be close to Dumas d'Artagnan in Three Musketeers. He does seem to do those timid fish out of water near buffoon to hero translations.

But for the darker side I think that you would want to look at the Count. Still there are other characters within the Three Musketeers that have some darker background.

Giving the fish-out-of-water his appeal while naive and presenting the rude awakening to realities of life and the transformation to something on the edge of darkness is a difficult but not insurmountable task. It's a matter of creating the vortex of sympathy that drags the reader through the good and the bad until no matter how deep the character slips into the dark-side they stick with him, but it might require personal inner anguish and conscience from within the character at the end to vindicate him in the eyes of the reader who will forgive all his transgressions.

Or if you want he might end up almost the same as he started where the reader can only pity what he's become because he is somehow oblivious to his own condition and in some way has remained naive.

 

[Alexander Lesnoy]

You have to be careful evoking pity in your main characters. It can cause the reader to look down at the character from a distance, instead of inhabiting their mind.

One author who I think could help you with the atmosphere you're looking for would be China Mieville. There's some bizarre characters in his books. It's all quite retro.

And tinkerdan is right. Edmond Dantès would be an excellent character to study, a man who goes to extreme lengths in search of revenge.

 

[junkodudeturkey835]

Hi RyanJ1996,

In a way it sounds as though your character is close to an Edmond Dantès of Dumas Count of Monte Cristo. If you have not read that you should if you have; reread the beginning.

You need a good back-story for the character as he was and how he gets to where he is that you feel sympathy toward.

This also could be close to Dumas d'Artagnan in Three Musketeers. He does seem to do those timid fish out of water near buffoon to hero translations.

But for the darker side I think that you would want to look at the Count. Still there are other characters within the Three Musketeers that have some darker background.

Giving the fish-out-of-water his appeal while naive and presenting the rude awakening to realities of life and the transformation to something on the edge of darkness is a difficult but not insurmountable task. It's a matter of creating the vortex of sympathy that drags the reader through the good and the bad until no matter how deep the character slips into the dark-side they stick with him, but it might require personal inner anguish and conscience from within the character at the end to vindicate him in the eyes of the reader who will forgive all his transgressions.

Or if you want he might end up almost the same as he started where the reader can only pity what he's become because he is somehow oblivious to his own condition and in some way has remained naive.

Thanks for the suggestion, i have been meaning to read that novel since i saw a bit of the movie (got tired half way through and never got around to watching it again). And his backstory may or may not be to everyone's liking, its not a terribly complex backstory, in the world the novel is set in (its Earth in the future, not an alternate universe...or is it?) he is living on a poor farm with his father. Not having the best upbringing due to how things in the future are with normal humans being treated as vermin while trans-humans (name for synthetic cybernetic humans) are living the high life as typical bottom feeding scum. He learns his various skills (such as firearms and weapons) from hunting animals for food but despite this still doesn't know how most people are like in this horrible future. Not until a relative who lives in the city gets a horrible illness and the main character is sent to look after him, this triggers a chain of events that would change the fate of the human race forever.

 

[Alexander Lesnoy]

So, where does the fish-out-of-water issue come into the story? Is it once he goes searching for this relative, and finds the city gripped with an outbreak? I presume, such an occurrence would not warrant any action on the part of the trans-humans except quarantine. Does he want revenge on the trans-humans for their apathy?

 

[junkodudeturkey835]

So, where does the fish-out-of-water issue come into the story? Is it once he goes searching for this relative, and finds the city gripped with an outbreak? I presume, such an occurrence would not warrant any action on the part of the trans-humans except quarantine. Does he want revenge on the trans-humans for their apathy?

Oh, the first act of the story has little action and there is no outbreak or any over done cliche crap like that. He doesn't want revenge on them per say, rather a particular one, a powerful one who is later revealed to be a part of a secret organization serving a mysterious being that has to do with the apathy of the trans-humans.

The first act is the fish out of water issue where he goes into the city and has to put up with the trans-humans apathy as well as trying to get money for his relative.

The second act though is when the aliens come in. Though isn't an outbreak, rather its similar to The Thing as in they assimilate humans, but don't change their bodies half of the time since they need their bodies for something important. However many do change into monsters to hunt down and either kill or release parasites that assimilate a human being.

But with that said, its mainly the first act that focuses on these issues, then later in act three he acts on the trans-humans when he is out for revenge. Though the story is mainly focused on adventure and the main character's development rather than the trans-humans.

The aliens are done differently in the sense the assimilating ones are not the ones in control of the invasion, rather they are just harvesters controlled by one powerful alien in a spaceship, which the main character enters at the end of the story. He has a motivation for what he is doing, i won't say what but it doesn't involve invading the planet.

But to be honest though, while i am pretty confident with the basic plot i have for it now, there are still many things i have to work on for it. So right now its a bit of a mess in my mind, which may be due to the emotional issues in my mind too.

 

[junkodudeturkey835]

So i finished planning the third act (despite rushing it a bit towards the end so it could get to the climax of said act). I subconsciously added a rather deep plot twist that added development to the character, which i only recently thought of despite it not being the most original twist in the world.

It had a fight scene where the main character gets his revenge and is now moving onto Act 4 to stop the invasion once and for all.

And this is what i used as a basis (as in i pictured it as) for the fight scene, i will ensure its more original once i get to the writing process. Just with a man and a mech. The Matrix Lobby Scene - YouTube

I feel satisfied for once too, and i will give it a break. I will need a hella of a long once i get around to writing that act too hehe.