Protagonists Don’t Have to Be Likeable; They Have to Be Unforgettable
SUMMARY
A protagonist doesn't need to be likable, but rather they need to be unforgettable. The protagonist is the one who moves the action forward and is the person in action. We don't have to like the protagonist, but we need to be enamored by them. The protagonist must make an entrance that rouses our curiosity or emotions so that it is a hook through our chest. When the protagonist walks on the stage for the first time, ensure no one can ever take their eyes off him.
EXPANDED DISCUSSION
Let’s start with a definition. A protagonist does not have to be heroic or the hero. The protagonist is the one whom the story is about, the person moving the action forward and the person in action. (As opposed to the antagonist, who may be the nice guy, the heroic guy, but opposed to this main character.) The protagonist is the action, part of the plot's spine; the Antagonist is the counter-action or hindrance. The protagonist is who the story is about (maybe Joker – in this case, not the good guy); the Antagonist is who he is against (perhaps Batman – the good guy, but not who the story is about). And this could be reversed in a different story or movie.
Many students, writers, and writing teachers get confused. We don’t have to like a protagonist. (If I’ve heard we need to make our protagonist likable once, I’ve heard it a million times. The statement is erroneous.) We need to be enamored by him. We can think he is the worst person on the planet, but if he is mesmerizing, he has our attention. Forget the mandate of creating a likable leading character. Instead, create an unforgettable character. That’s what keeps the reader reading.
When do we fall in love with this character? In the first few pages. It must be. This attraction must be achieved whether the protagonist is the good guy or the bad. I’d venture to say it needs to be achieved on the first page on which the protagonist appears. As we say in the theater, the protagonist must make an entrance, and an entrance must be notable, heroic, or bigger than life. It doesn’t matter. That entrance must rouse our curiosity or emotions so that it is a hook through our chest.
The emotions we feel can be anything if they are strong: empathy, sympathy, admiration, disgust, intoxication. It can be like the attraction of watching two adorable dogs play. It can be identical to the distraction of watching a violent train wreck. Whatever the protagonist is or does can pull us in where we cannot take our eyes off him. He can be the fluffy dog, or he can be the train wreck. The point is he is unforgettable.
When your protagonist walks on the stage for the first time, ensure no one can ever take their eyes off him. After all, he’s going to carry the entire story.
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