3 Ways to Define Your Protagonist to Stand Out

There are well over a billion characters on written pages, so how do you make yours stand out? Harry Potter? Lightning bolt and glasses, but a heart of gold. Romeo? Die-hard romantic in pantaloons. Scout? A rugged little girl who’s fiery. The reader can simultaneously envision both their physical and internal qualities. Their traits can be as important as the plot; in fact, they should enhance the overall story.

(7 Rules of Picking Names for Fictional Characters.)

When you begin, go slowly as you reveal your characters to the reader. Take your time and choose your words thoughtfully. Paint a picture with words and draw your reader into the novel. The goal is to get readers invested—relating to your characters enough that they’re compelled to see what happens next.

Let’s start with the name. Great protagonists have great names—not necessarily different ones, but fitting to their characters. Be practical: You may have to type it a thousand times. Sebastian Buvinghausen may wear you down. Me? I find inspiration in unlikely places—like my local Sheriff’s County arrest log. Yes, real people arrested for various crimes often have fantastic names.

Depending on the storyline, should the name be short and punchy like Gatsby, lyrical like Anna Karenina, or domineering and villainous like Hannibal Lecter? From the get-go, the name sets the tone. Bond. James Bond. If heritage is important, make the Irish guy have an Irish surname. It matters.

Once you’ve narrowed your options, do a quick internet search to make sure the name isn’t strongly associated with another fictional character or a public figure who contradicts your protagonist. I once accidentally used the name of a character from the American Girl children’s book series. Luckily, someone pointed it out before I went to press. A quick surname change saved me some embarrassment.

Physical characteristics allow your reader to distinguish characters in their imagination. Often, a strong character has an idiosyncrasy. We rarely encounter perfect humans in real life, so why would a fictional one be any different—unless that’s the point?

Write thoughtfully. Does your character have a full head of gray hair, like a cottony crown? Are their hands wrinkled and gnarled? Does one shoulder slightly dip because they shuffle rather than walk? Be acutely aware of the meaning behind your descriptive words.

Once you’ve chosen a trait, consider what it does in the story. How does it play out in the plot? Of course Spider-Man can stick to walls—that’s obvious. But reminding the reader of a character’s quirks throughout the story gives them agency. An employee with an acute sense of smell may annoy coworkers—until they become the hero by detecting a gas leak.

Carve out your character’s niche and weave it into the narrative. Maybe the girl with a stutter grows into a woman who can sing opera. Maybe the overweight guy subdues the villain simply by sitting on him. You’re the author—everything matters, down to thick, Coke-bottle glasses used to start a fire in the woods. Use your sense about the senses.

Ask yourself: Is the reader meant to like this character? Love them? Relate to them? Identify with them? Or are they meant to be repelled?

Don’t rely on the mundane, and don’t just tell the reader. Show them. Demonstrate kindness, cruelty, loyalty, or selfishness through action. Open with movement: the hero defending a friend, stopping a bully, or catching someone stealing from a grandmother. Sway the reader’s opinion early.

Your champion winks at the Queen; she blushes. We instantly know they’re charming.

Readers want to experience characters in action—that’s why they’re reading. A protagonist’s response to the initial conflict shapes the reader’s perception and sets the intention of the story. Establish that foundation first. Save gray areas and internal conflict for later. Let the character earn complexity.

Dialogue can be key as well. How characters speak is just as important as what they say. Do they have an accent, a lisp, or are they drunk and slurring? Cater the voice to the character. Maybe a teenager says “like” too often. Maybe an old man swears too much. Read the words out loud for cadence and accuracy; pretend you are writing for a film.

Then, through speech, you can demonstrate to the reader that your protagonist loves his wife by calling her an endearing pet name. Or the bad guy yells army commands. ATTENTION! Give the reader a fully realized character, inside and out.

The goal is for readers to have an emotional response to your characters, whether positive or negative. Be clever, be creative, and be intentional. Also, remember to have fun; this is your circus, and these are your monkeys. There are thousands of options, but favor the ones that ultimately serve your characters and the story. Characters are the key to a novel’s success—and the reason it’s remembered.

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