If there is one thing people remember about your story, it is definitely the characters. They drive your story, without it/them. there would not be a story to tell and vice versa. That is why I have rounded up 6 different types of characters to include in your story and their purpose in it.
1. The 2 important characters
Every story should include an Antagonist as well as a Protagonist. They are basically, the backbone of a story.
1.1 The Protagonist
The protagonist is a type of character whom we are all accustomed to. It is widely referred to as the main character. Therefore, being known as the good guy. Examples are Katniss Everdeen in the hunger games, Harry Potter and Luke Skywalker in Star Wars.
The protagonist pushes the story forward, by pursuing a specific goal. These goals can vary depending on the plot of the story. For example in the first Hunger Game movie, Katniss Everdeen’s goal was to survive. In the second movie, it was to save Peeta.
1.3 The Antagonist
The Antagonist is a special type of character and comes in different forms. This mean, an antagonist is not limited to being a person, it can also be nature or the protagonist itself. In short, anything that is an obstacle to the protagonist reaching his/her goal is an Antagonist. Therefore being known as the bad guy.
2. A narrator
This type of character is depended on the POV (Point Of View) of your book. If you are writing in the first person, the protagonist is likely to be the narrator. When a book is written in the third person, then you are the narrator or a character (e.g the mentor.) in your story.
In short: the narrator is the person narrating the story.
3. The mentor
The mentor is a character that guides the protagonist in the story. They give the protagonist advice and insights because they have more experience. Mentors mostly appear in superhero books.
Characteristic of the mentor are:
- They are often cryptic
- Withhold secret
- often a loner
- wise
- older than the protagonist
These are not all the characteristics and your character does not have to possess them all.
4. Love interest
The love interest is the person your main character falls in love with. It is often overused. This type of character does not have to be included in your novel. If included, they should have a purpose in the story, for example, they could be the antagonist, the mentor or both.
Your story can have 2 love interest, resulting in what we call a love triangle. A popular example would be twilight.
5. Secondary characters
This is a character in your book that in some way interacts with the protagonist, through memory or real life, even though the story does not revolve around them. This character pushes the story forward either by revealing a secret, dying at the hand of the antagonist or simply helping the protagonist.
Disclaimer: Your story does not have to include all the types of characters mentioned above.
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