How to make your protagonist interesting and not generic?
>>7330161
Think of an interesting story.
give him a ter(hic) - a termi(hic)-nal case of hiccups(hic)
>>7330161
You don't.
The protagonist is just a lens through which the reader experiences the story. If the protag is too distinctive, the reader will not identify with him and will never really feel any sense of immersion while reading.
>>7330161
this is like asking how do i make myself interesting and not generic
By not trying to write in a novel way. If you write to communicate the originality will become irrelevant.
>>7330161
Make him boring. The characters he meets ought to be the interesting ones.
>>7330184
how does this theory account for portrait of the artist
Not sure if OP is still monitoring, but I'd disagree with a lot of this advice.
I don't think a protagonist needs to be boring. Odysseus isn't boring; Hamlet isn't boring; Prince Myshkin isn't boring. However, your protagonist shouldn't be the only interesting part of your novel (obviously there are exceptions to this rule).
I think the biggest mistake you can make is to try to write something totally original, something that's never been done before. It's wiser to start with a believable character who is working through a commonly experienced problem/question. Originality comes from the way this particular character deals with/experiences his/her problem
C.S. Lewis has a great quotation on originality:
"No man who values originality will ever be original. But try to tell the truth as you see it, try to do any bit of work as well as it can be done for the work's sake, and what men call originality will come unsought" (from The Weight of Glory, I think).
This quotation ought to be programmatic when it comes to making "interesting" or "original" protagonists. The originality will come if you try to tell the truth as you see it. It will elude you if you make it your first priority.
>>7330161
Any examples of an interesting protagonist?
>>7330635
spot on
Found this somewhere a while back. Thought it was pretty accurate in its simplicity. I also agree with a lot of what >>7330635 has to say.
Give him/her actual flaws, not just some Mary Sue bullshit like
>oh yeah, she's amazing at everything she does, everyone likes her BUT she's... clumsy I guess?
>he's a genius and a martial arts expert BUT he's brooding and distant
>>7330161
Make them The Chosen one, and have helpful new friends and advisors reveal themselves.
Make them very attractive, but too smart to deal with the opposite sex. This has never been done before.
If the protagonist is from a poor community where people speak with distinctive but low-class accents, make sure they speak with flawless standard English. This will make a strong statement against racism and classism.
These people telling you to write a self-insert are retarded. If you genuinely believe making your work less original is somehow gonna make it better, you might need to see a doctor.
>>7331018
you're a funny guy
>>7331054
>getting meme'd on this hard
It's just a prank bro.
>>7331059
UUUU
>>7330161
They always say to write what you know, so I write mentally ill homosexual narrators. I guess I'm doing something right- everyone says my narrator has a distinct voice.
>>7330217
Good post. Distill the idea into every aspect of your work. Writing is often made more complicated than it is.
Self-insert works if you're actually interesting. Otherwise what >>7330635 said.
>>7331009
A mary sue isn't bad because they're without flaws, they're bad because they are flawed but still presented as though they are perfect. You wouldn't hate somebody in real life for being good at everything.
>>7330161
Make them an antihero
