Most of my weekend writing workouts have been around the Protagonist. That’s mainly because if your reader doesn’t sympathize with your protagonist, you’ve pretty much lost a reader. But as Jack Remick reminded us in his fabulous guest post a few weeks ago: Make every character strong enough to be the protagonist of your next novel.
To tell you the truth, I’ve come across a few fictional antagonists that I’ve appreciated more than the protagonists of the stories. And I’ve heard some writers say that sometimes they’ve got antagonists they prefer to write about, which I think is saying something.
When we were in high school, we were often told that the “antagonist” is equivalent to the “villain.” This is not always the case. In fact, in contemporary literature, I think it’s the exception. The villain is a bad guy. The monster. The evil one. He’s out to harm the protagonist, possibly kill him.
The ANTAGONIST is the one whose opposition helps test/shape/change the protagonist. Sometimes the antagonist even does this because she thinks she’s doing right by the protagonist (even if the protagonist doesn’t see it).
I just finished Melina Marchetta’s Finnikin of the Rock (which I highly recommend for people who enjoy more traditional fantasy). My favourite character is not actually Finnikin; it’s his antagonist Evanjalin. She is complex, manipulative, secretive, fearless, and sometimes it’s difficult for Finnikin to figure out whose side she’s on ~ even while falling in love with her. But she is not the villain. If there is one, he only appears in name as the King who wants to invade Finnikin’s homeland.
Evanjalin has her own wants, desires, and needs and if these did not come clear to the reader, the story would have failed.
Every once in a while, I’ll find a main character who is actually the antagonist of the story. This character doesn’t change, but rather changes everyone around him or her. Get Shorty and Cold Comfort Farm fall into this category. Chili Palmer and Flora Poste are the same people throughout the story, and the stories are definitely about them. But their influences are what make others take action, and truly become better, stronger, and more free.
Who is your antagonist? Who is it whose opposition tests and helps change your protagonist? How and why does the antagonist oppose (or try to change) the protagonist? And how does this call your protagonist to action?
YOUR WORKOUT:
Set your timer for 5 minutes.
Start at the top of the page with the following startline:
1) My Antagonist enters the story when …
Write, don’t stop, don’t edit, don’t cross out.
When the timer stops, Set your timer for 7 more minutes.
Start with the following line:
2) My Antagonist’s exterior goal is . . .
Write, don’t stop, don’t edit, don’t cross out.
When the timer stops, Set your timer for 10 more minutes.
Start with the following line:
3) My antagonist’s agenda conflicts with my protagonist’s exterior goal when …
Write, don’t stop, don’t edit, don’t cross out.
Read your exercises, make notes, highlight what makes sense.
Happy Weekend!