10 Main Character Mistakes New Fantasy Writers Make

Avoid these mistakes and you'll boost your chances of writing a great main character.

⏲️ TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 - Introduction
00:33 - Lacking emotional truth
03:18 - Weak challenges
06:33 - No attempt to see them from antagonist's perspective
07:45 - One-dimensional
11:30 - Not describing through their lens
15:04 - Seeing plot as separate from character
17:02 - Weak introduction
19:11 - Hype without action
21:01 - Weak goals
23:27 - Doesn't solve the climax

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[aurthurpendragon]

In a lot of my stories I tend to have the resolution of the overall conflict to be a collusion of main character and several other side characters, rather than just having the main character solve it alone. I find that to be much more satisfying because not only does it make it easier for me to not allow side characters to go to waste, but it also elevates the comradery and friendships that I enjoy writing about.

[bernadmanny]

I especially love it when the main/major character is told by someone they are a *_Leader_*, and I'm sitting there thinking at what point before this have they demonstrated any traits that could charitably be called 'leadership qualities'. Then they go on to show they don't even have the ability to lead shore leave sailors to a brothel.

[AbonZel]

One fun twist to people telling you that a character is this or that thing instead of showing that character to be that thing is that those people could be wrong.

I don't want to say what it's from to spoil it, even if it's not really a major plot point, but there was a story where one character was known across the world as the most powerful being on the planet. The issue is that the character had literally no powers (as I remember), he just kept happening to be at a location where a powerful enemy showed up and got taken down by the main character of the story who had a habit of defeating enemies without telling anyone about it, so all those defeated bad guys got attributed to the other guy.

Not all reputations are earned or accurate.

[powerhouse]

I figured that something recently that I think a lot of writer's I've met don't understand. Your character can have a DnD class, but your character cannot BE a DnD class. If the hero's characterization is ruined for you because you see them as a rogue, but halfway through your story they realize they are actually way more effective as a barbarian, it does not mean that your character is ruined - it means that your character learned something about themselves that changes their previous image. That's not bad writing, that's growth and true to life! You can spend years thinking that you're one thing and then out of the blue find out you're farrrr better at something else and switch to that.

[wantsomewater]

I want to say something about "Write What You Know" I think limiting your stories to your experiences can eliminate many possibilities. Like if you have a dozen characters and want them to have different issues it becomes harder to make them their own because they are just now a piece of one person. So I say "Write What You Understand" I've never struggled with addiction but I can write a relatable story about alcoholism because I know what those who struggle with it do. Please feel free to criticize my point.

[Candlemancer]

If your main character isn't inextricably tied into the plot, then you have neither character nor plot. You have some guy who's there while stuff happens.

[cywdvef]

I really appreciate that you said a writer should present their characters with strong challenges. I couldn't agree more. When writing, I sometimes feel as if authors get so attached to a character they've developed so well that they end up just not wanting that character suffer. I've found this to be especially true with not only a singular character in stories, but the entire force of what would be called the "good guys." As a result, the conflict never feels engaging enough because things aren't difficult enough on the part of the good guys, and too difficult on the part of the "bad guys." If the contrast/struggle is more balanced, more head to head, I personally find it to be a more entertaining read.

Anyway, loving the content. I just discovered this channel, and it's alreadg a new favorite. I'm a huge fantasy guy, too. Keep up the awesome work, though 👏

[NoFormalTraining]

I think one issue with having a character with any contradictions in their nature, is that quite often certain internet reviewers will spot that, and either fail to realise it's a deliberate choice to show the nature of the character and just claim it's bad writing in action. Or, they do spot that it's deliberate and twist and turn it into something else, which is quite common these days with a certain type of internet reviewer who tends to fixate on nit-picking above all else.

[Scuttlest]

For the 'weak challenges' point, that could be handled well actually.

There are stories where the main character is presented as super op at first, at first it seems like the villains are always getting bowled over by the hero and it feels like the story is going to be overly safe. Then one particular villain appears and has some ability (be it a particular magic spell, innate physical ability, trained in the same abilities as the main character, etc.) that nullifies the hero's op abilities and we get either a stalemate or the seemingly overpowered hero takes a solid defeat.

As an example, Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace. Early on the Jedi, who are the protagonists, Qui Gon Jinn and Obi Wan Kenobi, are pretty much unstoppable. With the strength of the Force they defeat the Trade Federation's soldiers every time they appear, Qui Gon Jinn easily wins games of chance by using his Force powers (the dice game with Watto), uses the Force to make leaders agreeable with him (Boss Nassa of the Gungans), etc. But this overpowered presentation ends as soon as one particular enemy, Darth Maul, appears on the scene, dueling Qui Gon Jinn one on one and overpowering him. Once Qui Gon Jinn escapes he immediately collapses, saying he had no idea what had just attacked him, and once back on Coruscant admits that 'the situation has become much more complicated'.

So, the heroes getting weak challenges *at first* can be a good setup to give you an idea of how much of a problem are the villains who can legitimately challenge the hero. Of course, if it's just weak challenges from start to finish, yeah, that's garbage.

[amysteriousviewer]

I think what people mean when talking about plot driven vs character driven is similar to active/passive protagonist. In character driven stories the characters and their internal struggles create the plot whereas in plot driven stories the events in the plot prompt various actions and reactions of the characters.

[ryan.]

19:26 Hyping up the main character without justification, reminds me of Captain Marvel

[opalsystem]

This dropped JUST as we were deciding which project to work on finishing next. Time to refine our main characters for that! Only recently discovered your channel, but it's reignited a lot of our passion for writing, so thank you for what you do :)

[nightmarishcompositions]

My favorite protagonist and antagonist relationship is Guts and Griffith from Berserk. Both are horrifyingly twisted and morally flawed characters, but they're both extremely empathetic, understandable and complex at the same time. Seeing how they constantly influence each other and the entire world around them is fascinating.

[HumanAki]

Theme ties everything, fam. On a "macro" level: Character, Plot, Story World. On a "micro" level: Relationships between Characters, events and types of obstacles in Plot, key/symbolic locations in the Story World.

Theme, in this random dude's opinion, should be the first step in every writer's process. If we can't make it the first, then it should be referred back to and worked on after every step until found; because it's literally the DNA that ties everything together.

All the greats, from Gaimen to Nolan, all speak to the importance of Theme. Mastering it really unlocks that Ultra-Instinct-level of clarity in storytelling...At least, for me, it does! Not saying I've mastered it yet, but it feels like, after 13 years of writing, I can finally see the light at the end of this beautiful/frustrating tunnel!

[RocketJo]

I remember a real life example of transferring respect from one character to another. As a teenager I went with a friend to meet someone irl that she met online before. He came with a friend as well. A big muscular guy who presented him as some sort of silverback gorilla. Driving possibly dangerous people away from us girls, while supporting his friends. He invited us (to McDonald's 😂 but hey, we were teens) and he was the type of guy we somewhat adored. Then he got a phone call from another guy he had to settle things with. He panicked. This muscular big guy panicked over a phone call of a possible enemy who wanted to come for him. To say we girls were intrigued would've been an understatement. Who could possibly make this guy shiver in fear? Even consider him to run away? He was so very masculine.

Well, end of the story, the other guy came into said McDonald's to pick a fight. He was almost a full head smaller than me, pretty lean and not at all imposing. The "fight" they had was settled with handing over 15$. Needless to say, big guy became somewhat of a laughing stock for us, while small guy hold much more of at least my interest for a while.

[psjtyfy]

Sorry in advance if this idea has already been discussed in the comments, but I would like to add to all the advice given (and they
really good and useful) add one more small point:
- don't overdo it

I often see young authors in my country wanting to get more and more of everything. There is more “glass”, that is, poignant moments for the characters, more personality sides, more emotions that turn the text into a continuous emotional swing in which logic dies (and the reader loses his breakfast). I always want to tell such authors: don’t forget about balance. I think it's important to be able to stop expanding and elaborating on details, whether they're complexities for a character or a side of their personality, and guide the reader at least a little bit down the line.

I hope the online translator can handle the idea I want to convey...

[nikolibarastov]

I think this video applies very well to writing characters for dungeons & dragons and speaking with your dungeon master about your backstory

[patrickbellone]

This was really good. Don't sell yourself short. All this is true for all stories, not just Fantasy.

[purplehatter]

This video has been a god send for me. My main desire for my writing is that what I write brings emotions to the reader. Evil as it may sound, I want my readers to cry at a sad scene, to laugh at a comedic point, to get angry at the villain, and to be understanding of the villain when the reason comes about. All these mistakes and how you talked about them has helped me start to solve and fulfill that desire

[Luigifan]

After going through all 10 points, I was pleasantly surprised to see that I seem to have most of my bases covered already, which hopefully means that my own MC is sufficiently compelling so far. Here's a sample:

My MC is the granddaughter of someone who was once considered the weakest link in a legendary adventuring party, but had still managed to become famous by somehow defeating a dragon single-handedly. In her childhood, the MC idolized him as the legendary hero that he was, and desired nothing more than to be an ideal hero like him. One day however, a rumor began spreading that his accomplishment was too outlandish to be true, with everyone in their town starting to believe the tale to be an exaggeration, or worse, an outright lie. Even the MC's parents began to doubt it enough to suggest that even if it were true, it was likely a fluke. Absolutely livid at how quickly everyone had turned their backs on her grandfather now that he was old and bedridden, the MC reassured him that she had total faith in him, but in the end he died right in front of her, believing that the rest of the world had abandoned him.

This... made the MC snap. She would never forgive the people of this world for their cruelty of making her beloved grandfather's death so lonely. Even so, he wouldn't have wanted her to become some revenge-seeking villain, and that thought made her restrain her wrath. Instead, she would clear his name by proving them wrong about what kinds of accomplishments that people are capable of. She would do something far grander in scale, she wouldn't just defeat 'a' dragon, she would defeat one of EVERY species of dragon in the world (of which there are several dozens). Not wanting to stay anywhere near the people who had wronged her grandfather so deeply, she left home when nobody was looking and sailed away to begin her journey alone. Soon, she stumbled upon an abandoned dungeon on an iceberg at sea, which housed a powerful artifact, a sentient sword with a blade of magical ice, whose strength would match the wielder's determination to reach their goal, regardless of what that goal was, or their motive behind it. With her desire driving her forward, she bound herself to the weapon with zero hesitation and began her training.

Before she was even a teenager, she had already begun making a bit of a name for herself as a small-time adventurer who would dip in and out of parties that went on quests that would advance her goal, especially any involving draconic foes, which she would demand to face alone even if she had backup. Although many respected her skill, and were grateful for the good she did, she had a reputation for being unlikable due to her standoffish personality, which came from her deep hatred for the world that she was essentially forcing herself to defend. After 15 or so years of this routine, gradually gaining more power and skill while crossing a good number of dragons off of her list, she eventually takes part in a quest which would eventually snowball into a series of events that would not only turn the lives of her and her soon to be permanent party on their heads forever, but would shake an entire multiverse to its core.

While I didn't cover every single detail, that's the summary of her backstory. The rest of the party have (or will eventually have) roughly similar depth to their own backstories, since in truth they're all nearly equally important to the story, but since this is the one that the story begins with while the rest are revealed along the way, she's the closest I have to a "Main" Main Character. As far as I can tell, this does a decent job avoiding mistakes 4, 7, 8, and 9. Furthermore, mistakes 1 and 6 are also covered because one of the central themes of the story which applies to many major characters is finding the good in people despite their mistakes or choices, which is also something I try to strive for when I can help it. Not everyone can (or deserves to) be redeemed, but it's at least worth asking the question before writing them off completely, just in case.

As for mistake #2, there are definitely some difficult choices that she has to make along the way, and she doesn't always pick the answer that the majority might consider to be better. Jumping ahead to Chapter 8, she's put in a position during a big fight where she sees that two of her friends are about to die and there's no time to save both of them. One of them was kidnapped by the minions of that chapter's villain, and is about to be sacrificed to power up the big bad, meanwhile the other one is the team archer who's about to be stabbed in the back while on the other side of the room, too far away for anyone else to assist. The MC can save one with an icy projectile from her magic sword, but not the other, and she has a split second to decide. Despite the risk of the ritual making the villain stronger, she chooses to save the archer because she's started to view him like a younger brother, and feels a sense of personal responsibility to protect him. To make matters worse, the two she has to choose between have fallen in love with each other, meaning that they would be unhappy to survive if they knew it was at the expense of the other. Afterward, she realizes that nobody saw what she did, meaning that if she wanted, she could say nothing avoid any responsibility, but when the thought of hiding it makes her feel genuine guilt for what might be the first time in her life, she decides to tell the others, while still making it clear that she doesn't regret her choice. Ultimately, despite so often striving to do the "right" thing (even if it's often for the wrong reason), she's still willing to be "selfish" by saving someone she's a bit more attached to, even if the alternative might result in a bigger problem.

And finally, for mistake #10, my MC is definitely essential to resolving the climax. You could maybe argue that the day could potentially be saved if one of the many other heroes had been absent, but not the MC. Furthermore, she's necessary in a way that only matters BECAUSE of all the growth she went through along the way, whereas if she had the same strength OR mindset that she started with, it would be impossible to win. The final boss is such a massive threat, that the only thing strong enough to finish it off is the MC's sword being powered by the intense desire to protect those who matter to her, a desire which only exists once she finally acknowledges and accepts that she's able to care about others again.

That just leaves mistakes 3 and 5, although for the latter I suppose her long-lasting general hatred of pretty much everyone might count for how she views people, but not so much environments. And for #3, the villains mostly just see her as one member of the group who keeps getting in their way, so thinking about how they view her (and the rest of the party) is definitely something I can flesh out to be more interesting. All in all, this was a good watch, very helpful.