Category: Writing a Novel

SEVENTH QUESTION: The Protagonist

Unless you are writing in a series where the main character is already fully developed, it's best to wait until after choosing the antagonist, suspects, and motivations for each of them to infuse the main protagonist with human traits.  Why?  Because the protagonist will need to have a character arc and this will need to be developed over the action of the story and in relation to all of the different suspects.

The action of the story will be triggered by the victim, what happened, what the investigation needs to solve the mystery or crime, and the main character will need certain skills and traits to make all of this happen.

For example:  If you come up with a business entrepreneur as a main character first, and give him a family, a certain job, etc., how will he have the skill set to uncover all the clues that are already in the plotline?  It's easiest to look at the completed crime spine and realize that you will need a bold computer wizard who is motivated by justice more than a lucky or wealthy  businessman.

 Once you know who, what, when, where and how the story will proceed, now you can choose the type of protagonist needed to solve the mysteries.  Now it is time to sketch in more character traits and details.  This process will take your stick figure and raise it to a level of a two-dimensional character.

The Protagonist List of Questions:

There are many questions to ask about the protagonist, aka the hero or good guy in the story.  Below I have posted many of them to get your creative mind going.

Why is the protagonist in a position to solve the mystery?  Who brings them into the story?  Are they a professional detective and just get hired?  If he or she is an amateur sleuth, what circumstance leads them into the scene of the crime or mystery?  If it's a psychological story, how do they find themselves inside this psychological drama in the first place?  Who and/or why are they now staying in a scary house or on an estate with age old secrets?

Here is a tip for Newbie writers:  There are hundreds of videos suggesting you start with the main character, and this does work in very simple storylines or in simple romance stories.  It doe work.  But once the plotline has any number of antagonists or suspects, and there will need to be some kind of search or investigation, revealing one clue after another, it's best to know what particular steps the main character will need to go through before you breathe life into him.

In other words, if online research is needed, your MC has to have technical skills or an assistant who does.  If the MC will be examining documents in old archives, he needs to have some expertise in this field and that will need to be part of his character back story.  If he will be running around and jumping from one building to another or hanging off helicopters like Tom Cruise likes to do, he will need a back story about why he is in that kind of shape.

Newbie writers often get attached to characters they dream up out of thin air and then run into big problems trying to build a working story around this fully-fleshed out character.  This can cause a bigger problem.  It can lead to a bad case of writer's block, even a fatal case of writer's block.  If you find this describes you, set aside that darling character you love and begin to brainstorm following these chronological suggestions and you may find yourself developing an equally riveting character that, with a different job or a tweaked backstory, can make a great storyline work.  Remember:  If you created one character that you love, it proves you can create loving characters.  Just create another one.

THE EIGHTH QUESTION:  HOW WILL MY MAIN CHARACTER ARC OVER THE MYSTERY DRAMA OR STORYLINE?

What fears or human frailty will the sleuth need to overcome in solving the crime?  This is what drives a character arc.  What will the main character ultimately learn?  Does he have a fear of heights?  Is she normally timid and now has to be courageous?  What inner fears will be challenged when going about solving the crime and/or mystery?

Where and how can you fit the revelation of these traits into the character backstory?

Is the protagonist isolated or alone in their struggle?  If they lack support or are actively opposed by others, how can you show them overcoming this lack of support and calling on their inner resources?

NINTH QUESTION  – WHAT ARE THE STAKES?

What will the main character need to risk achieving his/her goal?  Has the detective been told he will be fired if he doesn't drop the case?  Has the neighbor of a man who is gaslighting his wife been threatened with an expensive lawsuit?  What is at stake and what change will be needed to get through the setbacks in the storyline?  How will this change in character change the life of a main character?  How can you show that final change in character in the ending of the book?

Knowing who the antagonist is, and knowing all of the suspects and their motivations will make it easier to come up with a customized main character flaw that will fit perfectly into the storyline.

Again, it's easier to create a character after you already know what he/she will be required to do physically, what skills they will need, and what human flaw can make this challenging.  It's easier than forming a main character that you like and then trying to fit him or her into a storyline that already has a life of its own.

It would be hard to fit a character like the father on Married with Children into a James Bond film and vice versa.  Think of the skeletal plotline as an obstacle course.  Once you know what physical stamina, hurdles, level of intelligence, investigative experience, and technical skills a main character will need to run the ball all the way down the field, it is easy to sketch up a character based on that obstacle course.   You can easily add any quirky or funny bits to their personality later on.

Another consideration is how the hero's success or failure will affect others around him?   Are innocent lives at risk?  Is the fate of a community, a nation, or even the world hanging in the balance until the hero saves the day?  The wider the impact, the higher the stakes.

Are his or her loved ones in danger?  If the protagonist's family, friends, or romantic partner are threatened, the stakes become deeply personal and emotional.  This raises the stakes too.

Is there a moral dimension to the conflict that raise the stakes? Does the protagonist's decision have far-reaching ethical implications?  Is he/she fighting for justice, truth, or a greater good? Moral dilemmas add weight and complexity to the stakes.

Looking down at your brainstorming outline, ask yourself:  How can I add a little pressure into this plotline?  What happens if he doesn’t solve the case?  Who will be let down if he fails?  What effect will failure to solve the mystery have on his world or our world?

As the suspects respond to questioning, will one or more of them throw in an outright lie or a lie of omission -- that only the reader will know -- that will send the main character down the wrong path?  This will cause the reader to worry about the  main character.  What clue will ultimately uncover this red herring or subterfuge?

IS TIME PRESSING DOWN, ADDING TENSION AND HEIGHTENING THE STAKES?

Is there a ticking clock in your storyline?  Is there a deadline to solve the crime?  Is there a rapidly-approaching event that can significantly heighten the stakes?  The faster the clock ticks, the more intense the pressure, the higher the stakes.  This added time pressure can turn a mystery into a thriller.

If you haven't figured a time element into the storyline yet, think about how you can use time in a way to add tension into the plotline.

TENTH QUESTION:  UNEXPECTED TWISTS AND TURNS:

Most readers like a surprise twist or unexpected turn.  What twist or turn can you add into the mix to heighten the stakes and keep readers guessing?

Is there a sense of uncertainty or ambiguity about the clues?  If the outcome is uncertain and the protagonist is forced to make difficult choices with limited information, this too can add tension and heighten the stakes.

If you can't think of an unexpected twist and turn at this point, it's okay.  My experience has been that whatever doesn't come in the brainwashing session will come in the next layer of writing which is outlining the scenes.

CONCLUSION:

Before I begin a new novel, I brainstorm a minimum of four potential storylines.  I go through these questions in this order and come up with an actual storyline.  Then I pick the best one, the one I know calls to me to be written.  So I know this brainstorming strategy works.

It took me one full year to come up with my first storyline and I thought about it everyday.  But I didn't know where to start or how to proceed.  My goal in this two part blog and video series is to help the newbies get over that first initial hump of getting a workable storyline.  I hope this will work for some of you.

Below is the video that was done on this material:

FIRST QUESTION:  WHAT WILL THE MYSTERY OR CRIME BE?

What will the mystery or crime in the novel be?  Will it be a psychological thriller and mind control is the crime?  Will it be a murder mystery?  If so, what is the cause of death?  If it's a science fiction plotline, what mystery will hook the reader and thread through the entire story only to be revealed at the end?

Any experienced author will tell you that any book, regardless of genre, needs at least a string of mystery or suspense running through it.  This is what will keep the reader reading.  What will the mystery, crime or element of suspense be in your storyline?  The answer to this question will begin the workable plotline.

Be specific in your answer to this question:  What specific crime or mystery will drive the plot?  Is it a murder, a theft, a missing person, a haunted house, psychological event that changes a family forever, or something more unique?  What are the simple circumstances that surround this mystery?  Think broad strokes, just a list of three general details.

The type of crime or mystery will dictate the investigation methods and details.  It will also dictate what clues will be needed in order to slowly reveal the mystery throughout the four-part plot structure.

The answer to this question may also reveal the complexity of the story.  For example, a financial crime is more complex than a murder mystery.  The choice of crime may also determine the book genre:  if it's a grizzly murder, it may default into a noir crime.  If it entails mind games or gaslighting, it may default into a psychological mystery.  If it's a small town and there won't be any bloody details or romantic spice at all, it can be either a clean mystery crime novel or even a cozy mystery.

This question will also determine the core of your story, and may also determine not only a certain genre but a book category or two as well.  Will it be a gritty murder mystery or a whimsical cozy mystery?  Will it be a A Missing Person's novel that is all about the revelation of one secret after another?   Will it be an amateur sleuth murder with a satirical edge?

If it will be a murder mystery, you will need to choose a cause of death.  If it's a police procedural, you may need to cover fingerprints and DNA evidence.  If it's a fraud crime, you may need to weave in a computer tech wizard to find the clues.  If it's a private investigator novel, you may need to weave in surveillance, and neighbor interviews.  Think about what avenues you as an author you will need to go down in order to tell the story.

A little tip for newbies:  My first novel series was with a private investigator because it didn't require knowing police law or the intricacies of police training, etc.  Taking on a police procedural, or an FBI agent plotline will require much more research and may not be the fodder for a first time author.

SECOND QUESTION:  Who is the Protagonist or Hero of the story?

Is he/she a private detective, an amateur sleuth, a police officer, or maybe just a weekend visitor who is inadvertently led into solving a mystery?

Another tip is this:  At this early stage in brainstorming, don't  choose a background, or a motivation, or any personal traits or challenges for the protagonist.  It's too early.  You will need to coordinate and connect all the characters, the crime or mystery, and all the suspects and their motivations before you can weave any story around any of them.

In this phase of brainstorming, you are really choosing only what hat your main character will wear.  But at the same time, you may be choosing the book genre and the ultimate marketing categories for the finished book --  which is a good thing.

THIRD QUESTION:  Who is the Victim?

Determine the identity, background, and significance of the victim.  This decision can affect the motive, the suspects, and the overall narrative story arc.  The victim's characteristics can also influence how the crime impacts other characters or the community at large.  Before figuring out who the suspects are, you need to know who the victim is and why they were murdered or wronged in some way.  If it's not a crime story but just a mystery or thriller, you will still need a victim.  They may not die in the story, but there will be at least an injustice done to them.  What is that injustice and who is the victim of it?

The victim's background, their relationships, and their secrets are all vital.  Were they likeable?  Did they have known enemies?  A compelling victim, even if flawed, gives the reader someone to care about and root for.  Even if the victim hasn't been killed or murdered, who is being bullied or targeted as the victim and why?

Fourth Question:  Where will the story take place?

Where will the story play out?  Most stories will have multiple stages, but where will most of the action take place?  Will it be a haunted estate house?  A corrupt business office?  Will it be on the streets in a cityscape?  How does the setting influence the mood and the unfolding of the mystery?  For example:  If it's a gothic novel, you will want a large estate house or a monastery, a place that has secret rooms, tunnels, or has a long history with lots of secrets.  If it's a urban thriller, you will need several stages in a city scape.  If it's a psychological thriller, it may need at least a mental institution.  Think of yourself as a location scout for a movie:  What interesting places can most of the drama take place?

Choose a location that not only serves as a backdrop or a stage for the events to take place but which can become its own character.  What secrets does the location harbor?  Who lived in the historic mansion in another era?  Will you need a remote island somewhere to have a closed-door mystery?  In a city scape, the backdrop may be about about the certain era, or just a gritty story, or a surreal story.  In a mystery drama, what happened in the main family that started all the secrecy?  What sin has been passed down through the generations?  What corporate setting do you need to show back-door deals or money laundering?   What setting can you choose that will enhance the story?

If it's a cozy mystery, what quirky town or setting will give the story a whimsical feel?  The setting can range from a small, isolated town where everyone knows each other, to a bustling city with numerous hideaways, each providing different challenges and atmospheres for the mystery or suspense. 

Fifth Question:  How Does the Mystery, Crime, or Injustice Happen?

The next question is How?  How does the crime happen?  How will the ultimate culprit have secret access to the victim?  What evidence will there be at the scene of the crime that will begin the formal or informal investigation?  And who will those initial clues point to?

If it's not a crime novel, how did the underlying mystery come to be?  Is it a generational sin that transferred through generations to a child or grandchild?  Is the estate house not at rest because of a secret that it and the family are keeping?  How does that play out?  How does the story dilemma or conflict come to be?

How the crime happens will be only known to you as the author.  The real motivation, suspect and last revealing clue will need to remain hidden until Part 4 of the Story Structure.  But knowing how the mystery happens, who is ultimately responsible and how that last clue will be discovered will give you a destination in the storyline.  This will be the secret pathway you are following when writing the entire story.

SIXTH QUESTION:  WHEN DOES THE MYSTERY OR CRIME HAPPEN?

Will the story be set in a specific time period?  Will it be a general contemporary book that won't reference any specific time period at all?  Or will it be specifically cast in an era or time period that will require research?

Is the time period of when the story occurs relevant?  Is your emerging storyline a historical novel?  Will the timeframe of the story determine how the case is solved?  In other words, will it be before the internet?  Or before cellphones?  And if so, how relevant is the timing or era to the story?

Will the time period affect what ultimate genre your book will be placed in?  Will it qualify it as a historical novel?  Is it possible to set the crime novel back in time in order to market the book as a crime story and a historical novel?  It makes things easier if you can decide on this in the brainstorming period.

These initial questions will allow you to sketch in a storyline with very broad strokes.  The victim, protagonist, suspects, setting and time era are named and sketched in only as stick figures or location suggestions only.

Don't be discouraged if everything seems bland or one dimensional.  Working from this one dimension until you lay in a mystery or crime spine of the story will ultimately make fleshing out the story so much easier.

Be sure to check out Part 2 of this series to find out the next set of questions.

Below is a video I made from this material: