What Are Your Protagonist’s Relationships Like?

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

At the center of every story is a protagonist. Around them are their friends, foes, and everyone in between. They interact with multiple characters during the course of the story, but how much time have you spent developing those relationships?

I’m not talking about the various roles characters play in your protagonist’s life, but the relationships with those others characters. Most protagonists have a best friend archetype, but how do they get along? What benefits do they receive from being best friends? What’s different abut this relationship than the one they have with another “friend” character?

Look at your protagonist and ask:

Do they have the same relationship with everyone in the story?
On first glance, it’s easy to say “No,” but look closer. If you swapped out the various characters, would the interactions with the protagonist be basically the same? Is the role of the character more important than the person? For example, if the sidekick changed genders and became the love interest, how much would charge in their scenes with the protagonist? If they could say the same lines and act the same way and there’s no real difference, odds are the relationships aren’t that different either.
Read more »Written by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com