Catalyst Characters

I was discussing a topic with my editor a few weeks ago about catalyst characters, and I thought I would share my thoughts on it.

A catalyst character is essentially a person (usually the main character) whose entire purpose is to connect the reader to the story. Catalyst characters are not even technically the hero of their own story. They are sometimes just a blank slate, a tool to observe the world and the story's events without being one of the main players.

In other words, catalyst characters are designed to be the audience themselves. Not a self-insert necessarily, but someone whose there to observe the world, but unable to make significant changes to it. The true protagonists, or story changers, are the ones around the catalyst, friends, family, even enemies.

I quite enjoy this concept, because it goes against the grain from your typical stories where the main character is only the focus of perspective, not narrative. It gives more credence to side characters and villains and allows more mystery to be brought to the reader since they are not reading the story from the perspective of someone in the know.