Preventing Phantom Protagonist Syndrome

Have you ever had a really great idea for a story that somehow seemed to die a little more with each word you tried to write? Ever had a thrilling plot with no obvious holes in it that you just couldn't seem to get off the ground? Perhaps, in addition to your thrilling and seamless plot, you also constructed a world so detailed, so complex and so marvellous that it would give Terry Pratchett and J.R.R Tolkien a run for their money; an antagonist whose diabolical scheme is sure to keep the reader on the edge of their seats; you've even managed to weave in a romantic subplot (which admittedly still seems a little half-baked, but it's showing real potential)... and yet still, you just can't seem to really ignite all that hard work into a half decent manuscript.

If any of this sounds familiar, there's a good chance that your story is suffering from a chronic case of what I have dubbed Phantom Protagonist Syndrome (PPS).