Put your protagonist in the greatest danger.
Do not live through your main character. how to add suspense. how to avoid a boring story.
Chances are if your book is boring and no one wants to read it, it comes down to one big reason, your protagonist isn’t interesting. In fact, they are the most boring character in the whole novel.
As the author, you’re not putting your protagonist in any kind of danger. You’re writing them as “a safe character”. If you want your book to be successful you have to reverse this way of thinking.
In this blog, we will be looking at put your protagonist in the greatest danger...
PUT YOUR PROTAGONIST IN THE GREATEST DANGER
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Chances are the weakest character in your novel is your protagonist. They pretty much stand around and let everyone else do all the hard/dangerous work. The reader will care more about the background characters because they are the ones who are actually doing anything.
The character who’ll be the most interesting is the antagonist (bad guy). Because they’re the ones who are goal-driven. They actually do something. They do not stand around letting others act. In the majority of all books, the antagonist is the most driven character.
THIS WILL NOT SELL
However, if the protagonist isn’t up for the challenge and does nothing to stop the goal-driven antagonist the book will be boring. It shouldn’t be this way. This does not sell.
The protagonist must be as driven as the bad guy. the more driven the bad guy, the more driven the hero. People read novels to find out how the good guy will stop the bad guy. If the good guy stands around bored the novel will be boring.
WE WANT TO KNOW HOW DRIVEN THE PROTAGONIST IS
No matter how clever the antagonist the reader will pick up the book to find out how the protagonist saves the day. Not to see how driven the bad guy is.
What causes this, why are so many protagonists boring? One of the biggest problems amateur writers have is putting themselves into their novels. The majority of new writers on a conscious level or sub-conscious level will make themselves the protagonist.
THE PROTAGONIST ENDS UP DOING NOTHING IMPORTANT
The problem with this idea is the writer will not have the protagonist do anything scary. they will not have the protagonist do anything they will not do in real life. The hero of the story ends up standing around as the background characters do all the hard work. They will have someone coming up to the protagonist and handing them important information.
You cannot put yourself in your novel. As a writer, you have to free yourself of the idea you are the protagonist. Most writers are not risk-takers, nor are they daredevils. This is what draws them to becoming a writer.
YOU ARE NOT THE LEAD CHARACTER
But you must disconnect yourself from anyone in your novel to give the characters the freedom to do things they need to do. Even if it means them doing something dumb or silly or wrong. If you make yourself the lead character they will be logical and smart with everything they do. Taking away any chances of drama stemming from bad choices.
New writers will have their protagonist do everything right and not make mistakes because they worry the reader will judge the protagonist in a harsh way meaning they are judging the author in the same light. Writers want to be liked, they do not want the reader disliking them. So they will avoid writing anything that will lead the reader from judging the protagonist.
IT IS THE READER WHO BECOMES THE HERO
But in reality, the reader does not see the protagonist and the writer as being the same person. In fact, the reader puts themselves into the novel. The reader becomes the protagonist, and you the rewriter are forgotten. You do not have to worry about being judged. The reader is now in the novel.
But this leads to a new problem. If the lead character just stands around the reader will not have a reason to turn the page. The reader will not enjoy being someone who does nothing. The more adventurous the lead character the more driven the reader will be to carry on.
SHE IS THE ONE WHO WILL ENTER THE MYSTERIOUS HOUSE
Look at Nancy Drew novels the whole reason young girls like reading them is because Nancy Drew goes out and investigates a mystery. She doesn’t sit back and let others do the work for her. If there’s a mysterious house that needs investigating she will be the one to go inside. The reader will feel they are the ones going inside the house. Their life is in danger, making them want to read on.
Young boys enjoy reading The Hardy Boys because the boys will investigate something creepy or dangerous. Every young boy reading puts themselves into the novel. When the Hardy Boys are in danger so is the reader. If the Hardy Boys stood back at let someone else investigate for them the reader will not feel fear or danger. Making them want to stop reading. All readers like to live vicariously through the lead characters.
THE NOVEL LACKS SUSPENSE AND ACTION
Imagine Indiana Jones where he sits backs and lets everyone else do all the work, why would the reader care about him?
If you ask someone, “Why did you stop reading the novel?” they answer, ‘The novel was boring.” More than likely it means everyone was safe, nothing was being threatened and there was no reason to turn the page. The novel lacked suspense and action. Everyone was standing around and talking about something meaningless.
CONSTANT FEELING OF SUSPENSE
But does this mean you have to have a ton of action on every page? in reality you do not have to have car chases and guns on every page. You can have a threat of action without showing it. You can have tension but hold off on the action.
In the movie “Jaws” there was a constant feeling of “suspense/action” even when the lead characters were on land talking the threat of something dangerous lingered.
SUSPENSE DOESN’T HAVE TO BE ABOUT GUNS
It’s not about having “action” on every paragraph, it’s about creating a feeling of “suspense”. Making the reader want to know what will happen next. as an author, you want to create tension, that tension will lead the reader to turn the page.
Suspense doesn’t have to be all about ghosts, guns, killers, or bombs. Suspense can be anything that makes the reader want to turn the page. A romance novel or family drama can have suspense. Wanting to know if the relationships and family conflict all ends happily can be suspenseful.
SUSPENSE CAN BE IN A ROMANCE NOVEL
But new authors might ask, how can you create action and danger in a romance novel? It doesn’t have to be action in the sense of guns. But it can be about a marriage failing or kids not getting along with their parents. Or the lover will leave.
A miscommunication, leaving a relationship possibly ending. The reader will scene a problem leading to tension and suspense. The reader will feel the story is moving. Wanting to read on to see how it ends.
YOU CAN SENSE THE SUSPENSE IN HIS NOVELS
Stephen King knows how to put an idea in your head of something that “might happen” or “could happen”. but it’s enough to make you turn the page. “something is in the air” even though you can have countless pages of nothing. You still feel the need to keep reading. (you sense the suspense) “something doesn’t feel right”.
In “The Shining” almost nothing happens in terms of “action” or “things jumping out at you”. But you can’t help but read page after page. You sense something isn’t right. You feel nervous for the characters. As though something was in the hotel watching over them. Even when the characters are talking you sense something in the air. That makes you turn the page.
DON’T HAVE PEOPLE STANDING AROUND
A feeling there is something happening. There is nothing worse than reading a story that lacks all suspense. Where nothing is happening, where there’s no plot. There’s no bad guy doing anything, or no tension. Just people standing around chatting as though they’re on the phone. Why would anyone want to read such a novel.
You don’t have to have nonstop action all the time. But a hint that’s there’s something out there. Something kind of tension/danger lurking in the background is enough for the reader to want to turn the page.
THEY SHOULD NOT BE ABLE TO WALK AWAY
As a writer, you have to know what your lead protagonist cares about the most. this is what’s threatened the most. Don’t make your protagonist feel safe. The things they care about should be on the line. They should not be able to walk away from the story. everything they care about will be lost.
If there is a logical way for them to walk away they should take it. If they do not the reader will question why didn’t they. As a writer, you have to take away all logical ways for the protagonist to avoid danger. Do not put your protagonist in danger for the sake of it. It has to be justified. Always remember the reader wants to be the hero. If the protagonist is not the hero then why bother reading.
you might be interested in these blogs…
WHO’S YOUR MOST BORING CHARACTER IN YOUR NOVEL?
AMAZING TIPS FOR CREATING CHARACTERS FOR YOUR NOVEL
HOW TO PROPERLY PLACE A FLASHBACK IN YOUR NOVEL
