5-Part Writing Special, Week 3: Meet my Protagonist!!!!!
Week 3 of the F(ive) part Writing Special!!!!!!!
Let's get started over here! Today, you all get to meet my protagonist, Esma Pentegreen.
Be sure to check out the posts from the other participants (I'm SO EXCITED about this week's posts.)
Protagonists are awesome. <3
Introduce your Main Character:
The protagonist of my story is Princess Esma Pentegreen, Light of Misue and Hope of the South, Child of Fire and of Kings.
Or just E, as her friends would call her. Just Esma is okay too. All those titles are a little bit....overwhelming.
How are the goals of the main character and the villain clashing?
In every way conceivable?
So, it depends on which villain we're talking about to some extent here. The series villain, Lord Dauthang, wants to conquer Esma's country and destroy her city, and obviously she has some issues with that. A couple of the other villains want her dead. Some want to use her for their own ends (there are a lot of people who could turn a tidy profit from killing or kidnapping a princess, after all.) Basically, she wants her life, her freedom, and her kingdom's safety, and the villains want the opposite of that. And there's an unfortunately high number of them. XD
What motivates your MC?
Esma desperately wants a world in which she can just pretend to be normal again, like she was before this war. She also would really like to find love.
Then she's got a brother, Torin, who basically is a cinnamon roll and needs protecting (more about him next week!) and of course her parents, Martin and Bernathel, who happen to be the king and queen of Lascogine. Esma has a secret dream in which she and her family are just another family living on a farm someplace and can be normal and don't have to deal with every threat in the world being leveled in their direction.
To sum it up: She fights for family and peace.
Then she's got a brother, Torin, who basically is a cinnamon roll and needs protecting (more about him next week!) and of course her parents, Martin and Bernathel, who happen to be the king and queen of Lascogine. Esma has a secret dream in which she and her family are just another family living on a farm someplace and can be normal and don't have to deal with every threat in the world being leveled in their direction.
To sum it up: She fights for family and peace.
What lie does your MC believe in?
Hmmm....this is actually a really hard question.
I think, somewhere deep down, Esma has a sense that she as an individual does not matter. Esma is not the part that's important; the "princess, future queen" label is important. And so all she does must be directed towards only the good of her people and her country and the world around her. She tells herself that her own good does not matter as much as that of anyone else. She's less valuable.
On one level, this could just be humility, which is not a bad thing, but at the same time, it's also self-deprecation...so that makes things interesting. And it's also a very subtle undertone, so you may not have seen it if I hadn't pointed it out. XD
On one level, this could just be humility, which is not a bad thing, but at the same time, it's also self-deprecation...so that makes things interesting. And it's also a very subtle undertone, so you may not have seen it if I hadn't pointed it out. XD
What is one trait the MC disapproves of in herself?
Esma has a tendency to get very, very emotional, and she cries a lot. She sees this as weakness. It's not, exactly. It's just...different from a lot of the very stoic people around her. When the darkness around them is as stifling as it is, a lot of my supporting characters have ended up largely burying their emotions, but Esma doesn't find herself capable of that. So...she ends up weepy and emotional, which she thinks means weakness, even though it's just her way of dealing with the heavy staggering evil she deals with on a daily basis.
What does the MC love about herself?
She's principled and knows it, and she appreciates that she sticks to who she is and won't back down even if people tell her she's wrong. (See below...)
What is your MC’s greatest strength and weakness?
Strength: Esma is absolutely, utterly honest; this can be exploited, but she works to make sure that it doesn't. She also knows who she is and sticks to it.
Weakness: Well, from the first time she picked up a dagger and threw it into the dead center of a target, she knew that she'd never be able to kill anyone....
What does your MC like to do when she's bored?
Esma is currently working on and off on putting together a history of her parents' lives as king and queen. And while she can't kill anyone, she is a wicked shot with a throwing knife and is a strong runner, so she's very in shape and likes to maintain that.
She also spends a lot of time lost in thought, talking to her several good friends, and hanging out with her brother. And she likes to read, too. She got a bit of new reading material in this book, actually... *evil cackle in critique partner's direction*
What does the MC look like? (Bonus points for picture)
And also this picture:
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| Via Pinterest |
Or this one:
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| From Pinterest |
How is your MC similar to and different from you?
Similar: Esma and I are similar in looks and in demeanor in a lot of ways. We're both kind of wimpy (lol....at least hers will get better over the course of the story.) We're both good at public speaking, although neither of us particularly enjoy it. Basically, our personalities are very similar and our looks are somewhat similar (short fierce brunettes, although she's a stick and I'm a lot more curvy.)
Different: Esma tends to rush headfirst into everything, which can sometimes be good and sometimes gets her into very much trouble. She's also good at combat (which I am not...). And she's very much a physical touch type person, which I also am not.
So what do y'all think of my protagonist? Is your curiosity piqued? I'll admit that I absolutely love Esma. <3 Talk to me in the comments!
31 comments
I LOVE THE PICTURES!! And your protagonist sounds AMAZING! I can't wait to learn more over the coming weeks because this story soulds AWESOME!!
ReplyDelete~Ivie| Ivie Writes
AHHHH THANK YOU! Pinterest is really amazing for finding pictures....*doesn't know how she wrote without it* I'm so glad to hear that!!!!!! I'm excited about the next couple of weeks too. :)
DeleteI love her name so much! And not being able to kill someone is actually a good weakness :D She sounds like a fun character :D
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! I'm not sure where it came from....XD
DeleteThat's my opinion too. She struggles with it for a little while but then comes to the conclusion that it's the right thing to do....the problem is that it makes both of our lives more difficult because she's unable to get away from some situations.
Really, really cool!!! She looks amazing!!!
ReplyDeleteastoryspinner.blogspot.com
Thank you! <3
DeleteShe sounds awesome! I love that she has deadly aim, but no desire to kill. It makes her really interesting.
ReplyDeleteI know! Originally she was going to be unable to even use a weapon, like just really, really bad at it--but then I thought it would add complexity if she was incredibly good with knives but still couldn't kill.
DeleteEsma sounds EPIIIIC (and I love the nickname E....I actually have a character (originally a LotR fanfic character) who makes "guest appearances" and "cameos" in a lot of my books, and her nickname is E). I love how she gets emotional....cause that's me all the way. I cry during movies, sermons, personal conversations, books, yeah, you name it... But I cannot WAIT to read this!!
ReplyDeleteThank you! (That's awesome! :D)
DeleteThat's me too. I'm not /quite/ as emotional as she is, but I'm still very, very overemotional a lot of the time. XD I'M SO HAPPY TO HEAR THAT! I hope you'll get to read it soon! :D
I absolutely love your character's strengths and weaknesses! She sounds like such a well-rounded, honest person who would be a good influence on those around her. I really wish she was real *sniff sniff*.
ReplyDeleteCrying is often seen as a "bad trait", particularly in boys, but I beg to differ...maybe if you're in a position where you have to speak publically it can be annoying, but I have friends that cry easily, and they're some of the strongest people I know. Esma, you go girl!
I wish she was real too! :'( Of course, all of my characters are real in my mind....but if they were really real I'd be /so/ happy.
DeleteI know! Rock on, emotional folks! <3
Family and peace is the best thing to be fighting for! <3 <3
ReplyDeleteThe pictures are EPIC.
And the strengths vs. weaknesses is AMAZING!!
I absolutely agree!
DeleteThank you! :D
AHHH, thanks!
Those pictures are AWESOME. Esma sounds so EPIC. :D
ReplyDeleteWhy thank you! <3
Delete*FLAAAILS* Character posts are my faaaaave! And I love her already! I ADORE that she's an emotional person, but still so strong and principled. You don't see that much in fictional characters these days, ESPECIALLY females. It's like females aren't ALLOWED to be emotional anymore because it's "weak" and just...???? Having feelings is not weak! Urgh. (Sorry, pet peeve of mine. XD) So yes, I love her!
ReplyDeleteShe also just seems so DEEP and complex. I can tell you absolutely excel at character creating! Now I want to know moooore about her and ALL your characters!
I knooooowwww. Oh, you're allowed to rant, I feel the same way. XD I actually have a couple of characters who struggle with that same issue of feeling like emotion makes them weak....hence all the stoic people I mentioned. :P
DeleteWhy thank you! I hope you'll know much more about her very soon! <3
OH my stars, I love her dearly :). And yes, I must agree with you that Janina and Esma would be good friends :). I love her titles!!
ReplyDeleteI understand the feeling normal thing - getting back to pre-grad school me would be awesome.
Being emotional is probably better than being those who bury those emotions (speaking from experience). Oh my gosh, I'm honest to a fault too....
Awesome job, Faith!!
Catherine
catherinesrebellingmuse.blogspot.com
Awww, thank you! <3 :D
DeleteI've undergone so many major life changes at this point that change has become my new normal X'D I totally feel ya, too--there are so many times I've wished I could get my old self back....but then---
In the end I have to remind myself that God has a plan, even in this. And it's hard, but it's worth it. <3
Yeah....I can lie, but I prefer not to. Burying emotions really isn't healthy; I used to try but my personality honestly won't let me.
Thank you! <3
Esma. Sounds. Awesome. I love how she's an excellent knifewoman but isn't the... killing type, lol. xD So many female protags in YA who can wield a blade like an extension of their arm seem to be relatively okay with driving it into other people's flesh.
ReplyDelete"...from the first time she picked up a dagger and threw it into the dead center of a target, she knew that she'd never be able to kill anyone...." <<< I feel like when this happens to most girls in YA, they know that they'd totally be able to kill someone if need be.
My point being, Esma seems to slaughter that cliche!! Yay!!! xD
That really bothers me, to be quite honest. The fact that SO MANY GIRLS are just eager to kill whoever they want and it's like...that's not really as feminine as you might think. XD I do have a couple of warrior girls in this series, who y'all will meet next time......but Esma kind of fills what I think is a void in fiction, of girls in a warrior culture who COULD KILL but don't. <3
DeleteThank you! I'm so glad you like her! <333
My curiosity is definitely piqued for Esma! I also really love that she's emotional and cries because that is often seen as weakness, when it shouldn't be?! And her brother Torin already sounds adorably wonderful!! 😍
ReplyDeleteThank you Cait! <3 I love them both so much!
DeleteEsma sounds like a great character! Interesting to see how she disapproves of her tendency to weep during hard times. I still hold on to this false ideal that I must be the "Iron Lady" and conceal everything. I appreciate it when a story character comes along and challenges that idea.
ReplyDeleteYeah, being "Iron Lady" does seem to be a common standard among women these days...and one that I hate. :P So. I hope to challenge that and make her not be /too/ wimpy.... (yikes)
DeleteThat's a really interesting lie Esme believes! And I love that she's really good with daggers but can't kill because hey, a target is one thing, but an actual live human is entirely different. And she shows emotion! Too many YA heroines don't - my MC doesn't, but part of her arc is learning to open up more, so I'm hoping she turns out different to the standard snarky heroine.
ReplyDelete"She also would really like to find love" - hm, I shall be searching next Friday's post for possible candidates, Faith... ;P
I think so too! "A target is one thing, but an actual human is entirely different"--> THIS. Something I feel like so many people miss. That's so cool--I love character arcs, of all varieties :D
DeleteOh, dear.... *bites nails* Okay then...XD
*goes back in time and comments the day of posting this* Wow! Esma's great! I like her semi-weakness, can't hurt a fly? ;P And those pictures... *hands her a tissue*
ReplyDeleteWhy thank you! She needs tissues...XD
DeleteEsma sounds awesome!!! I am really excited about her, and her story!!!!! I am very impressed with her aim, as I'll tell you right now that I can't aim for the life of me. I love how she cares so much for her family, and being honest is a really wonderful quality!!!
ReplyDeleteHello, friends! Do make yourselves comfortable and stay for a while--I'd love to chat with you! I simply ask that you keep it clean. :)