Writerly Ways
Jan. 18th, 2026 11:06 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
cornerofmadnessLet's talk about main characters for a moment. Your MC cannot be entirely passive. If they have a goal (as they should) then they have to do something to work toward it. They cannot sit and wait for their friends/mentors/family propel them forward to do it.
When I was young I didn't like Frodo. I liked LotR a ton (to the point 13 year old me planned to name her firstborn Aragon) But I never liked Frodo. At 12-13 I didn't really know why. When I watched the movies I realized it was because Frodo never does a damn thing. If not for Samwise and the rest, he'd have died within 48 hours and Sauron would have won.
Today I stumbled over this YT short and realized they had put their finger directly on my issue with Hazbin Hotel S2. As much as I enjoyed it, I did not enjoy the Morningstars who are, arguably, the MCs. Charlie, if you don't want to click the short, basically does nothing. She has her goals of redeeming sinners, proving Sir pentious was redeemed and protecting her friends.
For the most part, she doesn't act. She spends most of the more important moments, the time, she was the MC (and the leader) needed to act, having panic attacks instead or acting on impulse that does nothing. She relies on Husk to do therapy as well as bartending. She relies on Vaggi to run the entire hotel basically alone. She never corners Alastor to get him to do stuff. She never asks a thing from Angel (reinforcing the idea that she sees him as useless) until she bullies him into doing something he didn't want. When everyone is about to die in the finale, Emily has to step in twice when it's obvious Charlie isn't.
A lot of fans felt let down. I know I felt let down and I'm not a giant Charlie fan. I liked her (less this year) but even if she wasn't my favorite character, I needed her to do something as a MC (other than flail around foolishly). By contrast, Buffy was actually not my favorite character but she acts. She makes mistakes too but at least she acts.
If everyone had to depend on Charlie or Frodo alone, probably everyone dies. I'm not saying your MC can't have help. Of course they can. We need the secondary characters to do things too but if they're doing the heavy lifting and your MC is sitting back waiting for them to do so, then maybe you have the wrong MC or you need to find how to give them some agency.
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When I was young I didn't like Frodo. I liked LotR a ton (to the point 13 year old me planned to name her firstborn Aragon) But I never liked Frodo. At 12-13 I didn't really know why. When I watched the movies I realized it was because Frodo never does a damn thing. If not for Samwise and the rest, he'd have died within 48 hours and Sauron would have won.
Today I stumbled over this YT short and realized they had put their finger directly on my issue with Hazbin Hotel S2. As much as I enjoyed it, I did not enjoy the Morningstars who are, arguably, the MCs. Charlie, if you don't want to click the short, basically does nothing. She has her goals of redeeming sinners, proving Sir pentious was redeemed and protecting her friends.
For the most part, she doesn't act. She spends most of the more important moments, the time, she was the MC (and the leader) needed to act, having panic attacks instead or acting on impulse that does nothing. She relies on Husk to do therapy as well as bartending. She relies on Vaggi to run the entire hotel basically alone. She never corners Alastor to get him to do stuff. She never asks a thing from Angel (reinforcing the idea that she sees him as useless) until she bullies him into doing something he didn't want. When everyone is about to die in the finale, Emily has to step in twice when it's obvious Charlie isn't.
A lot of fans felt let down. I know I felt let down and I'm not a giant Charlie fan. I liked her (less this year) but even if she wasn't my favorite character, I needed her to do something as a MC (other than flail around foolishly). By contrast, Buffy was actually not my favorite character but she acts. She makes mistakes too but at least she acts.
If everyone had to depend on Charlie or Frodo alone, probably everyone dies. I'm not saying your MC can't have help. Of course they can. We need the secondary characters to do things too but if they're doing the heavy lifting and your MC is sitting back waiting for them to do so, then maybe you have the wrong MC or you need to find how to give them some agency.
Open Calls
Cosmic Roots And Eldritch Shores February 2026 Window
Electric Spec May Issue 2026 Electric Spec prefers science fiction, fantasy, and the macabre, but we’re willing to push the limits of traditional forms of these genres
Slush #1 Original fiction, no set genres
78 Opportunities for Historically Underrepresented Writers (January 2026)
106 Traditional Poetry Manuscript Publishers (2026 Update)
From Around the Web
Finding the Heart of a Protagonist: Body, Mind, and Soul
How to Describe Layout & Position
How Do You Know When There’s a Dead Body in the Room This is actually about using senses other than sight/hearing
Identifying Your Book’s Target Audiences: Your Marketing Plan Foundation
From Betty
Seven Ways to Motivate a Reluctant Protagonist
Water Travel Before Engines
Should You Show or Tell?
Five Ways to Make a Selfish Character Likable
Five Tips for Portraying Your Characters as Intended
Ways to Make The Pitch, A Writer’s Selling Point
What Type of Writer Are You
How to Take a Story from “Good” to Great
People-Pleasing Writers: The Surprising Connection that Slows You Down
Coping Mechanism Thesaurus Entry: Creative Expression
How often to follow up with a literary agent
YouTube for Writers, Part 5: How to Repurpose Content Into Reels and Shorts
How to Train Your Writer’s Eye: 7 Ways to Improve Observation Skills for Better Writing
Why Celebrating Small Wins Matters for Writers
Story Stakes: When to Reveal Them—and Why Timing Is Everything
What Else?
Hope is the Thing With Thorns: A New Year’s Reflection
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