Making A Hero: Protagonist Development for Fiction & Film
A Skillshare Class by Rebecca Loomis

Project Worksheet

Sky Afron is timid. She was sold at a young age. Her father was too drunk to know better, and her mother sold her to the tyrant king for favor. Her younger brother was too young to know, and her older siblings didn’t care. They were glad that she was gone. The nuisance was gone. They would make fun of her, call her names, and tell her how unfortunate she was to have around. She would break her mother’s china. She'd trip and fall down the stairs. Dropping things was almost a daily occurrence for her. Her mother probably sold her off when she had enough of her. She was only 8 or 10 years old. Now, at 18, Sky is in no better shape than when she was younger. She was punished more harshly for her clumsy, absent-minded, weird actions and reactions around water.

The tyrant's wife took the necklace of her grandmother, which was her only treasure. Her grandmother gave it to her and told her to never let it fall into the wrong hands. She was going to need the necklace on her 18th birthday. She has to deal with the Tyrant's sons and daughters' constant demands and outrageous stunts. She was surprised that she wasn’t done for, gone, foam on the sea by now.

Her precious necklace was now hanging around the tyrant’s daughter’s neck. She was filled with rage and bitterness. She knew she had to get her necklace back, but she knew it would be no easy task. She needed a plan. When the daughter was sleeping, she sneaked into her room to get the necklace. She would need to be quick and stealthy. After getting the necklace back, she had to think carefully about what to do next.
She knew that if she was caught, she would be in serious trouble. To get away, she had to find a way without getting caught. She had to be smart and clever. Her plan included getting off the island as well. She would be away from it all, maybe then she could breathe easier…

 

Question #1: What does your hero want?

Goal Prompt Questions:
Simple Goals:
• Escape/Freedom
• Survival/Healing
• Love/Belonging
• Knowledge

• What makes your hero get up in the morning?
                           o She gets up every morning knowing that in mere days left                                    before her escape/freedom. She has a plan to get her                                          necklace back and escape from the horrid castle.

• What is his heart’s deepest desire, conscious or otherwise?
                            o Her heart’s desire is for her to get her necklace and survive                                 her escape, then find information about why she was sold                                   or how she came to be sold into servitude. She wants to                                       know what happened to her parents and her siblings. She                                   wants to find a place where she is loved and belongs.

• What does he think he wants? What does he actually want?
                              o She thinks she wants to be free of everything. That life on                                      the other side would be better than what she has now.

                              o What she wants is confirmation that she is loved and                                            belongs somewhere.

• What tangible goals has he set to achieve them?
                              o 1, get her necklace away from the head/master/king of                                           this castle,
                              o 2, survive her planned escape from the chilly island                                                    isolated castle.
                              o 3, to find a place she can call her own.

• Is his goal possible?
                               o It could be if done right, and she doesn’t fumble it up like                                    every other time.

• How can we relate to his goal?
                               o Everyone at some point in their life looks for an escape                                        from something.

• Why do we want him to succeed?
                                o We want her to succeed because we want to see her in a                                      happy ending. We want to see her in a comfortable                                              place and has escaped from her prison that is holding                                          her in place. We like to see the underdog succeed.

 

Question #2: How does your hero need to change?

• What are your protagonist’s flaws?
                                o She has low self-esteem, doubts herself a lot, doesn’t like                                     to swim (or rather show people she can swim), is scared                                       of the water and is allergic to shellfish, spacey, flighty,                                         absent-minded, clumsy, accident-prone, graceless and                                       bad luck.

• Which of them will pose the biggest hindrance to his success in attaining his goal?
                                  o Low self-esteem, scared swim, absent-minded, clumsy,                                       accident prone, and bad luck.

• Where does his primary flaw come from?
                                  o Being sold at a young age, being put down, and told                                           she is worthless, can’t do anything, and made to be a                                           servant of the house.

• What are his wounds and backstory?
                                 o Between having bad luck and being clumsy and absent-                                      minded, She was sold off to another family far away                                            from her actual family. Her father was a drunk and her                                        mother was a manipulating kind of sort. Her four                                                  siblings seemed to be on the upside and distinguished,                                        unlike her who was clumsy, absentminded, and                                                      accident-prone.

• How can we relate to his flaw?
                                  o We have all had bad days. We stumble, clumsy, and can be a little absentminded. We all have sympathy for the underdog. I think we can all a little put ourselves in her shoes.

• Why do we want him to change?
                                   o We want her to win, escape, and watch her grow                                                   through the story. We want to see her overcome her                                             shortcomings and succeed.

 

Question #3: Why do we care?

• What does he stand for?
                                    o She stands for courage, standing up for oneself,                                                      learning to trust your self-worth then letting others                                                tell you what your worth is.

• How can we relate to him?
                                    o We find her kind, compassionate, and a bit bubbly in                                            personality though her situation is difficult.

• What are his quirks, habits, and mannerisms?
                                    o Always looking at the floor
                                    o Thirsty a lot for water more than others
                                    o Has freckles all over their face, neck, shoulder plus                                               other places
                                    o Wears glasses
                                    o Light tan skin with cream-colored spots speckled                                                   around.
                                    o Wears a Junonia 7” open side, spiral inside slim shell                                              around her neck.
                                    o Weary of other people
                                    o Tends to talk to her shell a lot

• What does he look and sound like?
                                    o She is a girl in her early twenties, radiating a youthful                                           and vibrant aura. She has a striking big purple eye                                               that draws attention and adds a sense of mystery to                                             her appearance. Her most distinctive feature is her                                               long light red hair that flows down past her waist,                                                 adding a touch of elegance to her.
                                    o Her skin is a warm beige tone with cream-colored                                                 splotches, giving her complexion a unique and natural                                         beauty. Light brown freckles pepper along her face,                                             neck, and shoulders, adding a sprinkle of charm to her                                         appearance.
                                   o She wears a Junonia shell necklace, symbolizing her                                            connection to the sea. Her clothes consist of a torn and                                        ripped-up dull-colored dress with bell sleeves.
                                   o Standing about 5 foot tall, she possesses a slender                                                figure that further accentuates her delicate features                                            such as her small smile and small nose, adding an air                                            of sweetness to her face.
                                  o Her high cheekbones and sharp jawline give her a                                                 defined and elegant facial structure, almost faery-like.
                                  o Her voice is on a deeper side than a girl would usually                                           sound, but it is still soft with a rhythmic pattern of                                                 speech to it.

• What makes him unique?
                                  o Her skin, her voice, some of her mannerisms, and her                                           thirst for water.

• Who matters to him most in the world?
                                  o Childhood friend/crush

• What does he fear?
                                  o She fears imprisonment and being alone

• How does he act in front of his greatest idol?
                                  o She would act shyly, look at the floor, and scuff her                                             foot on the floor. She would also bite her lip, and chew                                         on her thumbnail but blush if complimented.

• What makes him cry?
                                  o Being unwanted and feeling like she is nothing.

• What makes him laugh?
                                  o Her childhood friend/crush, the sea creatures

• If his house was on fire, what’s the one thing he would save?
                                  o Her diary.

• Who cares about him most in the world?
                                  o Possibly the childhood/crush.

Question #4: What are the stakes?

• Why is it absolutely necessary for our main character to succeed?
                                  o To get out of an abusive house, and servitude

• What terrible thing will happen if he doesn’t get what he wants?
                                  o More abuse, beatings, neglect, and more servitude, etc.

• What terrible thing will happen if he doesn’t grow in the way he needs?
                                  o Takes her own life, depression, turns wicked/the                                                      villain/evil, could kill someone?

• Fill in the blanks:

                                 o If she manages to escape her servitude, then could go down a path of self-discovery.

 

Question #5: What are the obstacles?

• What or who is standing between him and his goal? (Antagonist)
                                 o The owner of the castle, his wife, his son and daughter,                                         her father, mother, and one of her siblings.

• What or who is standing in between him and positive change?
                                 o Her self-doubt, self-sabotage, her paranoia, and her                                            phobia of the water.

• How can the obstacles between him and his goal act as a catalyst for change?
                                 o She needs to dig down deep and work through her fear                                        of the water. She also needs to decide to trust herself                                            instead of allowing others to dictate who and what she                                        is. To also comes to terms with what she is and that it’s                                        okay and beautiful instead of fearing it.