: Re: How to keep the protagonist from being the only interesting person in the world? I've really enjoyed the CW's show The Flash ever since it came out, but they recently did something that kind

@Si5022468

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@bhilgert 's answer is on the mouche but, if I may be so bold, I'll add a 4th point: my favourite technique for keeping characters from becoming too self-absorbed is to use random little things that mean nothing to the said character.

Starting with the news, I do like to have my characters glance at TV and lazily notice some news that will soon be forgotten as unimportant. Or dismissed with an off-handed comment such as 'people really should be more careful driving' in reaction to a big accident. Or (something I do in real life) listen to the news on the radio hoping to hear a particular information (like traffic) while really not registering any of it.

Something else I enjoy is to have characters sit (or stand) and wait for whomever and then have them glance about and notice a random action from anyone who may be around. Try people watching in your everyday life and notice little things people do that may or may not show a glimpse of their own daily dramas... or boredom. Then pick one or two to give the scenes in your tales a sense of realistic randomness.

Of course it's important not to overdo it. I only used this technique more intensely once, but I did want to convey the character's insecurities, feeling that she was less important than those around. I felt that the 'white noise' I created that way really brought her self-loathe home, as if she were putting herself below even the most trivial of things.

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