: Re: Are reactive protagonists inherently a bad thing? I'm just getting into writing and while reading about it I've found a lot of topics which claim that reactive protagonists are generally frowned

It's often been pointed out that Indiana Jones has a minimal impact on the plot in Raiders of the Lost Ark. Most if not all of the major plot points would have happened with or without him. Yet hardly anyone thinks Raiders of the Lost Ark is a bad movie or even that it tells a bad story. They don't even notice this quirk about its plot until you point it out to them.

So it's tempting to use Indiana Jones as an example of a reactive protagonist. If you just look at a list of plot points then it seems Indy doesn't do much. But if you look at the story through his eyes, you'll see Indy tries. He makes many choices and risks his life repeatedly, even though his choices don't ultimately have much impact. At almost any point he could say, "Screw this, I'm going home," but he never does. He keeps going, and in so doing, he takes the viewer on a hell of a ride. People go home thinking, "Man, I wish I were Indiana Jones!"

Now suppose the story were a bit different and most of the same things happen but Indy never actually makes any choices. Maybe the Nazis kidnap him early on and he just watches as things unfold from there. Then he might as well not even be in the story. Nobody fantasizes about being a guy like that.

Load Full (0)

: What genre my wife is writing? In advance: I'm sorry for write so badly in English. I am a Spanish writer. My wife is writing a book about the life of 4 women. This morning she asked

@Kaufman555

Load Full 2 Comments

: First person, third person So I'm writing a novel myself and the main character is called Jasper. Whenever he falls asleep, he goes into the dream world type thing. Same dream, same characters,

@Kaufman555

Load Full 2 Comments

: Have him sleep with a lot of women (ladies' man). He does not dress to impress "the guys". He's a lover not a fighter. Give him a rich father and an expensive car. Most people are willing

@Kaufman555

Load Full 0 Comments

: Cool is confidence Confidence may inspire people to follow you, but you don't have to be a leader to be confident. You need neither physical strength nor physical endurance to exude confidence.

: Re: Are reactive protagonists inherently a bad thing? I'm just getting into writing and while reading about it I've found a lot of topics which claim that reactive protagonists are generally frowned

More posts by @Kaufman555

: What genre my wife is writing? In advance: I'm sorry for write so badly in English. I am a Spanish writer. My wife is writing a book about the life of 4 women. This morning she asked

: First person, third person So I'm writing a novel myself and the main character is called Jasper. Whenever he falls asleep, he goes into the dream world type thing. Same dream, same characters,

: Have him sleep with a lot of women (ladies' man). He does not dress to impress "the guys". He's a lover not a fighter. Give him a rich father and an expensive car. Most people are willing

: Cool is confidence Confidence may inspire people to follow you, but you don't have to be a leader to be confident. You need neither physical strength nor physical endurance to exude confidence.

Login to post a comment!

0 Comments

Back to top