: Re: Creating or identifying secondary protagonists First of all, this is my first time writing more than a short story, and I am quite new to writing in general, so pretty novice. I am currently

@Jessie137

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Is Abby a protagonist?

What does Abby want for herself? Why would Abby be willing to help anyone, not just your hero – and most important: what does Abby expect in return?

Think of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. A vulnerable little girl ends up in a strange land, and she needs to get someplace so she can get what she wants. She's just a little girl, but the locals don't know her from Adam. "Hey, thanks for killing our oppressor! Oh, you need to go to the Emerald City? Yeah, it's that way. Bye, good luck!" You'd think they would be more helpful, but nope, not their problem.

The "people" Dorothy teams up with aren't selected for their talents at defeating traps. Dorothy is a tend-and-befriend hero. She can't pass a person in need without trying to help them. Her habitual nature causes her to encounter many people along the road – not all are helpful or friendly, but the ones who join her are the ones who want something for themselves. If they didn't have an overwhelming desire for something, they would be like the other locals: "Thanks for your help, Strange Little Girl. Bye."

They don't join her because of something she promises them, or out of gratitude, or even because they care about what she wants. They tag along because they think they will get what they desire most. That's the real motivation why they are willing to walk away from their lives and go on this journey with a stranger.

Sidekicks "follow along" with the protagonist, but if they don't have their own motivations for the quest they aren't co-protagonists. As author, you know ahead of time a few tricks that only Abby can solve, but the characters don't know that, and the readers don't know it (unless you telegraph it to them ahead of time). A well-planned jewel heist is where you get to cherrypick the team based on their skillset, but an ad hoc team won't have clear and complimentary talents.

Give Abby her own desire, completely separate from Mike. Then do it again for the other team members. This will give them rough edges because their desires won't all align. They will be forced to work together, and they will have limits where their personal goals don't match the others. Abby and the other team members will become more substantially their own characters, rather than an extension of what Mike is not.

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