Melanie Anne Phillips

My complete book, Write Your Novel Step by Step, is now available for free on the Storymind web site. Click the picture to start reading!

My book, 50 Sure-Fire Storytelling Tricks!, is now available free on the Storymind.com web site, as well as in paperback and for Kindle. Click the picture to read it online for free!

I have a whole new web site with all of my best comments, articles, videos, photographs, music and, of course, a massive collection of interesting things I've found on the web. Click here to see it all!

Of all your cast, there is one very special player: the Main Character. Your Main Character is the one your story seems to be about – the one with whom your readers most identify – in short, the single most important character in your novel. You probably already know who your Main Character is. If, so, you’ll find this step opens opportunities to avoid stereotyping him or her. If you haven’t yet selected your Main Character, this step will help you choose one from your cast list. First, your Main Character is not necessarily your protagonist. While the protagonist is the prime mover of the effort to achieve the story goal, the Main Character is the one who grapples with an inner dilemma, personal issue or has some aspect of his or her belief system come under attack. Most writers combine these two functions into a single player (a hero) who is both protagonist  and  Main Character in order to position their readers right at the heart of the action, as in the Harry Potter series.