“…we need big stakes for our protagonists. The weight of literally saving the world doesn’t have to be on their shoulders, but figuratively, it should be.”
In the January/February 2022 issue of Writer’s Digest, Sharon Short writes about how to get your readers to care about your protagonist – in a big way. It’s all about stakes. What does the protagonist stand to win or lose? What is their point of weakness?
An all-powerful or all-knowing character is not relatable. When a protagonist has a vulnerability, it doesn’t matter what their overall character is, readers start to relate to them.