S2_E45: Four Critical Nuances to Incorporate When You Have a Selfish Protagonist

EPISODE DESCRIPTION - One of the things that comes up often in the work I critique is a main character who is fundamentally selfish. This happens because we try to make our characters flawed (which they should be), but we haven't thought through the implications of this particular character trait.

To this end, I want to unpack four critical elements that you need to include in your story if you're going to give your main character the character trait of selfishness. Because the truth is, your main character cannot ACTUALLY be selfish. If he is, he's irredeemable. Unlovable. Unworthy of our emotional investment. And yet, sometimes, we need them to appear selfish for whatever reason. To that end, you must incorporate four nuances, or include the following qualifiers to be able to make the characteristic of "selfishness" work in your story.

Four Critical Qualifiers for the Characteristic of "Selfishness" to Work in Story

#1:
Your character cannot actually be fundamentally selfish. They must care about others for the audience to like them and invest in them. So, at the end of the day, they must demonstrate a willingness to be self sacrificial.

#2:
You must have a character who, at the end of the day, only appears to be selfish, because of their own flawed perceptions or skewed worldview. At the end of the day, their so-called selfishness is actually for the benefit of others, or is based on a false assumption about the world, which must be corrected along the way.

#3
Instead of being a TRUE fundamental characteristic, use selfishness as a disguise. Selfish actions stemming from deep trauma wounds may be plausible, such as someone who believes they are so broken that they will damage those they love, and therefore chooses to withdraw from them for their own protection. In the end, we will still be able to love a character whose own flawed perspectives cause him to do harmful things but for the right reasons. ie. They are sacrificing their own desires and needs for the other's benefit.   

#4:
You have to find the nobility that is driving the selfish action itself. Even if their actions are cruel, what is their noble purpose? What is the motivation behind it?

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UP NEXT - Next week we continue on our character discussion where I give you 10 Tips Every hero needs to move from being passive, to active.

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