Characters are the foundation of a story. Every story needs certain characters to keep the plot moving. A story writing has multiple characters who keep the readers engaged. For this reason, the writers use characters to perform various actions. Similarly, they speak dialogues to keep the story going. A character can be a person, animal, or any other creature. Besides, characters are essential to any story writing. They develop the plot of the story. And they create conflict, and in the end, they resolve that conflict. For instance, Harry Potter, Oliver Twist, Robert Langdon, etc. These are some famous characters from fiction novels.

A story writing can have multiple characters in it. Each character has a specific role to play. Some are more important for the story plot. While some characters appear for a few scenes. However, all the characters contribute to keeping the plot moving. In fact, there are seven types of characters you can add to your story writing. These include the protagonist, Antagonist, Deuteragonist, and foil. Additionally, you can add a love interest, Tertiary, and Confidante characters.  It is essential to know how to include these characters in a story.  Ghost Writing Experts can help you in that regard.

This article contains seven types of characters you can add to your fiction book.

7 Types of Characters to Include in Your Story

Here are the seven characters that probably all writers use in their stories.

1. Protagonist

The word protagonist means principal actor in a story or drama. It refers to the main character or hero of the story. It is the leading character in every story writing. The story writings center around these characters. For this reason, you cannot write a fiction book without a protagonist character. Hence, it is the essential character for story writing. These are the characters in books that the readers love the most. It is not necessary to have only one protagonist character. Moreover, sometimes a book can have multiple main characters. Romeo and Juliet and Game of Thrones are perfect examples of stories with many main characters.

The purpose of this character is to have a specific goal in the story. And then it struggles to achieve that goal. Moreover, the writers show this character with excellent personality traits. For instance, the main characters in fiction books are brave, kind-hearted, loveable, and many more. In short, the whole story writing revolves around this main character.

Examples

Harry Potter’s character in Harry Potter series is a perfect example of a protagonist. Similarly, we have Elizabeth Bennet of Pride and Prejudice. Besides, Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen of Game of Thrones are examples of multiple main characters.

2. Antagonist

The word antagonist means opponent or rival. An antagonist is the character of a villain in a story writing that opposes the hero. It is the second most essential character in a story.  The conflict between the hero and the villain is the driving force behind the story plot. Usually, a writer shows an antagonist as a cruel person who opposes the main character. One of its purposes is to make it difficult for the hero to achieve his goal. In other words, it is the character that people dislike for its evil doings. 

Just like the protagonist, a story can also have multiple antagonist characters.

Examples

As the antagonist, we have Voldemort in the Harry Potter series. Similarly, we have Cersei Lannister and the Night King of  GOT.

3. Deuteragonist

It is the second vital character after the main character. Usually, these are the characters that support the hero in a story. It helps the main characters by giving them advice or fighting on their side. Indeed, they can be the best friend of the protagonist or one that is always close to the hero. They do not cover much of the story in a book. However, they still play a vital role in keeping the plot moving. Therefore, they also have importance in story writing. 

Examples

Ron and Hermione in Harry Potter series are examples of deuteragonist characters. Similarly, Dr John Watson in Sherlock Holmes is a perfect example.

4. Tertiary

Tertiary characters are the extra characters in a story writing. They appear only in a few scenes of a story. They usually serve one specific purpose in the storyline. However, they still play a vital role in the story plot. These are the characters a hero encounters. For instance, it could be a doctor saving hero’s life. They have brief roles in the story. But their part can be vital for the story plot.

Examples

Calo and Fabrizio in the Godfather are some examples of tertiary characters. Similarly, Parvati and Padma Patil in Harry Potter play roles of the tertiary character.

5. Confidante

A confidante is a character in a story that is the most trustworthy. Confidante is a French that means “having full trust”. It is a minor or secondary character whom the hero trusts the most. Moreover, the main characters also share their secrets or ask advice from confidantes. Similarly, they help the lead roles in achieving their goals. In short, the purpose of a confidante is to remain loyal to the hero. 

Examples

Hermione in Harry Potter and Alfred in Batman are examples of confidantes in a story. Similarly, Dumbledore in Harry Potter also plays the character of a confidante.

6. Foil

A foil is a character whose personal qualities contrast with the main character. In a story writing a foil makes the qualities of the leading character more evident. It is not necessarily a villain in the story. But it exposes the things about the main character. One of its principal purposes is to bring out the best qualities of a hero.

Examples

Draco Malfoy to Harry Potter in Harry Potter series. And Sherlock and Watson in Sherlock Holmes

7. Love Interest

A love interest is a character in a story writing that plays a role of a lover. It is the character that the protagonist likes romantically in a story.  

 A love interest can play various roles. It can help the main characters to achieve their goals. Similarly, a writer can use this character to make things complicated for the main character. Also, a writer can add a love interest character to make the story romantic. In other words, a love interest character can be the main plot of a fiction book.

Examples

Some famous lover-interest characters are Romeo and Juliet in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Peeta in Suzanne Collins’s The Hunger Games

Conclusion

To conclude, characters are the cornerstone of story writing or a book.  And every fiction book requires some specific characters to keep the storyline moving. There are various characters you can add to your story. Some essential characters include the protagonist, antagonist, and deuteragonist. Similarly, a story also has tertiary, confidante, and love interest characters. You do not need to include all the characters in a story. However, you cannot avoid essential characters like the protagonist and antagonist. 

Also read: https://keyposting.com/how-do-bilingual-books-work/