Developing Relatable Protagonists in Scary Stories: keys to write horror novels and stories

Creating a relatable protagonist is key to crafting an engaging scary story that resonates with readers. Readers need someone to connect with, root for, and care about as they journey through the twists and turns of your horrifying tale. Follow these tips to develop a compelling, believable protagonist that your audience will relate to and remember long after they’ve finished reading.

1. Give Your Protagonist Flaws and Vulnerabilities

Your protagonist doesn’t need to be perfect or 100% likeable. In fact, giving your protagonist real flaws, quirks, and vulnerabilities will make them more relatable and human. Some examples:

• Physical flaws or disabilities: Your character could have poor eyesight, a bum leg, or be hearing impaired.
• Emotional vulnerabilities: Maybe they struggle with anxiety, grief, or loneliness.
• Personality quirks: They could be socially awkward, quick-tempered, or absent-minded.

Allow readers to see your protagonist’s weaknesses. This gives your character room to grow and overcome challenges, building reader empathy and connection along the way.

2. Make Your Protagonist Relatable

While your protagonist should be unique, they also need some universal, relatable qualities. Here are some ways to make your protagonist more accessible:

• Common fears: Tap into universal fears like death, failure, or being alone. Show your protagonist grappling with these innate human worries.
• Shared values: Family, friendship, honesty, perseverance – have your protagonist care about universal concepts.
• Familiar relationships: Give your protagonist bonds like family, a best friend, or a love interest. These relationships help readers relate.
• Daily rituals: Show your protagonist going through mundane daily tasks like grocery shopping, commuting, or cooking dinner. This daily minutiae makes them more down-to-earth.

3. Give Your Protagonist Clear Motivation and Goals

Readers connect more deeply with characters who are driven by strong, clear motivations. Ensure your protagonist has a defined goal tied to concrete stakes. Some examples:

• Escaping the haunted house before the specters claim more victims.
• Stopping the possessed villain from performing an occult ritual to end the world.
• Uncovering the truth behind their lover’s untimely death.

Your protagonist should have an emotional investment in their quest. The goals should matter deeply to them on a personal level. This gives readers a reason to be invested too.

4. Allow Your Protagonist to Grow and Change

The events of your horror story should challenge and transform your protagonist in significant ways. Portray a clear character arc that traces how they change over the course of their journey.

Some examples of character growth:

• A meek protagonist becomes empowered and assertive.
• A cynical loner learns to trust and accept help from others.
• A guilt-ridden character finds redemption through self-forgiveness.

Showing character evolution makes your protagonist dynamic and gives readers hope. The protagonist’s change can reflect the story’s central themes around human nature.

5. Give Your Protagonist a Unique Perspective

Your protagonist is the reader’s eyes and ears throughout the story. Shape their perspective to make it fresh and engaging.

Some ways to distinguish your protagonist’s viewpoint:

• Show their unique way of seeing the world based on backstory.
• Share aspects of their inner landscape like emotions, memories, desires.
• Reveal telling personality quirks and habits that color their perceptions.
• Depict how they interpret (or misinterpret) key events in the story.

An authentic perspective helps readers get to know your protagonist on a deeper level. It also provides insights that move the scary story forward.

Relatable vs. Likeable – What’s the Difference?

Relatable protagonists share fears, motivations, traits, and experiences that readers identify with. But readers don’t necessarily have to like your protagonist completely.

Anti-heroes and morally ambiguous characters can still be relatable. For example, Walter White from Breaking Bad makes questionable choices but we understand his motivations.

The key is helping readers see themselves in your protagonist and care about their fate. If readers relate deeply enough, they’ll stick around even if your protagonist does unlikable things.

Examples of Relatable Protagonists in Scary Stories

Let’s examine some examples of relatable protagonists from popular horror stories:

Carrie – Stephen King’s Carrie

Carrie struggles with:

• Social anxiety and ostracization
• Conflicted mother relationship
• Teenage insecurities

We relate to Carrie’s underdog status and desire to be accepted even as she descends into darkness.

Jack Torrance – The Shining

Jack grapples with:

• Writer’s block
• Alcoholism
• Unemployment

We root for Jack to overcome his personal demons even as he transforms into the villain.

Alice – Resident Evil

Alice is driven by:

• Escaping to stop the T-virus outbreak
• Reclaiming memories and identity

Alice is vulnerable yet butt-kicking. We relate to her survival motivations and tenacity.

See how flaws, motivations and relationships help craft relatable scary story protagonists? Now let’s look at specific tactics to apply.

10 Tactics to Make Your Protagonist More Relatable

Here are some concrete ideas to make your horror story protagonist compelling:

1. Talk about their fears and phobias

What secretly terrifies your protagonist? Reveal their darkest fears, even if irrational. We all have fears, so this builds instant empathy.

Maybe your protagonist has arachnophobia. Or a debilitating fear of drowning. Share these vulnerabilities.

2. Give them an obsession or compulsion

Obsessive behaviors reveal your protagonist’s inner drives. Is your protagonist obsessed with exercise, cleanliness, or collecting vintage toys? These unique quirks can be relatable.

You can also showcase harmful compulsions like gambling or substance abuse. Readers will root for your protagonist to overcome their demons.

3. Show them indulging in guilty pleasures

Does your protagonist secretly enjoy cheesy pop music and romance novels? Give them unexpected guilty pleasures that make them more down-to-earth.

You can also have them grapple with more taboo urges like forbidden romances or vengeance fantasies. Most people can relate to suppressed desires.

4. Make them emotionally volatile

Scary situations are emotionally intense. Show your protagonist torn between contradictory emotions like courage and fear, anger and calm.

Inject drama by having them make poor decisions in moments of anger, panic or grief. Their volatility should create relatable drama and tension.

5. Give them an obsession or compulsion

Obsessive behaviors reveal your protagonist’s inner drives. Is your protagonist obsessed with exercise, cleanliness, or collecting vintage toys? These unique quirks can be relatable.

You can also showcase harmful compulsions like gambling or substance abuse. Readers will root for your protagonist to overcome their demons.

6. Show supportive and difficult relationships

Portray your protagonist’s closest relationships – both good and bad. Do they have a trusted best friend or turbulent marriage? These bonds make them relatable.

7. Reveal their self-image issues

Your protagonist may look confident but secretly feel insecure. Give them body image issues, low self-esteem, or imposter syndrome. Their inner self-critic will resonate.

8. Show their defiant side

Give your protagonist some rebellious edge. Do they curse authority figures, break rules, or reject social norms? A little defiance makes them more relatable and less bland.

9. Make them emotionally volatile

Scary situations are emotionally intense. Show your protagonist torn between contradictory emotions like courage and fear, anger and calm.

Inject drama by having them make poor decisions in moments of anger, panic or grief. Their volatility should create relatable drama and tension.

10. Show their sense of humor

Even in dark tales, some comic relief is relatable. Give your protagonist a unique sense of humor. Are they witty, sarcastic, or cheesy? These moments lighten things up.

Developing Relatable Characters in Horror Fiction

Creating relatable characters is crucial for engaging horror stories. Relatable protagonists allow readers to connect emotionally amidst tales of terror. Use flaws, backstories and growth to craft compelling heroes to root for.

What Makes a Relatable Character in a Horror Novel?

Relatable horror protagonists feel like real people facing nightmarish trials. They have quirks, motivations and relationships readers recognize from life. These qualities allow readers to immerse themselves in the protagonist’s terrifying plight.

Tips for Creating Relatable Characters in Psychological Horror

Some tips for crafting relatable characters in psychological horror include giving them common fears, obsessions, and volatile emotions. Portray their closest bonds and have them struggle with universal desires. Gradually reveal backstory over time for depth.

How Do You Write a Believable Character for Horror Fiction?

Believable horror characters have authentic dialogue and make questionable choices when afraid or grief-stricken. Their reactions are a mix of courage, denial, and anger. Supporting characters draw out revealing dimensions through conflict. Quirks and backstories add realism.

Why Are Backstories Important for Relatable Horror Characters?

Backstories provide insights into relatable horror characters’ motivations and vulnerabilities. They hint at formative experiences, traumas, secret desires that influence choices. Effective backstories keep readers guessing about the characters’ true natures and connections to the horror.

Tips for Making Your Horror Characters Relatable

Some tips for making horror characters relatable include giving them common routines, values, insecurities, and senses of humor. Make them volatile and prone to poor choices when stressed. Portray difficult relationships that reveal their complexity. Have them evolve over the story arc.

Examples of Relatable Character Dynamics in Horror

• A protective sibling whose devotion is tested by occult forces.
• Former friends divided by tragedy and mysterious events.
• A child and estranged parent brought together against a common threat.

Why Readers Relate to Well-Rounded Horror Characters

Readers relate to horror characters who feel like complex real people facing extraordinary trials. Vulnerabilities make characters relatable. Growth and change create hope. Distinct perspectives immerse readers in tales of terror.

Final Tips for Crafting Relatable Protagonists

• Don’t make your protagonist too flawed. Give them some positive traits and moral sensibilities.
• Build empathy by showing your protagonist help others in need.
• Gradually reveal your protagonist’s quirks and backstory over time.
• Test their relationships through conflict. Relationships are revealed most in times of strife.
• Have your protagonist reflect on their choices and grow in self-awareness.
• Remember: relatable doesn’t necessarily mean likable all the time. Your protagonist can still make dubious choices if it’s true to their characterization.

Conclusion: Make Your Horror Protagonist Relatable and Unforgettable

A relatable protagonist is crucial to immersing readers in your scary tale and keeping them hooked. Use these tips to craft a flawed, nuanced character with clear motivations, strong relationships, and a perspective readers can connect with.

Remember to balance strengths with vulnerabilities, heroism with mistakes. Readers want someone real struggling through larger-than-life horrors. If you make your protagonist resonate on an emotional level, readers will stay invested from the first chill to the final heart-pounding climax.

For more tips on writing horror stories that terrify and transport, subscribe to my writing blog. Just enter your email below to join our thrilling community. Now get writing a legendary scary story with a relatable hero at the heart!

What do you think? Did I cover the key elements of crafting a relatable protagonist? Let me know in the comments!

Want to know more on Creating horror stories? Then check our article Terrifying tales: Writing horror stores. Or if you are in a hurry to start How to start writing a Horror Story: 7 Steps and tips for writing horror fiction

FAQ Developing Relatable character in Scary Stories

Q: What is the key to write  horror novels?

A: Developing believable characters and protagonists is one of the key elements in writing a horror novel.

Q: How does psychological horror play a role in developing relatable characters?

A: Psychological horror delves into the minds of characters, exploring their fears, traumas,  anxieties and building tension. This helps in creating complex and relatable characters that readers can empathize with.

Q: Why is it important to give your characters realistic qualities?

A: Realistic qualities help in making your characters more relatable to readers. When readers can see themselves in the characters, it enhances their emotional connection to the story.

Q: Can horror tropes be used effectively in developing characters?

A: Yes, horror tropes can be used effectively to create tension and build anticipation. However, it is crucial to infuse originality into the characters and make them unique within the context of the story.

Q: How can supporting characters enhance the horror in a novel?

A: Supporting characters can provide different perspectives, create conflicts, and amplify the horror in the story. They can also provide a contrast to the protagonist and add depth to the overall narrative.

Q: How can a protagonist’s character traits contribute to the horror genre?

A: The protagonist must possess traits that make them vulnerable to the horror elements in the story. This vulnerability creates a sense of unease and increases the stakes for the protagonist.

Q: Should the fear of the unknown be a key element in a horror novel?

A: Yes, fear of the unknown is a fundamental aspect of the horror genre. By keeping certain elements ambiguous, authors can create a sense of mystery and anticipation, heightening the horror experience.

Q: What role can other characters play in making the main character more relatable?

A: Other characters can act as mirrors for the main character’s fears, beliefs, or flaws. The interactions and dynamics between characters throughout the story can help readers connect with the protagonist on a deeper level.

Q: How can beta readers contribute to developing relatable characters in a horror novel?

A: Beta readers can provide valuable feedback and insights regarding the relatability of characters. They can identify areas where characters may need more development and help refine their personalities and motivations.

Q: Can fictional characters evoke real emotions in readers?

A: Yes, well-developed fictional characters have the power to evoke genuine emotions in readers. When readers feel emotionally invested in the characters, it intensifies the impact of the horror elements in the story.