A Guide to Fiction: Genres, Arcs, and Protagonists, Oh My!

Everyone loves a good story. I mean, why else would we have been telling them for centuries? But have you ever thought on how every story, from the most complex, well-written fantasy novel to even the most simple, on-the-ground stories, are somehow so compelling?

Today, I’ll be walking through some of the broader story elements at work beneath the surface of the text and film. I’ll be laying out how these each, no matter how small or simple they might seem, utterly determine the entire course of storytelling. And, to keep this interesting, in each section I’ll include one of my favorite examples of that term in action (if it applies, of course). Let’s dive in!

Genre

Ok, you might roll your eyes at this one. But I mean it’s a necessary part of understanding fiction, so PLEASE don’t stop reading because of this. (I’m sorry, alright?) Anyways, let’s get this over with. According to Merriam Webster, genre is:

a category of artistic, musical, or literary composition characterized by a particular style, form, or content.

So, essentially, genres group different musical or literary works into different categories. And here, just for you, some short run-throughs of the need-to-know about the major fiction genres. Enjoy.

• Speculative
  • Any story that takes place in an other-worldly setting (Includes the fantasy and sci-fi subgenres)
    • Recommended: The Narnia series by C.S. Lewis, The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, or The Green Ember series by S.D. Smith
• Realistic / Slice of Life
  • A story set in the real world, starring ordinary people who deal with everyday situations.
    • Recommended: Who I Am by Joshua Schmitz
• Historic
  • Any work that takes place during a historical event or time period, yet tells a made-up tale either about a fictional character or a real one.
    • Recommended: The Wall series by Robert Elmer, or Snow Treasure by Marie McSwigan
• Adventure
  • Stories that follow a character (or group of characters) on a journey, usually filled with high-stakes battles and action
    • Recommended: The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
• Suspense / Thriller
  • Action-packed stories that focus on entertainment and exciting plots, being very fast-paced and tense in nature.
• Mystery
  • A story that introduces a crime that the protagonist (See below for definition) attempts to solve, giving the reader clues and teases as to who the culprit is throughout the story
• Romance
  • A story that follows two individuals who grow to love each other, following their path towards unity
    • Recommended: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin
• Horror
  • A type of fictional story that deals with darkness and the nature of sin, featuring a much heavier tone and dealing with evil of humanity.

And there you have it, genres. Gotta love ‘em. If I were to pick my favorite, it’d definitely be Speculative Fiction, particularly fantasy / high-fantasy (High-fantasy stories are the ones set in entirely different worlds with all these different cultures, settings, and rules, such as Lord of the Rings.) Now, let’s move on.

Character Arc / Development

[Spoilers in the second and third paragraphs for KPop Demon Hunters and most Marvel movies from Iron Man to Avengers: Endgame]

This one is relatively simple, though there has been some confusion when I’ve mentioned this in the past, so in that case I’ll define it quickly. Essentially, a character arc is a process of growth a character goes through in the course of a story, whether positive or negative. At times it can be clear as day, and at others it can seem impossible to notice. Sometimes the arcs take place in a single work, such as a solo novel or movie, or they can be a more gradual turn, spanning over books and movies until they finally reach the creator’s intended destination.

A recent example of a powerful character arc comes from the shocking worldwide hit KPop Demon Hunters, as we follow our main character and protagonist, Rumi, as she struggles with concealing her flaws for the sake of exterior views of her. This leads to tension and conflict with her closest friends, Zoey and Mira, though by the end she ultimately learns not to reject her shortcomings, but to embrace the fact that she is, in fact, human, and prone to fail and stumble. Nonetheless, she comes to grips with how her mistakes are what make her beautiful, as they lead to growth and becoming a better person.

And as for the more gradual arc, I just have to refer to perhaps the most well-crafter and satisfying development in cinema: Tony Stark’s journey from the careless playboy to the selfless hero of the universe. He’s first introduced as this cocky, narcissistic billionaire who unknowingly sells weapons to what is soon learned to be terrorists. But, after his kidnapping, near-death, and escape at the hands of the Ten Rings faction, his eyes are opened to how he should use his gifts and talent to improve others’ lives, rather than indulging himself in his desires. His growth continues throughout the Avengers films, as he turns from the guy who’d “never make the sacrifice play” to the guy who paid his life for the safety of the entire galaxy. Not only is his arc well developed, it also leads to what is praised as the most satisfying character conclusion in film today, with Endgame marking the peak of his time as a hero.

These two examples are perfect for not just telling what good character development is, but equally showing it. After all, that’s a big part of being a fiction writer: show, don’t tell. Anyways, let’s get into more of the nitty-gritty terms. (I’m excited for the next.)

Protagonist / Main Character / Hero

Oh boy, I’ve been looking forward to this one. Ok, first of all, I’d like to clarify by giving you the most common definition (which bundles all three of these together) versus the reality of what these three truly are. As most people would define it, a hero, or protagonist, or main character, is the central figure a story follows, with the tale telling of his personal journey and his actions being the force that moves the plot forward. However, these three terms are, unfortunately, misinterpreted, losing their meaning in the present world we live in.

These can best be defined this way:

• Protagonist
  • The character from whose point of view the story is experienced through.
• Main Character
  • The character whose growth and development is the central focus of the story. (Can be a hero or villain)
• Hero
  • The morally upright force that drives the story forward. (Is sometimes a group of people rather than a singular person)

As you can see, the contrast between these three terms are shockingly major. In reality, these are three separate roles in a story, though they can often apply to the same person. But just because a character is the protagonist (Remember, point of view) of a story, it doesn’t naturally make them the main character (I.E. the person who’s inner growth we’re following). Being the protagonist does not naturally make you the main character, as the story could, for example, be told from one person’s perspective but following the growth of another.

A shockingly compelling example of this could be the cultural phenomenon Avengers: Infinity War. A way of interpreting the three roles could be this:

• Protagonist: Iron Man, Star Lord, Thor, Scarlet Witch (A trick one, as the story jumps from team to team. I chose these because typically when we’re with each group, we find ourselves following the four I’ve listed.)
• Main Character: Thanos (We follow his quest to acquire the six Infinity Stones, only to find that it didn’t satisfy as he thought it would.)
• Hero: The Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, and other superhumans (The ones directly attempting to thwart our villain, Thanos, from achieving victory.)

This rare occurence of a villain as the main character is a beautiful example of the difference between the protagonist, main character, and hero. (I first experienced this eye-opening view on the podcast Writing Excuses, which I highly recommend for those interested in going deeper into the nature of fictional storytelling. You can use this link to do so https://writingexcuses.com) On to the next!

Antagonist / Villain

Similarly, antagonists and villains are commonly misused when discussing fition and writing, typically thought to be the same thing. And while a character can be both an antagonist and a villain, like the terms before, that doesn’t mean these two words mean the same thing. Below are Merriam Webster’s definitions of the two:

Antagonist: One that contends with or opposes another.

Villain: A deliberate scoundrel or criminal; one blamed for a particular evil or difficulty.*

As you can see, while a villain is a being that commits truly evil acts and behaviors, the antagonist is not inherently bad, as their role is simply to provide conflict for the character’s journey. A good example of this could be Inspector Javert from the sensational Les Miserables, as he is not the villain in his pursuit of Jean Valjean, instead serving as an obstacle or barrier in between our main character and his goal of true freedom.

Meanwhile, a good examples of a villain could be any malevolent pop culture figure you can think of, from Darth Sidious from Revenge of the Sith to Princes Hans from Frozen. They can range from evil warlords to corrupt politicians to wicked stepmothers. Perhaps it’s this stereotype of the villain commonly being the antagonist also that muddied our present view of the two roles. Anyways, it’s time for another term. Vamanos.

(*Note: Merriam Webster initially falls into the common trope of the villain and antagonist being one and the same, with the first example meaning a figure who opposes the hero. However, this may be acceptable, as, like we’ve learned, the hero, protagonist, and main character are different roles, and the hero being the morally upright of the three lines up with the villain similarly directly opposing the hero, not necessarily the main character or protagonist.)

Plot, Character, and Thematic Narrative

The idea of there being multiple layers to a fictional story is a generally basic yet equally complex concept. But nevertheless, I wish to speak on the topic myself, as it’s stuff like this that reminds me of why I love storytelling so dearly.

It’s become common today for the term narrative to be frequently misused, often used to refer to the general timeline of events that take place in a story. However, there’s much more to a that. Allow me to tell you about the three levels of fictional narrative.

When someone mentions plot, you instantly think, “Oh, the magical wizard tasks the knight with saving the princess, but first he has to travel through dunes and cliffs and swamps and volcanos in order to find the mystical sword so he can slay the dragon and complete his quest.” And, congratulations, you’re ahead on this! The first type of narrative is the Plot Narrative. I best define this as the physical actions and events that shape the flow of our story. (Again, think about the generic fantasy example I conjured at the beginning of this paragraph.) This is less focused on the deeper moral implications, and, like I said, more about the standard outline of the story.

Now, on to the next layer: Character Narrative. Unlike the first layer, these next two types of narrative are less directed towards the sensual parts of the story, more towards the emotional heart and conflict that lies beneath, as you will soon see. The Character Narrative is what you’d refer to whenever you mention a certain character’s “arc” or “development”. Essentially, it’s all about how that person has changed and evolved emotionally as a result the story’s events, with one of my favorite examples being those of Elphaba in the iconic musical sensation Wicked. Her entire life, her uncanny green skin clouded others’ view of her, leading her to nearly give up hope of ever finding true love and friendship. (You can read more about Elphaba and Glinda’s parallel journeys in my deep dive, Smoke and Bubbles: The Intertwined Struggles of Elphaba and Glinda.)

Lastly, there’s the Thematic Narrative. This layer pertains to the broader Narrative Question of the story. (NARRATIVE QUESTION: A thematic issue or dilemma presented in a fictional story, to which the author attempts to answer through the main character or side character’s actions and growth.) Questions like:

• “How do we handle with grief?”
• “How do you decide when to benefit yourself or benefit others?”
• “How do you uphold moral uprightness in a corrupt society?”

This one is simple enough, although I might end up digging into this a bit more, so stay tuned.

And that just about sums it up. Now you know a little about the three layers of fictional narrative. (I doubt you enjoyed that as much as I did...)

Concluding Thoughts

And there you are, a quick run through of some of the broader story terms at play beneath the surface of the plot. If you found this interesting, consider dropping a comment! (Or, you know, if you want to have a bloodthirsty debate on how the protagonist, hero, and main character are the same thing. That’s fun too.) Until our next adventure, my dear friends.