Can there be a story with no main character?

Often (but not always) that focus is a particular character, the protagonist; but there can be stories without main characters. For example, the book (not the film) “World War Z” and especially “The Zombie Survival Guide” which came before it is a decent example of a non-character focused narrative.

How do I make my story unpredictable?

10 Simple Tips For Writing Clever Plot Twists

1. Approach your story as a reader.
2. Use subtle misdirection.
3. Use even subtler foreshadowing.
4. Let your characters create the plot twists.
5. Ensure your twist is believable and necessary – and makes sense.
6. Disguise a plot twist… within a plot twist.

How do I come up with an idea for a book?

6 Tips for Generating Good Book Ideas

1. Create a character based on someone you know.
2. Adapt mythology into your own great story.
3. Embrace the supernatural.
4. Get inspiration from comedy.
5. Send your character on a journey.
6. Try freewriting.

What is a false main protagonist?

In fiction, a false protagonist is a literary technique, often used to make the plot more jarring or more memorable by fooling the audience’s preconceptions, that constructs a character who the audience assumes is the protagonist but is later revealed not to be.

How do you get a good plot twist?

5 Tips for Writing a Good Plot Twist

1. Kill off a seemingly important character.
2. Let your character discover a plot twist organically.
3. Elevate a seemingly minor character.
4. Have your big reveal instigate a twist ending.
5. Make sure your plot twist is earned.

How do you end a cliffhanger story?

7 Tips on Writing Cliffhangers

1. Withhold key information from a reader.
2. Stay grounded in a protagonist’s sensory experience.
3. Keep each chapter ending concise and cut out superfluous descriptions.
4. Make your cliffhanger scenes focus on your main character.
5. Keep your plotlines distinct.

How do you introduce the main character?

How to Introduce Characters in Your Writing

1. Don’t get bogged down in physical appearance.
2. Give your character a memorable character trait.
3. Start with backstory when appropriate.
4. Introduce a character through action.
5. Introduce the main character as soon as possible.

What is the second main character called in a story?

deuteragonist
The definition of a deuteragonist (from the Greek deuteragōnistēs, for “second actor”) is the second most important and present character in a story—often called a secondary main character.

How do you introduce the main character in a novel?

Write Better: 3 Ways To Introduce Your Main Character 1. Keep physical description minimal. A character’s physical description—unless markedly different than the norm—does… 2. Characterize through action. Bestselling British writer Nick Hornby starts his novel How to Be Good by taking us… 3.

Can you have more than one main character in a story?

As you can see, there’s a lot to consider when you try to tell a story featuring more than one main character, but if you’re careful and intentional and always consider your reader first, you can enhance a story this way and make it something special. Our best writing often results from working through such difficult challenges.

Can authors write each other’s characters into their stories?

It’s going to depend on the litigiousness of the creator. FUN NOTE: Bestselling authors Steve Berry, James Rollins, and Brad Thor have been known to write each other’s characters into their stories (then again, they are all friends).

How do you write a description of a character?

The character’s actions, or details such as his occupations and interests, are much more useful. The readers will furnish a perfectly good description on their own if you simply let them know that the Uncle Charley of your story is a butterfly collector, or the elderly toll-gate keeper on the Suwannee River.