22 January, 2018

#SpecialFeature :: #GuestPost - How is writing about a protagonist different from writing about an antagonist by Capri Jalota

*** Special Feature - January 2018 ***

About the Book:

One fine morning, Jane wakes up and stands upon the ledge of her 18th floor flat in Dubai Marina. Till a few years back, she was everything that would make anyone jealous – beautiful, rich and successful. But then the wheels of time turned. Today, she is miserable and lonely. Would she get over a deception? Can she forgive herself for deserting a friend? Would she ever find true love? Will karma get the better of her or will life give her another chance to correct the wrongs? 

Then the Doorbell Rang is about Jane’s roller-coaster journey as she explores the mystical phenomenon called Life.


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How is writing about a protagonist different from writing about an antagonist:

It is a very interesting question. Frankly, I never thought about the question till you asked me this question. Now, that I think more about it, definitely writing for a protagonist is very different from writing for the antagonist.

There are three underlying differences. First, we need to make sure that the readers get to understand the various facets of the protagonist and also, their rationale to act in a certain way. On the contrary, we have to give only a uni-dimensional view of the antagonist. Their actions never need to be justified.

Another very important aspect is that the antagonist keeps changing in life. Unlike Hindi movies where there is only one villain, life is very different. Our villians keep changing. And even in my novel, there are a few antagonists. So, we don't need to build their character as thoroughly as that of the protagonist. 

And lastly, we need to make sure that the character of the protagonist evolves continually through the novel. Till the last page of the novel, the reader should feel that I don't know the protagonist adequately. So, avoiding predictability is important but at the same time, ensuring some consistency in behaviour and character traits is important. It is a fine balance. However, for antagonists, we don't have worry about any such things. As long as they act in diametrically opposite way to the protagonist, they serve the purpose.


Having said so, while writing my novel, wherever possible, I have tried to show the other side. I firmly believe that there are no antagonists in life. A conflict in opinion, thought or action doesn't mean that we need to divide people into protagonist and antagonist. My book - Then the doorbell rang has several antagonists like the protagonist's father, mother, husband, etc. But when Jane, the protagonist, tries to understand rationale for their actions, they are no longer the antagonists for her. Ditto for life. Every person has a certain reason for why they act in a certain way, it is upto us to accept their reasons or reject them.


About the Author:
In July 2016, when Capri's career was at an all-time high, he quit his job and decided to pursue one of his under-40 goals and that was to pen a novel. His first novel - "Then the doorbell rang", which is in fiction genre, has been published by Leadstart Publishing. His book has been released on Amazon and has received great responses. 
Capri's philosophy in life is simple - Plan your life rather than follow a plan. Whilst this might sound contradictory, if you re-read the statement you would be able to understand the subtle difference. Planning is a continuous process whilst a plan is a static one. At different points in one's life, one must be able to revisit his life and re-sync it with life's changed priorities and circumstances.
And to be successful, it is very important to be passionate about what you do. "Passion is elixir for the soul" is something he truly believes in. This coupled with the right mentoring leads to an assured success.
Capri is keen to share his perspectives with the world through his writings and talks. 

Goodreads * Amazon


Giveaway:
2 Paperback Copies of Then the Doorbell Rang by Capri Jalota for Indian Residents


1 comment:

  1. How is writing about a protagonist different from writing about an antagonists would definitely help new upcoming writers. Thank you Debdatta Dasgupta Sahay for this lovely post.

    ReplyDelete