For a story to be a story, a protagonist should undergo some sort of change (usually) through interactions with other characters, and as a result of situations that they are forced to react to.
In Writing in General and the Short Story in Particular, Rust Hills differentiates between 'character shift,' where a character changes inexplicably to facilitate a certain action, and 'movement of character' where things happen that lead to the change in character (for better or worse). In other words, don't force the plot onto your characters.
In Burning Down the House, Charles Baxter does insist, however, that a writer sometimes needs to nudge his or her characters toward "interesting trouble" so that they make "interesting mistakes" that are worth reading about. Lamott's Bird by Bird also stresses that a writer should not protect characters from their own misgivings.
So, does the secret to successful character development lie in the successful portrayal of flaws and imperfections of the protagonist? Or adversely, in the strengths and 'goodness' of an antagonist? I have no idea, but it makes sense that such contrasts might lead to surprising, and perhaps shocking discoveries that draw a reader (and writer) into the story.
The following exercises aim to explore the idea of contrasts for developing characters within the context of a story. (These exercises have been borrowed from a creative writing course I attended; I am not aware of the original source).
Exercise 13. Fill in the following table with qualities relevant to a potential story, for a) a protagonist, and b) an antagonist:
Protagonist
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|
Strengths
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Weaknesses
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1
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1
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2
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2
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3
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3
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4
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4
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Opportunities
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Threats
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1
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1
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2
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2
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3
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3
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4
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4
|
Antagonist
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|
Strengths
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Weaknesses
|
1
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1
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2
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2
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3
|
3
|
4
|
4
|
Opportunities
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Threats
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1
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1
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2
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2
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3
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3
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4
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4
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Exercise 14. Using the following table, describe a character with a secret from a) his or her perspective, and b) from the world’s perspective.
Character Perspective
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World Perspective
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Looks
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1
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1
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2
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2
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3
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3
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Sounds
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1
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1
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2
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2
|
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3
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3
|
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Feels
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1
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1
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2
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2
|
|
3
|
3
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During Week 8, I intend to return to the idea of honesty in writing, just as a reminder, before returning to the technicalities (mundane perhaps, but this is how my methodical brain likes to learn).
