“How do I know I’m the good guy?”

One of the best things about teaching screenwriting in my spare time is how much the writers I work with provide insights and resources so that as a result, I find myself learning something on almost a daily basis.

In a recent Screenwriting Master Class course, we were talking about Protagonist and Nemesis characters. A writer in the class Deborah Goodwin posted this excerpt from “Night Film” by Marisha Pessl:

Be the good guy, he said…

How do I know I’m the good guy?

A very wise question. You don’t. Most bad guys think they’re good. But there are a few signifiers. You’ll be miserable. You’ll be hated. You’ll fumble around in the dark, alone and confused. You’ll have little insight as to the true nature of things, not until the very last minute, and only if you have the stamina and the madness to go to the very, very end. But most importantly — and critically — you will act without regard for yourself. You’ll be motivated by something that has nothing to do with the ego. You’ll do it for justice, for grace, for love, those larger heroic qualities only the good have the strength to carry on their shoulders. You’ll listen.

If you’re the good guy, you just might survive…

That is about one of the best expressions of a classic movie Protagonist I’ve ever seen, down to the point of articulating the conflictual nature of their physical and psychological journey. Indeed that final point — “you will act without regard for yourself” — brings to mind Joseph Campbell’s description: “A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself.”

How many hundreds of movies does that sentiment bring to mind?

Next time you start developing your story’s Protagonist, why not use this quote from Marisha Pessl to inspire and guide you along the way?

Thanks, Deborah!

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