Thread: Careers and Your Protaganist

One thing that's surprised me is how difficult it is to pick a career for my characters. Do any of you have this issue, and if not do you have any advice you could give?

Thanks!

I'd at the least choose something you would not mind researching extensively if need be. Otherwise something you know about and understand what kind of person would do that job and wether they'd do it well, or quit it. I'd say what we do says quite a bit about who we are.

Unless the career of your protagonist is plot centric try to find something that just jells well with their personality. For example, theres a character I'm writing right now that is manipulative and really tries to get inside people's heads, so I made her a psychologist. I would suggest finding a broad career field and narrowing it down from there. If its not important to the plot though, you can always go to a generic white collar job. It just depends on what your story is about, and what the main focus is.

I am making mine criminals, most people can't contradict me, those who can won't

So far it has never occurred to me to write anything where the various characters' occupations are not, in some way at least, part of the story. I suppose it could be done, but those characters would seem less fleshed out, more flat. And they almost certainly would not include the protagonist.

Originally Posted by The Backward OX

And they almost certainly would not include the protagonist.

Ah, thank you for that correction! I keep managing to forget that it's o, not a. Too bad I can't edit the title.

In my story, the profession is somewhat important as it's a plot point, but I have figured out a suitable one. Thanks for the advice, it's been very helpful.

Originally Posted by aionis427

Ah, thank you for that correction! I keep managing to forget that it's o, not a.

If you realise the root word is 'agony', and remember that, you'll never get it wrong.

It seems to me, if you want to be a writer, this is the kind of question you should be able instinctively answer for yourself. It's all just part of developing a believable character. It needs to make some kind of sense based on every other aspect of your character -- and the story itself.

My MC in my novel is a creative director at an ad agency. Why? Well, I'm in advertising -- so no research required. But it also ties into other aspects of the character and the story. Art is an important part of the story and his romantic interest is a painter. His interest in art would makes sense. Many creative directors are designers. Most designers are interested in art, or they're artists or they studied art in school. One aspect of it reinforces another. It also affects how much money he makes -- so in turn, where he lives and the kind of car he drives etc.

His best friend is a nurse. It just seemed to fit her personality. Once I determined that, I used other aspects of that in the story. Her work schedule and an incident where her medical knowledge was a factor. So a part of the story was spontaneously determined by the choice. Otherwise, her occupation isn't critical -- although once I made that decision, some research was required.

Think through it and use your imagination. Pick something and try it, see if it works. It's all just part of the process.

Honestly, I've only ever had to think about this issue once - every other story I've written it's either self-evident what the character does for a living before I even start writing, or else it just doesn't come up in the story.

The one time I had to think about it, I considered things like: what is my character's social class. what is his personality, his schooling level, his family history, what profession would reflect these things? what profession would fit the character and the story thematically? what *feels* right.

A tip, perhaps: while I was pondering all this, I went to some of my co-workers whose parents would have been roughly the same generation as my character (who is elderly) and asked the question, "What did your Daddy do for a living?" As it happens, one of them had a father who ran a bakery, which inspired me to cast my character as a baker/restaurateur. It fit the story perfectly in terms of his background, and thematically (the theme being appetites.)