Listen fellow writers. I know things are grim right now, but as bad
as things are just remember, wait for the dramatic orchestral score to start playing,
give a cheesy heroic speech, and then everything will magically be okay! That’s right. Terrible Writing Advice leads writers into
the fray with a video on writing leader characters! Now I can understand how my fellow writers
can struggle with writing good leaders since I’ve personally never seen one. But like a good leader, a writer shouldn’t
hesitate to take short cuts and use cheap tricks that are utterly unsustainable in the
long term. Much like leadership itself, a writer can
simply bluff and put on a front that their leader characters are well written and no
one else will be none the wiser! Besides, no one else knows what good leadership
looks like either, so what are they going to do? Call your bluff? There’s no time! We have to move to covering writing leader
characters now! Now where to start when it comes to writing
leader characters? Well the most important thing about writing
leaders is to treat leadership like a character trait, not a skill that can be learned or
a talent that can be honed. Leadership and charisma are the same thing
and should always be conflated with one another because that has never lead to disastrous
results in real life! As such leader characters can have leadership
as their core and often only personality trait. Yes this makes them basically a robot that
directs the characters to their next objective, but that’s okay because having characters
defined solely by their utility to the author is the best way to write characters anyway. This approach is what I call leader default. Basically a character that exists only to
lead. This kind of leader is great for when the
protagonist isn’t ready for the big chair just yet and instead that function in the
story is passed off to the leader default. This character often shows up in ensemble
pieces or stories that feature a team and must always be the most boring character of
the lot. Not only is leader default’s only character
trait ‘leader’, but that trait is good enough to let the author completely ignore
every other aspect of that character. Hobbies, aspirations, outlook, core motive? Not needed in the slightest. I mean yes the character could be replaced
by a toaster in terms of personality, but leader default is more about filling in a
role so the writer can focus on more important things like unrestrained power fantasy or
the love triangle! Now if writing a perfunctory leader is too
much work then the best solution is to make the protagonist the perfunctory leader. Does the main character have any talent, interest,
or skills in leadership? Well no, but it hardly matters because mostly
I want the protagonist to have the title, not bother myself with writing the protagonist
actually leading anything. I can always push that off until to epilogue
where I can easily brush the whole thing off as being something they mastered after the
climax of the story. Does the protagonist have to learn leadership
skills as they go? Do they struggle with managing all of the
other characters under their charge? Do they step into the role with ease discovering
a hidden talent, or are they forced into it by circumstance? Where. Is. The. Conflict? I don’t know, but what I do know is that
leadership always defaults to the protagonist in most situations anyway no matter how incompetent
it makes every other character look. In stories there is a rule that only one competent
leader is allowed. This brings me to one of my favorite tropes,
the Commander Contrarian. A Commander Contrarian is a rival authority
figure that exists only to second guess the good guys’ every decision. The best way to handle this character is to
make the Contrarian’s role as transparent to the audience as possible. The Contrarian exists only to be an obstacle
to the main characters no matter how little sense that makes. The best kind of conflict in a story is contrived
conflict and the Contrarian excels at this. What about the Contrarian’s character? What character? The Contrarian isn’t there to be a ‘character’
so much as a speed bump that slows the plot down and showcases how right the main characters
are so they can get a ‘gotcha moment’ on the Contrarian later in the story. In other words, the Contrarian is a strawman
so that the author… um I mean the audience can indulge in the
fantasy of winning an augment. See? The Contrarian is easy to write so long as
the writer doesn’t mess it up by using the character as a foil to highlight certain traits
in the main character, give an opposing point of view that highlights a much deeper ideological
conflict between the two characters, oppose the main characters for an actual reason beyond
petty spite or because the story says so, or have an actual point when the main characters
are in the wrong. I can’t have the ‘gotcha moment’ ruined
by turning it on the protagonist instead providing a key opportunity for character growth. Nor should a writer bother having the Commander
Contrarian serve as a second in command for the leader by acting as someone for the leader
to bounce ideas off of while having both characters maintain a level of professional respect for
each others leadership style. Nah. Just keep the Contrarian as a one off obstacle
to be used up and discarded like every other obstruction in the protagonist’s path. Now I know what makes a good Contrarian, but
what makes for an ideal leader character? Obviously the best character to lead is a
lone wolf super macho loose cannon who doesn’t respect authority. Clearly the best leader is one that despises
very concept of leaders. In fact, if all of the fake leaders would
just get out of the way, then all of these lone wolves would surely solve all of society's
problems! Leadership isn’t about organizing groups
of people with wildly different perspectives into something capable of solving problems
that individuals cannot tackle alone. No. It’s all about cutting past red tape so
the trouble shooting lone wolf can find trouble and shoot it! This works for all problems. Yes the lone wolf never actually leads anyone
anywhere except for leading the bad guys into the morgue, but the story will insist that
this guy should be the leader in spite of having zero tact or even a basic understanding
of the very system they serve. But I insist that this character still be
called a leader and earn a promotion to the top spot after the story ends even though
everything we learn about the character would tells us that the lone wolf would absolutely
hate having to deal with the ins and outs of their new position as an authority figure. When it comes to a crisis situation, a poor
decision is often better than no decision. When faced with an overwhelming disaster,
people have this bad tendency to just let their fear response shut them down which is
why institutions facing such possible conditions tend to train and drill a response into their
personnel to override the natural human instinct to panic, run, hide, or otherwise simply freeze
in place. Thankfully our leader doesn’t need any training
in this area and will just always know the right decision to make at any moment, rather
than make a poor decision that they have to compensate for on the fly. Remember that leader characters are unthinking,
unfeeling decision machines that have the right answer to any problem spoon-fed to them
by the writer. This will never make the audience start to
hate the leader when the story shields them from consequences of their poor decision making. Besides, being a leader in a story should
be only perks with none of the drawbacks like being in charge of the mages, warriors, thieves,
and assassins all at once, but like not in a way that the leader has to hassle with all
of the drama, logistical problems, and general fuse of running a large organization. What if the leader has to make a tough decision? Oh no! What long term consequences will there be? Nothing because once I’ve milked the drama
out of this tense decision, I will instantly forget about it and never bring it up again! In fact, when it comes to writing a leader
character, the fictional leader has the magical ability to enact policy that somehow doesn’t
screw over anyone but the bad guys. Even more magical is that the leader doesn’t
have to hash out their policy as a compromise with a group of other leaders since the story
adheres to the one competent leader rule. Leaders need never to actually get their hands
dirty with the nitty-gritty minutia of politics. It’s not like all of the intrigue of characters
could make for compelling drama either because nothing blows up. The best way to solve a mystery plot is to
blow it up halfway through and forget about it. Besides, my leader is above politics and will
ride that high-horse until it gets them outmaneuvered by their political rivals! Just kidding. It’s the writer’s job to make sure that
doesn’t happen while still letting the leader keep the moral high ground no matter how much
engaging conflict the story has to shed in the process. Now in real life, a leader’s moral character
doesn’t always impact their ability to craft good policy. See half the leaders in history. Fiction, however, does not have to adhere
to this. Having effective leaders also be moral paragons
is a form of wish fulfillment and that’s fine! The only real mistake is making sure that
a leader character matches the tone. Remember, wish fulfillment before tone and
consistency. Also remember to insist that a character is
good and noble by turning down power because they understand the responsibility. Because not stepping up when you are needed
most is the true essence of a moral character. Besides, I’m sure someone incompetent won’t
step in the fill that opening instead. But no, we should celebrate that the ‘hero’
isn’t tempted by political power so he can go off and accumulate unchecked magic power
instead. Why bother with soft power when a hero can
use hard magic power instead? It is their destiny just like in a lot of
fantasy stories where the only effective leadership comes from royalty. That makes for a great moral of the story;
only people with the correct genetics should be in charge of society and the rest of us
peasants should know our place. This is why evil advisors are so common, because
the common man with bad blood could never be a good leader and a person of royal blood
could never be a bad leader. Therefore it’s the evil advisor’s fault
for leading the good leader astray. Never mind that a good leader would probably
be able to figure out that a guy named Slimeword selling him on a policy of child sacrifice
in the name of eldritch ascension might not be the trustworthy fellow and maybe he should
get a second opinion that doesn’t involve murdering his subjects in pursuit of ancient
power. But no, it’s the evil advisor’s fault
not the person making actual decisions. The surefire sign of a good leader is one
that never accepts responsibility for their power. Well that and giving a heroic speech! Heroic speeches are great when they come out
of nowhere, especially from a character who never gives speeches. Be sure to maximize the cheese. Because remember, a real leader knows when
the chips are down, the only play they can make is to line up their shot and take it. Then, bingo, checkmate, king me! Victory is all the sweeter when it’s earned
through sheer grit and determination. Because at the end of the day, all we have
is each other and hope for the future. So follow me, everyone! To victory! I mean when I figure out how to get there? CONSPIRACY GUY: Look this portal I summoned
to the innergate runs on narrative tension. If we drag this out too long then the tension
is going to dry up and close, so hurry up! DARK LORD: Good. Let’s follow this Greed fellow. The only one who is going to conquer the TWA
universe is me! SIR ADBLOCK: Commander, let’s go. KNIGHT COMMANDER: Why? What’s the point? It just leads to another stupid ad like everything
else in this world. SIR ADBLOCK: Commander… KNIGHT COMMANDER: There’s no point… SIR ADBLOCK: Listen, Commander. We are the Knights of Artistic Integrity and
our foe is advertising. Ads grow more common, more powerful, louder,
and more intrusive every day. You see them everywhere you go. They pop up on every screen you see. Only a few bastions remain, but they will
fall over time. Against such a foe, victory was always the
long shot. But we are the Knights of Artistic Integrity,
we knew the odds when we signed up. KNIGHT COMMANDER: But how can we even save
this world if it is just an ad? How can anyone fight against elemental greed
made manifest? SIR ADBLOCK: True, greed is a fundamental
aspect of life, but I know a force even more powerful. Change. Greed is part of life, but change is part
of everything. Yes this world may be an ad designed to serve
greed, but worlds can change just as people can. Just because the world is rotten doesn’t
mean we should give up the fight to make it better however hopeless the odds may be. We call that integrity and we are its knights. So enough with the pity party. Integrity calls and we must answer, because
no one else will. KNIGHT COMMANDER: All right. I guess we might as well try. SIR ADBLOCK: Good! Inevitably only becomes so when you give up
and make it so. Let’s go! DARK LORD: What is this nonsense? CONSPIRACY GUY: It seems Greed has left a
paywall in our way. GREED: That’s right. Sorry I couldn’t be there in person. Multiverse to conquer and all. You see, JP’s video on leadership got me
thinking about Sam from Wendover and his class on Persuasive Communication on Nebula classes. See, when you sign up using my link to Nebula
classes you get access to not just that class, but also Legal Eagle’s class on Copyright,
Thomas Frank’s business 101, and many others with new classes every week. Nebula classes is only 10$ a month or $100
for a year, but if you sign up using my link then you can Nebula classes for $80 for a
full year. Even better, when you sign up for Nebula classes
you even get access to Nebula itself including ad free Terrible Writing Advice episodes that
premier there not to mention lots of exclusive content from other creators. Those who already have Nebula or the Curiosity
Stream Nebula package classes are only 5$ a month extra or $50 a year. Simply click on the button on screen or the
link in the description to sign up and give the TWA Expanded Universe the support it deserves. SIR ADBLOCK: Alright. I blocked it, but I’m not sure for how long. Quickly! To the intergate! Uh oh.
