Comments on: Antagonist & Contagonist

By: Dwayne

Dwayne — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 00:57:51 +0000

Great post Therese:

I’m already using Scrivener, but I’m thinking of switching over to DramaticaPro, as I see it has a lot of potential.

I haven’t purchased it yet, but I’m still reviewing their entire theory book on storytelling. It’s on their website for free.

It deals with everything from 4-dimensional character development all the way down to advanced story weaving.

They even have sections where they analyze movies, like “300″ for instance, and point out where the screenplay missed a character development opportunity that could have taken the movie from being just really good to being great.

I’m surprised more novelists aren’t using DramaticaPro. Could it be that many novelists already are, but are just not saying so?

Question: How did Steinbeck and Dickens write novels with twists and turns, subplots, conflicts, etc., and keep up with all of their characters without a computer? Can you imagine writing War and Peace without a PC?

Or Is the craft of novel writing as old as the sun itself?

Like? 1

By: Writeorical Questions

Writeorical Questions — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 11:15:14 +0000

Thanks for that. The Contagonist (which I first read as ContagIonist ;-)) is a little-known yet oft-used character archetype… one, in fact, which appears in my own manuscript! And I didn’t even realize it until I read your post!

Now all I want defined is the Contagionist… ^^

Like? 0

By: Gail Clark

Gail Clark — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 18:45:09 +0000

Seems to me, in terms of TV shows, a contagonist could be that character that you love to hate, the one who is bad, but you know there is a deeper backstory that makes you feel sympathy, makes you like them just a little. My guilty TV pleasure is Gossip Girl, a show that has a couple of these characters – Chuck and Blair. Both bad, both manipulative, but also damaged young people who are hurting and so they hurt others. Blair to keep her social position, which is all she really has, and Chuck just because he enjoys toying with others. Often I find that characters like this tend to be my favorites, just because they can be more interesting and layered than the typical hero or heroine.

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By: Eric

Eric — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 16:19:22 +0000

Contagonist sounds a lot like a potential Trickster, as outlined in Vogler’s stuff. They don’t even have to be intentional tricksters, and I’ve found a lot of TV shows use them. You know that one character that drags everyone else down because they have so many problems and can’t seem to “get it together?”

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By: Ray Rhamey

Ray Rhamey — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 15:21:10 +0000

Very nice expansion of the protagonist/antagonist discussion. Seems to me that clear motivation is key to having a successful contagonist.

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By: Suzanne

Suzanne — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 14:59:23 +0000

Thanks for a terrific post, it really got me thinking about the novel that I’m currently revising and how I could use this ‘contagonist’ concept to heighten tension.

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By: Kathleen Bolton

Kathleen Bolton — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 14:20:18 +0000

Wow, great post and analysis, Ter. I’m going to check out Dramatica more thoroughly soon, it sounds like it can start some good brainstorms.

I liked the contagonist in Juliet’s new Wildwood Dancing (fabu book, Juliet!). Gogu the frog acts as the protagonist’s conscience throughout most of the book. It was a clever device, Juliet, and I thought it worked wonderfully.

But Snape is numero uno in my book for best contagoinist.

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