I have in mind a story in which the protagonist is an anti-hero. How would the Novel Matrix be adapted to such a story? Would it require adaptations? Thanks.
Hey Steve. That’s a great question! It’s also a really big question. 🙂 I think we could do a whole series of classes just on this one question and look at a lot of really great examples.
The short answer is that you have two options. The most common solution is: nothing changes.
This is how it’s most typically done and is most satisfying to your audience. Look at The Godfather for an example: https://novelmatrix.com/the-godfather-story-plan/ The only big difference is that in the beginning of the story Michael Corleone doesn’t agree with the goal he’ll eventually achieve. Michael Corleone wants to rise above and be “good,” but the audience can see that his real goal, and the one he’ll achieve, is to become the most ruthless mob boss in New York’s history.
Your other option is to invert the three-act structure. So it starts low and then ends with failure. This is not very common in any kind of popular media, because it’s just not very satisfying to audiences. However, you’ll see attempts at it in artsy/indie/foreign stuff.
The real trick of an anti-hero story is to tell a story about a bad guy in a way that’s still satisfying to the audience. Usually, the same Novel Matrix structure is still your best way to achieve that.
I just realized the topic I brought up sounds like a tutorial. It’s actually a question. Sorry if I misled anyone.