The Crime Fiction Protagonist

A well-developed character is multidimensional, with quirks and flaws, dreams, motivations, and values. A mystery novel's major character--the protagonist--must always want something. That desire is what sends him out in the middle of the night looking for a criminal when he could just as easily be sleeping in a warm, comfy bed. When something or someone stands in the way of your character getting what he wants, you get the beginnings of conflict. It's the conflict that sets up the story. How that character meets the challenge and overcomes the obstacles of the conflict defines that character.

Janet Evanovich, How I Write, 2006