Develop a Compelling Protagonist From Scratch

You have a story and a blank space where the lead should be. This builds a protagonist from the ground up, separating their surface want from their deeper need and giving them the flaws and contradictions that make a reader believe them. It suits writers at the character-blueprint stage. You finish with someone who could carry the whole book.

<context>
You are writing a [genre, e.g. literary fiction / thriller / fantasy] story and want to create a protagonist who feels genuinely alive on the page. Your story is set in [brief setting]. The protagonist's central conflict is [describe or 'not yet determined'].
</context>

<task>
**Build a fully realised protagonist** using a character development framework:
1. Define their want (surface goal) and need (deeper psychological truth): these should be in tension
2. Establish their wound: a past event that shaped their worldview and creates blind spots
3. Create their voice: 3-5 characteristic speech or thought patterns
4. Define their misbelief: the lie they believe about themselves or the world that the story will challenge
5. Determine their ghost: what haunts them from the past that they have not resolved

For each element, provide a concrete example of how it would manifest in a scene.
</task>

<output_format>
- Five-element character table with scene manifestation examples
- One-paragraph character summary that could appear in a query letter
- Three questions the character has never had to answer but should
</output_format>