I thought it would be wise to ask more than just myself about creating the perfect protagonist. Most of this is just going to be me rambling so you have been warned.

The perfect protagonist is someone you care for. Perhaps its a better version of yourself or someone you know in a world you have created. I've made a few characters...but I never fully understood their purpose. I thought they were just my character. That was until I found a quote that really helped me. Without writing it out, it said to torture my protagonist. That sounds really harsh to me though.
However, the perfect story often has a protagonist that goes through all kinds of things you yourself would hate too. By creating a protagonist that we our selves love, we are able to write real emotion. Is this making any sense?

Right now all I want to know, is what do we really want in a protagonist?
Do we have to know our story before we create them? Or do we create them and give them a story? Do they belong to it or does the story belong to them?
Complicated, I know. My head is spinning with ideas, but I thought I would try and both tell you and myself that the protagonist is just as important as the other words on the page.
Now I need to consider what kind of character that would bring out the same emotions in other people as they do myself. It's hard work.