Do You Know What Your Character Is Doing?

What is your main character’s goal? The thing that drives her through the story, no matter how many obstacles you throw at her. You know what it is, right?

And you also know your bad guy’s goal—the one that tries to thwart your heroine at every turn.

No?

If you can’t state your protagonists’ and antagonists’ goals in a few words, your story is probably floundering, because those goals are critical pieces of your plot’s foundation.

I recently watched an action movie. Big name actors. Good special effects. A bomb that was going to explode in Times Square unless the heroine stopped it. Should have been a good movie, but halfway through I grew bored, because: A) Nowhere in the movie was it made clear what the bad guys were trying to achieve, and B) I was never clear on what the heroine’s primary goal was. I didn’t know what was driving her, so eventually I stopped caring what happened.

Instead of her goal pushing the plot toward the final showdown where she faced her inner demons and succeeded (or failed), she was merely reacting to stuff that happened, racing from one high octane moment to the next.

Ho hum.

In a similar vein, you heroine’s goal is the reason your readers care about her and want to cheer her on to success.

To write a good story, you MUST know your character’s story goal. If you aren’t sure, try one of the following:

• Sit down with your main character and ask hard questions about her relationships, her fears, her dreams, and her inner demons. Deep, deep down, what drives her? Her story goal should stem from some inner need. (Even if she’s not aware of it.)
• Consider what your story is about—the Theme. What are the protagonistic and antagonistic ideals that will clash to portray this theme? What character goals might portray those ideals?
• Start with the climax. What will happen in the final confrontation? What final obstacle must your hero overcome in order to finally defeat his nemesis? Now think back to who your hero was at the start of the story. What goal will bridge that gap, forcing the action and the change necessary to get him to the climax moment?

As you write and rewrite your story, you may tweak your goal as the plot and characters evolve, but never lose sight of it or your story will go astray. And don’t be afraid to remind your character’s if they show signs of getting off track. If they yearn for another goal, tell them it will have to wait until the next story. Stay on track.