We frequently hear, as writers, the advice that our protagonist needs to want something.
As Kurt Vonnegut put it: “Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water.”
And Vonnegut did say every character…not just our protagonist.
Of course, though, it’s natural to focus on what our main character wants. If there’s something he really wants and we keep it out of his reach, we’re creating tension and conflict with whatever is keeping him away from his goal.
It’s also important for readers to know what our protagonist’s motivation is. What his stake in the story is.
Sometimes it’s fun to have the protagonist struggling to choose between two separate things that he really wants….things that might seem mutually exclusive. But have them both be extremely important to the character. Obviously, this creates even more tension.
What if our protagonist’s goal and what he wants changes during the course of the story? What happens then?
But we also have antagonists to work with. And if her goal is opposite from our protagonist’s, then we’re setting them up for battle.
What about those characters who want the same thing that our protagonist wants…but maybe they’re inept in some way or accidentally bumble through and mess things up. Unintentionally.
There are also characters who don’t share the same goals as our protagonist, but they aren’t antagonists on a huge scale. Maybe they’re just holding back our protagonist in some way because their goals don’t align completely with his. (Like our protagonist’s boss. Our protagonist wants to be having adventures in Maui, but his boss wants him at his desk job.)
Does your character want something on an epic scale or a smaller one? Mine usually just want to put killers behind bars. :)
It’s fun to keep shifting gears on characters. Sometimes I feel like those corny old movies where Zeus keeps messing with his kids here on earth and they have no idea what the heck is going on LOL!
Elizabeth – Thinking about our characters’ goals is so important, isn’t it? That helps us focus on what they are like as people. At the beginning of the manuscript I’ve just finished, my protagonist wants to complete a research study. His goal changes as he and his research partners uncover a death. Then, finding a killer gets more personal for him. By the end of the story, he’s just wanting life to get back to what he thinks of as normal.
Great advice! :) I like having the characters being in situations where they have many choices to make.
Giving characters what they want but with unexpected consequences can also keep things moving. Deb Dixon says that the choices need to be between “it sucks” and “it’s suckier.”
Terry
Terry’s Place
Romance with a Twist–of Mystery
Very helpful post. Thank you.
My character had a major life goal, but it’s over the course of the story that he discovered he wanted something else even more.
Mine usually want something extremely linked in to emotions.
Freedom from the past, forgiveness, clarity…the meat of women’s fiction. ;)
~ Wendy
It’s always fun when a character’s goal changes – it’s a great way to add depth to both the plot and the character!
One of my recent characters started out wanting to murder, though it got to her conscience and then she wanted to stop a murder by someone else! I’m glad because I hate main characters being bad! lol
Thanks for using the time and effort to write something so interesting.
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My protags sometimes want to put jerks behind bars too, but more often, they want to break away from their own bars, kind of >:)
Cold As Heaven
I think Vonnegut’s advice is especially important in the “even if it’s a glass of water.”
Sometimes the little things the characters want are as important as the big ones. While not everything in the story has to be turned into a major conflict, everything _interesting_ will have some drive in it.
You character wants a bandaid. That simple want can become either a funny or tense scene as he or she is thwarted from getting it… or it can simply be something which drives the character to a discovery, when she sees the poison bottle in the medicine cabinet.
I try to think of all the characters, some work with the protagonist, some against, and some for themselves.
Stephen–It’s good to be Zeus…. :)
Alex–Which probably came as a surprise to him–another nice element to add to a novel.
Margot–I think I know where he’s coming from!
Wendy–I like that they’re wanting loftier things. It doesn’t always have to be grubby desires. A good reminder.
Jemi–I do, too. I hate making decisions, myself, but love it when my characters do.
Cold As Heaven–Which means you’ve got plenty of internal conflict! A good thing. :)
Terry–Ha! Our characters must hate us.
Joe–Thanks so much!
Elspeth–And we’re really the same way–sometimes I change my mind, too. :)
Judy–It’s a good thing your protagonist had a change of heart!
The Daring Novelist–Like today…all I wanted was to *sit down* for 5 minutes! It was one of those kinds of days. And it really was kind of comical how that desire was completely thwarted…up until right now!
Mary–And those independent agents who work for themselves can be troublemakers!