THE STORYTELLER’S MISSION WITH ZENA DELL LOWE

S2 E12 – Breaking your Story in Five Easy Steps – Part 2 – What does Your Protagonist Want?

When it comes to staying on track with a story, there is nothing more important than giving your main character a clear, actionable goal to pursue. To that end, you need to know what your character wants – what is he or she after – and then make sure that he or she pursues that want relentlessly for the rest of the story.

Some hints and principles:

1.     Your Main Character should already be pursuing something at the beginning of the story, even before the inciting incident occurs. Then, something happens, which either coincides with or radically alters want they want.

2.     Whatever they want, whatever their goal, it must be actionable, concrete, something tangible. Avoid nebulous or vague wants, or those stated in terms of “feelings.” You want something that elicits logical and practical steps that the main character can take to achieve his or her goal. 

3.     If the want is stated in terms of feelings (i.e., She wants to feel safe vs. She wants to find a safe place), it becomes problematic and can lead to a passive character. Any time you articulate that your character’s want is to feel something or learn something, you’re in danger of having a nebulous or abstract want.

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WHAT'S NEXT? Join us next Thursday, when we dive into Part 3: What does your Protagonist Need?

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 TOPIC REQUESTS?  If you have a question or a specific writing related topic that you would like Zena to consider addressing in a future podcast, SEND AN EMAIL to [email protected]. We’d love to hear from you!

SPECIAL THANKS to CARLA PATULLO for the original music used in the intro and outro of this podcast. To find out more about this amazing talent, go to  www.carlapatullo.com

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