The Daily Storyteller

The Hero and Villain Must Share the Same Goal


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For your story to have tension, you must create a legitimate threat to something that the characters care about. If your villain’s motives don’t spark any kind of real resistance from your hero, then there’s no threat. To create real emotional resonance in your audience’s hearts, your hero and villain must seek the same thing—this can be a literal object, or your villain can threaten something less tangible that your hero nevertheless deeply identifies with. Giving your hero and villain the same goal with opposing motives and alternate methods is a recipe for a great contest.
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The Daily StorytellerBy Jonathan Baldie