How can I figure out my main character's overall goal?
I'm currently brainstorming a fantasy story, and I love the idea of my main character, but I'm having a hard time pinning down who she is as a person. I know her backstory, her family, her abilities, even her job, but for the life of me I can't figure out what her goal is. I can't figure out what she wants out of her life, and I don't know how to solve my problem. Any suggestions would be super helpful.
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Story is driven by desire and that which stands in the way of achieving desire. If your character had a strong desire, she would have a goal. If she does not have a strong desire, that means she has everything she wants. Or at least she has everything she is willing to work hard to get.
That's fine. Lots of stories start like that. And the answer is simple enough. Take something away from her, or threaten to: home, loved ones, etc. Bingo, now she has a goal: either to save them or to be revenged on those who took them.
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Put aside the character for a moment, and ask yourself how you want the story to end. Then work backwards to your character. If she is, in fact, your main character, she will have, or develop, a goal that is congruent with the story goal.
If you can't do this, maybe you should put your "main character" in a different role, and get another main character. For instance, if your "main character" has everything she wants and all the abilities to get them, maybe you should make her the equivalent of a fairy godmother or good witch of the north (that's perfectly fine), and find yourself a "Cinderella" or a "Dorothy."
Readers see a story through the eyes of a main character. Her success/failure ultimately reflects on the story itself. That's why she needs a goal congruent with the story's goal.
This post was sourced from https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/27967. It is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
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