It’s axiomatic that your fictional protagonist needs a goal; otherwise, you won’t have much of a story to tell. But even the strongest goal will feel a little flat if you don’t understand and convey why this goal is so important to your main character. In a recent blog post, television writer Jurgen Wolff examines why “why” is key to your character’s journey.
To illustrate, Wolff suggests two motivations for a character running a marathon: one wants to raise money for a charity, the other wants to prove to his daughter that he can keep a commitment. While both goals are worthy, an audience is more likely to invest in the latter character, because the motivation is emotional and more personal, and the price of failure would sting.
Wolff also notes that what your character does to achieve their goal is less important and will change. “Sometimes in the course of the story, the protagonist realizes the ‘how’ they have chosen is not actually going to deliver the result they want,” Wolff says. “Thinking about the different ways that your characters try to fulfill their ‘why’ can be a rich source of incidents and turning points for your plot.”
Understanding your character’s why also can help you humanize an unlikable character or show why your MC acts in a negative way. Altering your readers’ perceptions helps them feel as though they are on a journey with your characters, rather than merely reading along.
