In a post on Writer Unboxed, Kathleen McCleary asks if you’re pushing your characters hard enough. “One of the most basic elements of story, obviously, is to put characters into situations that are foreign to them and challenge them in new, previously unimaginable ways,” she says.
That doesn’t always mean major conflict or death-defying scenarios. You should also consider placing your characters in situations that make them uncomfortable, require them to do something new, or force them to face a fear. You might block them into making a decision or simply allow them to say “yes” to a situation when they would normally say “no.”
“What small actions might be out of character for your character?” McCleary asks. “Why would they choose to try something different? What small act of defiance or difference could your character do? And what would motivate them to do that? What would motivate them to do something that scares them?”
