How Strong is Your Protagonist’s Story Goal?
Does your reader know exactly what your protagonist wants? Is your story goal strong enough so that your reader knows for sure if your protagonist succeeds or fails at the end of the book?
In this article I give you two ways to test if your protagonist’s story goal is strong enough so that you can be sure that you have a solid plot and solid character motivation that readers can relate to.
Let’s hop to it!
WHAT IS A STORY GOAL?
A story goal in fiction is what your main character wants more than anything in this world. They believe, heart-deep that this thing they want will solve all their problems. They believe this thing they want will change their life for the better. Their desire is so strong, they will walk through fire to attain it.
Except…
They didn’t understand that the journey would require them to go through some changing first. If they’d only known that getting the girl meant they’d first have to ditch their arrogant ways, then maybe getting the girl isn’t so important after all.
And yet … that girl—your protagonist can’t get her off their mind. Why? Why is she, like, always, in their thoughts?
WHY? THE FIRST WAY TO TEST YOUR STORY GOAL
This is a writer’s first order of business in making sure the story goal will hold up under that fire-walk. The object of your protagonist’s desire (in this case, a girl) can’t just be any old girl. She has to be so important, so meaningful that your protagonist will do anything to get her. This is your WHY. If you can come up with a strong enough reason to explain your protagonist’s obsession, then your readers will understand—and believe—their efforts.
When they walk through the fire, your readers can relate.
If your WHY isn’t strong enough, then your readers won’t believe that your main character would do half the things they do or say to try to get the girl. And this is because of that fire-walk. No one in their right mind would walk through fire for a pork chop, but they sure would for a pepperoni-and-mushroom pizza. (This is not an insight into me, I swear … really.)
Remember, the fire-walk in your book (the character’s journey) is filled with ups and downs and fraught with obstacles and danger. If your character’s journey isn’t the most difficult experience of their entire life, then your story will sag, and drift aimlessly.
In other words, your readers won’t care if they get the girl or not because they stopped reading.
TEST YOUR CHARACTER’S WHY:
I want {insert story goal} because {insert protagonist’s reason}
This {story goal} makes me feel {insert emotion}
When I feel {write emotion from prompt #2 above}, then I know all my problems will be fixed such as {list out what your protagonist’s struggles are}
I will no longer feel {negative emotion or limiting belief} once I achieve {story goal} because this is how it will fix everything: {insert your protagonist’s justification}
WHEN? THE SECOND WAY TO TEST YOUR CHARACTER’S STORY GOAL
The other question a writer needs to tackle when they’re deciding on the story goal is WHEN the readers will know if your protagonist has succeeded or not.
Using our example of the girl, is there any possible loophole or weakness to this goal? I mean, is “getting the girl” in and of itself clear enough? Will we know for sure when this happens?
The WHEN is externalized in the story. It is an outer event that your readers need to witness with their own eyes, word for word as it plays out upon the page. This event is a scene; it is not buried in narrative or exposition.
Obviously, the victory (or defeat) for your protagonist will occur toward the end of the book. So, this means you kinda need to know how your story is going to end before you start writing it. Once you’re able to figure out if your protagonist will be victorious or defeated, then you need to be sure the moment is as specific and concrete as possible. That’s why a scene is the better choice.
Now remember, the story goal is important to your protagonist because they believe that is the thing that will solve all of their problems, improve their life, make everything better.
They will be wrong.
The error in their thinking is based on their denial that what will truly make everything better is if they change internally. This internal journey is what is commonly known as the NEED—the thing that will truly fix their life. At the beginning of your story, your protagonist is all about the DESIRE. They tell themselves that if they just get their DESIRE, then they’re complete. The journey that ensues ultimately teaches them that if they want the DESIRE so darn bad, they’re gonna have to suck up some self-improvement lessons (NEED).
This journey will involve false victories—where your protagonist thinks they’ve succeeded in getting their desire, and some false defeats—where your protagonist thinks they’ve screwed everything up to the point they’ll never succeed. The back-and-forth, up-and-down, will they win-will they lose pattern throughout your protagonist’s journey is not just to stymie your protagonist—it’s also providing opportunities for them to learn from their mistakes and begin to change as a result.
That’s why, by the end of your book, your reader needs to be clear on exactly when your protagonist succeeds. Not only is it important to see the win or loss in action, but the associated changes in your character’s development should be played out definitively as well.
TEST YOUR CHARACTER’S WHEN
My protagonist will achieve their story goal when {specify event}
My protagonist will know for sure they have succeeded in their quest when {specify event}
Readers will know my protagonist has either won or lost because this event happens: {specify event}
Clarity on your protagonist’s WHY and your story’s WHEN will help guide you to craft a concrete story goal that holds up through fire-walks and keeps your reader wondering how everything will turn out.
CHIME IN! WHAT IS YOUR PROTAGONIST’S STORY GOAL? DO YOU HAVE A WHY AND A WHEN ALL MAPPED OUT?
LET ME KNOW IN THE COMMENTS!
HAVE A WRITERLY DAY!