From the course: Writing: The Craft of Story
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Explanation: All protagonists have a goal
From the course: Writing: The Craft of Story
Explanation: All protagonists have a goal
- Everyone has an agenda. You, me, and every protagonist worth their salt. That's because we're wired to be goal-driven the better to achieve our primary objective; physical and social survival. As far as our brain is concerned without a goal, everything is meaningless. That's why in a story, the reader immediately needs to know what the protagonist's agenda is since that's what gives meaning to every single thing that happens. So the first question you need to ask is what does my protagonist want? Surprisingly, this is something that writers often miss so I want to say it strongly. Every story begins with a protagonist who wants something very, very badly. Even if what they want is to stay exactly the same like Bilbo Baggins in the Hobbit. Remember what we said about the readers slipping into the protagonist's skin and feeling what the protagonist feels. Well, those feelings all stem from the protagonist's driving desire and what he has…
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