If Your Character Doesn’t Want Anything, The Plot Can’t Start
so. here’s the thing. if your main character is just kinda floating through the story like a passive sad bean™️ with no real goal or drive, then the plot? is not plotting.
this isn’t a ✨you suck✨ thing. it’s a common first draft curse. but if you’re 30k words deep and your protagonist is still just reacting to stuff with vague concern and inner monologues about The Past™… we need to talk.
📍what even is a character “want”?
your character’s want is their external goal. the thing they’re trying to get, do, or change.
avenge someone
win a trial
run away from their cursed bloodline
steal the crown
get through one (1) normal semester without summoning a demon by accident
it’s tangible. it’s active. it’s visible. other characters should be able to argue with it, get in the way of it, or try to stop it.
💥without a want, your character is just:
wandering
reacting
monologuing about their feelings
getting dragged into scenes by external forces
waiting for the plot to happen to them
and honestly? same. but also: no.
readers need to feel like your character is making the story happen, not being passively pushed along by fate and side characters with better motivations.
⚠️ want vs need (aka: the emotional trauma part)
quick breakdown:
the want = the external goal (win the throne, survive the week, kiss the hot villain)
the need = the internal arc (heal the grief, learn to trust, accept their identity, realize kissing the hot villain is a bad idea)
your character should want something that will eventually lead them to what they need. but the want comes first. the want is the engine. the need is the crash landing.
plot starts with the want.
character arc ends with the need.
🎯 signs your character doesn’t want anything (yet):
you keep skipping scenes because “nothing is happening”
you’re relying on vibes or worldbuilding to carry the tension
side characters are doing all the heavy lifting
your protagonist spends more time reacting than deciding
your outline says “stuff happens” for 8 chapters
🛠️ how to fix it:
Make them want something that’s wrong. they don’t have to want the right thing. they just have to want something strongly. wrong goals lead to better tension. and failure. and chaos. (yay!)
Put something between them and that goal. wanting something isn’t enough. they need to pursue it, and get blocked. by enemies. allies. their own self-sabotage. this is where conflict comes from.
Tie the want to survival or obsession. if it’s not urgent, it’s background noise. raise the stakes. why now? why does this matter? why can’t they walk away?
Let them choose. at some point in Act 1, they need to make a conscious decision to pursue the goal. even if they get manipulated into it. even if it’s a bad idea. it needs to feel like a choice.
📦 examples:
✨bad✨: “she’s just trying to get by and see what happens”
✅better: “she’s trying to disappear, but someone recognizes her from the war and now she has to fake a new identity while hunting them down before they ruin her life”
see the difference? one is vibes. one is a whole plot engine.
the story doesn’t start until your character wants something badly enough to make a move, and risk breaking something.
give them a goal. a plan. a terrible idea. and then go ruin their life.
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