One of the most crucial “story essentials” when writing a novel is to craft an active protagonist. Protagonists who are active and engage meaningfully with their world will grip the reader. Protagonists who feel like they sleepwalk through a novel will have them reaching for something different to read.
And the protagonist(s) (for simplicity I’m going to stick to a singular protagonist for the rest of the post) should be active throughout the entire novel. Yes. Every. Single. Scene.
They can’t just want something, they need to be actively going after it, even if that’s just to figure something out.
The reasons for this cut to the heart of why we read and write novels entirely.
Here’s what I mean.
Why we read about active protagonists
My personal theory is that stories hinge on characters moving through a world:
Stories are “manuals” that a) help us simulate how we might act in situations we may encounter in the future and b) help us understand the way others experience the world.
And in order for it to be an interesting story, our proxies in the novel need to actively engage with their world. This almost always means having something they desire from their world, and then actively going after that thing, encountering obstacles, and emerging changed.
This can mean anything from saving the world or simply coming to a new understanding, but the core of a story is a character actively trying to do something to move through their world and/or effect change.
Readers anchor to what the protagonists want
You can feel this as you’re reading a great novel.
When readers find out that a character wants something and why it matters to them, it becomes our north star in the novel. We latch onto it and start wanting it on their behalf.
It even affects how we process information and exposition. Readers unconsciously delineate between “important” and “unimportant” information based on how it relates to the protagonist’s goals.
The more a character puts skin in the game going after the things they want, the more the reader feels the importance. We can be moved to tears and exultation when we see characters try extremely hard over the course of the novel, only to be disappointed or victorious.
Those vicarious emotions hinge on protagonists actively going after the things they want and putting in effort.
Protagonists who don’t try can be frustrating
On the flip side, protagonists who don’t go after the things they care about can be positively maddening. It’s too easy for the reader to conclude: How much can they really care if they can’t even try?
Many writers create arcs around characters learning to find their voice or to be brave, and for too much of the novel we don’t even see them try to change their circumstances. These storylines are invariably very frustrating to read because it’s just not particularly interesting to watch characters be passengers. It can even start to feel like the protagonist isn’t the true center of the story.
This is also an area where stories diverge from real life. In actuality, someone who’s grief-stricken may well fall into a paralyzed stupor and not leave the couch for a month. But just because that’s what happens in real life sometimes doesn’t necessarily mean it’s going to be a good story.
To make a good story, show a character going after something and throw obstacles in their way. Watching them fall into a stupor or do a bunch of chores is really difficult to make scintillating.
Active doesn’t mean omnipotent
Now, all of this doesn’t mean a character necessarily needs to be powerful. Not every story hinges on a character saving the entire world. They may well have constraints, whether because of society, family, religion, or their own personal limitations.
This is also an area where other storytelling traditions come into play. At the risk of over-generalizing, in non-western and older stories, there tends to be more recognition of the way the broader world and outside forces impact a character, whereas in modern western literature there tends to be more emphasis on a character shaping the world.
By impressing on the need for a character to be active in this post, I’m not saying they need to be in control. But, again, all stories are about characters moving through the world. They don’t need to have all the power and they might get blown off course.
They still need to try to get what they want.
Make those protagonists active! Let stories flow from characters going after what they care about. You’ll end up with a much more invested reader.
For further reading:
- The 8 essential elements of a story
- How to make your novel unputdownable
- Don’t start a chapter without these six essential elements
- The more a character puts in a bucket, the more there is to spill
- How to write a character who’s adrift
- How to raise the stakes in a novel
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JANUARY 28, 2020
Need help with your book? I’m available for manuscript edits, query critiques, and coaching!
For my best advice, check out my online classes, my guide to writing a novel and my guide to publishing a book.
And if you like this post: subscribe to my newsletter!
Art: Ayusi Sweeping Bandits with a Lance by Giuseppe Castiglione
“But just because that’s what happens in real life sometimes doesn’t necessarily mean it’s going to be a good story.”
Ah, crucial advice. Thanks!