I received this question from Livvy a long, long time ago, and am only now answering. My apologies, Livvy. I’ll get to your other questions soon……
Hi Martha,
While rereading your book for inspiration, I came across a few points that I would like some clarification on.
The Overall Story Goal; The Protagonist’s Personal Goal; and the Protagonist’s Dream.
So what is the difference between a Protagonist’s personal goal and Dream?
The grand question is if a Dream is not attainable and goals are,
then how can the long-term story goal be more of a dream than a goal? Don’t we want to have a story goal that is eventually attainable at the end of the story resulting from the character’s internal & physical journey?
If we utilize a “Dream” as “THE STORY GOAL” and the only way to attain it is with a little magic, wouldn’t that be more like “deus ex machina”? A writing device that cheats a reader out of a more realistic and natural occurance of events?
Would it make more sense to refer a protagonist’s dream as his/her desire instead?? which can be separate from the story goal and not always attainable. So when this desire/dream is attainable, it gets attained or resolved at the resolution, since the climax is reserved for resolving the Major Story Goal.
I look foreward to hearing back from you soon and anyone else who would like to contribute to this posting, to clear this up for me.
Thanks in advance!
My answer:
Excellent analysis, Livvy! Very well put.
Yes, the character’s personal goal and the overall story goal needs to be attainable by the character. The character may need help, but he or she must be the initiator of the ultimate action that creates the fulfillment of the story goal at the Climax. This is true even for children’s books and young adult novels. The child or teen in the story may need the help of an adult or the police or a teacher or whomever, but the teen or child must initiate the action and/or the call for help.
Often, the story goal that begins the story changes because of the action that happens at the End of the Beginning (the first 1/4 of the page count for the book) and catapults the protagonist into the very heart of the story world — The Middle (1/2 of the page count).
One technique to creating depth in a story is to create lots of goals throughout the story — a romantic goal, a mystery goal, a personal goal, a political goal, a dramatic action goal, etc. Goal setting, as I have said before, is easier for Dramatic Action-driven and left-brained writers, and more difficult for Character-driven and right-brained writers. Goals ground the story and allow the reader or movie-goer to know what is at stake for the character and thus root for their success, mourn for their failure.
I recently finished Cara Black’s, Murder in Montmartre. In this mystery, Aimee’s overall story goal is to prove her friend did not kill her partner and thus absolve her of the crime. Aimee also has a personal goal and that is to solve a mystery about her father. Both of these goals help keep her at the task at hand even when the stakes are at their highest and the most dangerous.
Dreams or desires add yet another layer. Since dreams generally rely on the help of others or a bit of magic, they can create an added twist at the end of the story. For instance, most writers I work with have the specific goal of finishing their WIP (work-in-progress). Beyond that, most first-time writers dream of securing an agent. Published writers with an agent often dream of one of the following: to win the Pulitzer Prize, appear on Oprah, and/or be listed on the New York Times best seller list.
These writers’ dreams are usually beyond the writer’s direct control. The writer writes the very best product they are capable of writing. They send out queries. But, as in creating any deep connection, the agent figures into the equation. If they have just signed on a new writer, chances are they won’t sign on another new writer right away. If they have a stack of manuscripts a mile-high waiting on their desks, they look for excuses to reject. If they have a full list of writers, they may not be willing to add yet another. And so on…….
At the beginning of Black’s murder mystery, she shows Aimee’s boyfriend breaking up with her. Throughout the story we feel Aimee’s loneliness and how much she misses her beau and longs for love. Thus, when she unexpectedly finds a man who excites her passion, the story takes on added depth and excitement. By Aimee finding love and achieving her dream, an added element is created = the reader is excited about the next book in the series coming out in order to learn if the two lovers last as a couple, or not.
What is your character’s story goal? What is her dream? How they work together or against each other in the story overall???
My take is that every character wants something, wants to avoid something, and has dreams. These drives are often tied together, and should ultimately steer them to their fate.
It’s easier than it seems–usually I just write a scene, then identify these drives afterwards (which are very good to keep in mind to guide the dialogue and events).
My current book’s protagonist, as a child->
Wants: to do well in school/to please his mother and peers.
Doesn’t want: to disappoint/to get in trouble.
Seemingly unattainable dream: to someday find his father, who was lost at sea before he was born.
After his mother died in a fire->
Wants: to survive/to build up the courage to open a mysterious box that survived the fire.
Doesn’t want: to die/to get taken away.
Dream: finding his father has become more important and urgent than ever.
After not doing so well on his own, he gravitates to an underground society of thieves to survive->
Wants: to fit in/to do well within their ranks.
Doesn’t want: to become ‘bad’, like the other members of the guild/to be bullied.
Dream: to pay off his debts and be free of their sticky economic system, designed to keep members ‘locked-in’ forever/to find his father–though it’s not as important at this point because he is finding independence.
How it all ties together as a good backstory->
1. The Mother: Used to be in the guild and didn’t want her son pulled into the intrigue.
2. School: Despite the other guild members having years of experience on him, he is able to creatively use the education he received as an advantage; to quickly surpass their skill level, and, ultimately, free himself from their economic system.
3. The Box: The box, of course, presents strong evidence the fire was no accident …
4. The Guild: … and that the murderer is within the ranks of the very organisation he joined.
5. The Missing Father: … should be obvious at this point!
Thanks for your comments, Nick.
Great story you’re working on.
Great good luck with it!
My heroine’s ultimate goal is to find enough money to move out and live on her own, divorcing her jerk husband. But, there are obstacles and she has a fear.
My character wants to be a ballet dancer but she is deaf. Her dream is to dance to Peter and the Wolf.
Wow! Fun to hear about everyone’s projects. Inspiring.
Thank you.
Beautiful post, Martha!!!
The character has to *change* to obtain his or her dream and that comes from awareness and character growth. The character has a dream but feels unworthy of it at the beginning.:D
Hugs, JJ
I love this–the dream for layering. And maybe something the hero won’t get. Got me thinking. I’m “afraid” my hero’s dream may be at odds with her goal. The goal is for herself, the dream may be for her family, and they probably can’t both come true. I’m guessing that’ll just work for more tension. I hope!
never thought of most of this. comes at a helpful time. thank you. i like your blog.
I’ve got the same personal goal you write about — to finish my %$#^ novel. That would be quite good enough for me
Thanks Martha!
So basically, the way I see it NOW is that dreams are only one half your story goal (as it propels the main character into action).
Dreams are your internal goals that come from within; your desires. But can only be manifested into something concrete through external goals; tangible, short-term goals and events (which makes up the second half of what comprises a story goal, driving the dream into an attainable goal).
It is those external goals/events that convert a dream into a goal by giving it a deadline / context / a plan of action. This “added layer” that you speak of could then be transpired as suspense through a combination of external events (such as in your example of a chance meeting of a new guy), which is plausible for a reader to accept, because then it is up to the character to initiate and ignite a relationship with this new person. The dream thus then becomes a driver that propels and drives the momentum of the story forward with more context.
Thanks.
I really agree with Livvy’s comment,
“It is those external goals/events that convert a dream into a goal by giving it a deadline / context / a plan of action.”
Dreams for your characters (and you, too) are just dreams…until the character takes one active step toward it, then it becomes a goal. Funny how that works 🙂
Excellent input from everyone!
It’s also amazing to me how much clearer complex, or seemingly complex, information becomes when presented in lots of different ways through lots of different voices, which allows for info that has eluded us to drop into meaning……
The plot interview I did for this month’s free Plot Tips eZine (to sign-up go to: http://www.blockbusterplots.com/contact.html) with Luisa Adams about her new memoir, demonstrates this point in a wonderfully different way. She’s very much a right-brained, intuitive, “by the seat of her pants” writer who balks at structure and plot.
Her insight and way of communicating is so refreshingly unique. To read the entire plot interview, go to http://www.blockbusterplots.com/tips.html and click on Luisa Adams.
Thanks, Livvy for the original question, for your patience, and for your wrap-up.
Thanks to you, too, Beth. So succinctly put and clear…..
Great explanation, Martha. My protag’s goal is to solve the mystery. And she has a personal stake in it. She also wants to get along with her best friend AND snag a particular boy.