Comments on: 5 Ways to Keep Your Protagonist Proactive

By: 5 Ways Your Story Hurts Your Novel | Writers In The Storm

5 Ways Your Story Hurts Your Novel | Writers In The Storm — Wed, 01 Sep 2021 07:06:14 +0000

[…] The protagonist should be the person driving the plot. They should make it happen through their choices and the results of those choices. If all they do is react to what's happening around them, they can feel pointless as a character. Since they never do anything for personal reasons, the story feels aimless at best, contrived at worst. You can take a reactive protagonist out of the story and nothing really changes, because they weren’t making the story happen anyway. […]

By: V.M.Sang

V.M.Sang — Sun, 16 May 2021 08:24:55 +0000

Oops! Inthink I've been guilty of that. Thanks for making it clear.

By: janicehardyauthor

janicehardyauthor — Thu, 06 May 2021 10:54:26 +0000

In reply to Jeanne Kern. LOL I think about that scene every time I talk/write about proactive protagonists. I've even shared it at workshops. It's so true. Thanks!

By: janicehardyauthor

janicehardyauthor — Thu, 06 May 2021 10:53:08 +0000

In reply to dholcomb1. That's awesome. :)

By: janicehardyauthor

janicehardyauthor — Thu, 06 May 2021 10:52:47 +0000

In reply to Barb DeLong. Thanks! Good for you. Now that you know the problem with the other WIP, maybe you can go back and fix it :)

By: Jeanne Kern

Jeanne Kern — Thu, 06 May 2021 10:10:53 +0000

Yes! This is so helpful. A bit there reminded me of the Big Bang Theory scene where Amy points out to Sheldon that Indiana Jones has nothing to do with the plot--it would all turn out the same way without him. And I love your puppy stories--that made me chortle.

By: dholcomb1

dholcomb1 — Thu, 06 May 2021 06:18:57 +0000

I think my heroines are always proactive.

denise

By: Barb DeLong

Barb DeLong — Wed, 05 May 2021 21:30:09 +0000

Excellent post! A reactive protagonist was what was wrong with my last WIP, now in a drawer. She waited around (hid out) until the villain found her. Not making that mistake with my current WIP.

By: janicehardyauthor

janicehardyauthor — Wed, 05 May 2021 17:57:59 +0000

In reply to Karen (K.S.) Jones. Thanks! Glad you found it helpful. Oh, I wish I still had those. I got rid of all my early writing decades ago. I regret it ever since. I think I still have a few printouts from past drafts, but nothing special.

By: janicehardyauthor

janicehardyauthor — Wed, 05 May 2021 17:56:19 +0000

In reply to Ontyre Passages. Aw, thanks! Oh, that boredom is such a handy red flag. I always know I need to do some tweaking when I start skimming my own stuff. What a great question for your protagonist to ask. And it opens up so many fun doors. Sounds like a fun world you have there.