Character Goals In 3 Steps

Remember kids: For every major character, especially your protagonist, you need to know the following:

What do they want?

What’s in their way?

What are they willing to do to get it?

Recently beta’d a story where the protagonist’s only goals were what was right in front of their face at any given moment, no dreams or aspirations beyond what could be achieved in an evening, and whose wants would flip-flop and contradict each other, leaving them very confusing and frustrating to follow.

Your protagonist needs to have these goals established as quickly as possible, and ideally, every major scene and decision they make should reflect back on that goal, either working toward it or sacrificing gains and having to work backward. This establishes conflict, and, high stakes or low, every story has conflict.

Your side characters, especially the mysterious type, don’t need their hopes and dreams told to the audience with any haste, but you, the author, should still know them so that these characters don’t unintentionally contradict their own desires.

Examples:

A wants to buy this really cool bicycle

But it’s really expensive and they don’t have enough money

So they work odd jobs and sell trinkets in garage sales and make a lemonade stand, counting up their coins with each sale

B is secretly in love with C

But C is the barista at a coffee shop and possibly only nice as part of their job

So B must find a way to determine if C likes them back, without looking like a fool if they’re wrong, attempting to charm their way into a date

D just wants to live a normal happy life

But they’re dragged into a whirlwind adventure and are the long-lost heir

They sure don’t want this responsibility and fight hard against it, but eventually realize that their boring, normal life isn’t as satisfying as they thought, and then have to fight for their place in the plot

E is unhappy in their marriage and wants out

But societal expectations demand they stay put

So ensues E’s journey of self-discovery, and the pressures both internal and external to either leave or see through their commitment

Writing References: Character Development

50 Questions ⚜ "Well-Rounded Character" Worksheet

Basics: How to Write a Character ⚜ A Story-Worthy Hero

Basics: Character-Building ⚜ Character Creation

Key Characters ⚜ Literary Characters ⚜ Morally Grey Characters

Personality Traits

5 Personality Traits (OCEAN) ⚜ 16 Personality Traits (16PF)

600+ Personality Traits

East vs. West Personalities ⚜ Trait Theories

Tips/Editing

Character Issues

Character Tropes for Inspiration

Tips from Rick Riordan

Writing Notes

Allegorical Characters

Binge ED

Childhood Bilingualism ⚜ Children's Dialogue ⚜ On Children

Culture ⚜ Culture: Two Views ⚜ Culture Shock

Emotional Intelligence ⚜ Genius (Giftedness)

Emotions ⚜ Anger ⚜ Fear ⚜ Happiness ⚜ Sadness

Facial Expressions

Fantasy Creatures

Happy/Excited Body Language ⚜ Laughter & Humor

Hate ⚜ Love

Health ⚜ Frameworks of Health

Identifying Character Descriptions

Jargon ⚜ Logical Fallacies ⚜ Memory

Mutism ⚜ Shyness

Parenting Styles

Psychological Reactions to Unfair Behavior

Rhetoric ⚜ The Rhetorical Triangle

Swearing & Taboo Expressions

Thinking ⚜ Thinking Styles ⚜ Thought Distortions

Uncommon Words: Body ⚜ Emotions

Voice & Accent

Writing References: Plot ⚜ World-building

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mercuryexpress

7 months ago

12 Emotional Wounds in Fiction Storys

Betraying a Loved One. Your character made a choice, and it backfired, badly. They betrayed someone close to them, maybe on purpose, maybe by accident. Now, the guilt’s eating them alive. They might try to fix things, but can they even make up for what they did?

Guilt Over a Past Mistake. They made a mistake, one that cost someone else. Maybe it was reckless, maybe it was a dumb decision, but now it haunts them. They can’t stop thinking about it, and no matter how hard they try to make things right, the past keeps pulling them back.

Survivor’s Guilt. Imagine surviving something awful, an accident, a disaster, but someone else didn’t make it. Now your character is stuck asking, “Why me? Why am I still here?” They push people away, convinced they don’t deserve to be happy or even alive.

Feeling Powerless. Your character is trapped, maybe in an abusive home, a toxic relationship, or just in life itself. They feel stuck, with no control over their own future.

Being Wrongly Accused. They didn’t do it. But no one believes them. Your character has been falsely accused of something serious, maybe even a crime and now they’re fighting to clear their name. It’s not just about proving their innocence, though. They’re also battling the pain of being abandoned by people who were supposed to stand by them.

Public Humiliation. They’ve just been humiliated in front of everyone, maybe it’s a video gone viral, or they were betrayed by someone they trusted. Now, they can’t even look people in the eye.

Living in Someone’s Shadow. No matter what they do, it’s never enough. Someone else, a sibling, a friend, a partner, always shines brighter. They feel stuck in that person’s shadow, invisible and overlooked.

Abandoning a Dream. They had big dreams, but somewhere along the way, life got in the way, and now they’ve given up. Maybe it was because of fear or circumstances beyond their control, but the loss of that dream has left them feeling empty.

Childhood Trauma. Something happened to them when they were young, something painful that still affects them today. Whether it was abuse, neglect, or a significant loss, the trauma follows them into adulthood, shaping how they see themselves and the world.

Being an Outsider. They’ve never felt like they fit in, whether because of their background, their personality, or something else. They long for acceptance but fear they’ll never find it.

Struggling with Addiction. They’re caught in a destructive cycle, whether it’s with substances, behaviors, or even people. The shame and struggle to break free from addiction are real and raw.

Living with Chronic Illness. They’re living with a chronic illness or disability, and it’s not just the physical challenges that weigh them down, it’s the emotional toll, too. Maybe they feel isolated, or like they’re a burden to others.

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mercuryexpress

6 months ago

recently when im tempted to say 'i'm gonna kill myself' i try to correct it into saying "im gonna walk into the river and become a trout" or some other form of that. this is my new thing

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mercuryexpress

7 months ago

Duke nukem with the real shit, kings

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mercuryexpress

7 months ago

Steel haze… is so cool…….

V.IV Rusty - Steel Haze

Was looking at the artwork I did of Rusty and thought it might look cool framed in his emblem. I kinda want to do something similar to the other characters, but I don't think some of them are going to work out as nicely as this one did. Would have to get a bit creative.

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mercuryexpress

7 months ago

Left: A full-body drawing of a younger Fiddleford wearing Harry Dubois' outfit from Disco Elysium (a green blazer, mustard yellow bellbottoms, a garish tie, snakeskin shoes, and muttonchops). He is not wearing his glasses, and a note next to him says "his ass is not seeing."
Top right: College-age Ford grimly holds up a beard trimmer. Fiddleford, back in his normal college clothes but still sporting the muttonchops, asks "Is that a no on the 'chops?"
Bottom right: Post-canon Fiddleford, playing Disco Elysium on his desktop computer and looking distressed, grips his beard in both hands and says "Ooh, it's just like my life!" After thinking about it for a second, he leans back in his chair with a pensive expression and says "...in a way."

been playing disco elysium with some friends and was quietly tickled by how close fiddleford's canon wardrobe is to harry's. So please enjoy this extremely stupid post

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mercuryexpress

7 months ago

my take on shipping aromantic characters is that if you're aro you get to do whatever you want and if you're not you have to write me a three page essay 12 pt font times new roman double spaced explaining in detail why you believe entering a romantic relationship would be an interesting and worthwhile storyline for the character and how you believe their aromanticism would affect the way they experience said relationship

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mercuryexpress

7 months ago

Robo ky number 1 on the character poll. We have a chance

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mercuryexpress

7 months ago