Awareness of exactly how story characters function within a tale is vital for the storyteller, but also helpful for the reader’s appreciate of the narrative. Thus, these terms that every writer and reader need to know will clue you in to the dynamics of story building. 

 I’ve blogged about creating characters (Character Creation Tools and Character Creation), and Author Michael Nye tells us one way into a character’s psyche is to see how they interact with other characters. As our next step, we’ll see what sparks fly when characters rub up against each other, and how that outcome informs the plot of a story.

Story Characters

Protagonist: The principal character in a story. The character struggling toward the main goal or point of the story. In other words, the hero, main character, good guy.

Antagonist: The character who opposes or contends with the protagonist. If the character’s goal is reached, the protagonist cannot reach their own goal. AKA, the villain, the bad guy.

I think of my characters as protagonists or antagonists rather than heroes or villains. By any objective standard, they are all varying shades of good/evil. They are each the hero of their own story playing out in their heads. And these roles can flip or move around among the cast of characters.

Characters Examples

In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry is the protagonist and the actual antagonist is a secret until the climax of the story. But the story leads us to believe Professor Snape is at least an antagonist, if not the antagonist. Anyone who has read the whole series or seen all the films knows that Snape is much more complex, truly the hero of his own story. 

Character Actions

Inciting Moment: The antagonist does a thing the protagonist must counter to accomplish the protagonist’s (and the story’s) goal, or the protagonist encounters a challenge to their status quo.

The inciting moment isn’t necessarily the very first action in the story, but it does need to occur near the beginning. Sometimes the actual antagonist action is hinted at or prefigured. 

Action Examples

In The Hobbit, the wizard Gandalf takes on the antagonist’s function and arranges for the party of dwarves to challenge Bilbo Baggins to join their expedition. Gandalf isn’t the villain of the piece, but he does incite change for Bilbo. The protagonist’s opportunity to accept or refuse change is vital to dynamic story. 

My novella, The Resurrectionist, begins with Sean, the protagonist, driving up to a state penitentiary. Because wrong stuff is going on behind the scenes, he immediately encounters portents, omens, and a vague feeling of dis-ease that foreshadow the later inciting moment. 

Motivation: A reason for acting in a certain way.

External Motivation: Motivations that have to do with survival. Amanda Patterson of the Writers Write blog provides these examples:

• Finding food, warmth, shelter.
• Protecting yourself and your loved ones.
• Escaping an abuser.
• Becoming financially secure.
• Saving your environment.

Internal Motivation: Motivations that have to do with the psyche. More examples from Writers Write are:

• Learning something.
• Atoning for past sins.
• Getting revenge.
• Living up to expectations.
• Becoming confident.
• Finding love.
• Making friends.

Ideally, these external and internal motivations work together. As the protagonist saves people, they find friendship or even love. Or, they not only escape an abuser, they get revenge. Characters can have multiple motivations and acquire new motives as they learn things throughout the story. Such complexity and consistency make for a satisfying experience for the reader or film viewer. 

Motivation Examples

In my novelette, Water of Life, the protagonist, Sean, is motivated to protect a friend who is in trouble (external) because of friendship/love (internal) and as we learn a little later, he feels he needs to atone for his past. 

What Characters Want

A little different from motivation is goal. As you can see, motives are general. The goal needs to be very specific.

Physical Goal: A concrete solution to the problem the character faces. They must get, cause, escape, resolve, or survive an actual thing. For example, everybody in The Maltese Falcon want the black bird. But I think a task or accomplishment could be considered a physical goal. Luke Skywalker wants to be a Jedi Knight, for instance. In the Wizard of Oz, Dorothy Gale want to go home to Kansas. 

Abstract Goal: The personal growth the character needs on their journey of self-discovery. 

Again, in Water of Life, Sean’s goal is to find the moonshiner, Caleb, alive or dead. To know where he is and what happened to him. As an abstract goal, he needs to see himself as a person who can protect his loved ones. 

Like motives, characters can take on new, sub goals as they work toward their ultimate physical goal. Luke Skywalker’s initial goal is to go to the academy. Then circumstances change and his goal is to develop Jedi skills. His motives now include protecting his new friends (external) and revenge (internal). 

Story Goal: Same as the protagonist’s ultimate physical goal. The whole tale is aimed at this point, and all the characters’ motives and goals need to address the story goal in some way. 

No Conflict, No Story

External Conflict: What is at stake for the character? Also, things being done to the character. The character’s needs, wants, desires, and goals are opposed by another character’s needs, wants, desires, and goals.

Internal Conflict: What is going on with the character before the story begins? What is their emotional status? The character’s needs, wants, desires, and goals are churned up and in conflict with themselves. 

Conflict Examples

Dorothy wants to go home. Her family relationships with her aunt and uncle are at stake. To reach the story goal, she sets a sub goal of consulting the wizard of Oz. But the witch wants Dorothy’s magical shoes. They are vital to consolidate her magical power over Oz. To reach her goal, she puts up obstacles on the journey to Oz. Dorothy and the witch are in external conflict. Internally, Dorothy was already in conflict with people in her “real” life; the old lady hates her dog, her family doesn’t appreciate her. This internal conflict is played out by the external conflicts presented in the Oz dream sequence. 

In The Resurrectionist, Sean’s need to protect himself and others conflicts with the antagonist’s plan. The stakes are high: lives are at stakes. Internally, unresolved issues from his past fuel conflict with the prison situation. 

How do you define these terms? Do you think in these terms as you write? Is the experience different as a consumer of story? Is breaking things down like this helpful or too much like seeing sausages made? Comment with your thoughts by clicking the title of the blog.

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