by Ruth Owen
How Character Creates Plot
Did you notice I already touched on this when talking about plot? The thing is, the protagonist’s desire is a necessary part of the conflict that creates the plot. If ET didn’t want to go home, there would be no movie.
Which leads me to a new term: Character Agency.
Modern readers—that is, readers in the last 20 years or so—have come to expect and want to read about characters who make choices that cause the plot to happen. They want characters who want something and then try to get it. They want characters who make mistakes and who experience the consequences. Maybe in the past, books got published with characters who just experienced the plot happening to them, but that won’t cut it for modern readers anymore.
Read More