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@Elizabeth I’ve struggled with this on and off. It might help to discover her goals, motivations, values, and their origin. Discovering what she wants in a story is all well and good, but the why behind the goal digs a bit deeper. Then, you’ve got to consider the values/worldview that lets her believe in the why. Then all that needs to have some origin in your character’s past.

Say my character’s goal is to kidnap a child from heir abusive foster parents. That’s great, but why? She wants to do this because it’s the right thing to do. Because she thinks she must stand up for the helpless.

Or perhaps there’s a deeper motivation. Perhaps she wants to take care of this kid because it might redeem her from a past mistake (like failing to stand up for a bullied kid at school who later committed suicide).

Anyway, that motivation springs from values and believes. this girl believes that children are supposed to be treated well. She knows hurting the helpless is wrong. She might believe that works can justify or erase past mistakes.

Then those values and beliefs must have an origin in her backstory, like her failure to help the bullied kid at school. It’s all connected.

That wasn’t the clearest example, but I hoped it helped a little XD.

I’d also second talking to your character :). That’s always fun.