Activity

*ushers you all into dusty, moth-ridden discussion hall; books are scattered, some open, others in stacks, next to various armchairs and benches and giant cushions scattered around the floor*

We’re going to do our best to undust this place this week, and drive the moths away. This week, we will be jumping back into our discussion pretty much where we left off last time, but because they are so inter-connected, I think it will tie in well and remind us of some good principles once again.

The theme of this week’s discussion is, as you have seen (unless you’re blind, in which case, why was I not aware of Braille touch-screens before now!!!!!), on the topic of external goals.

Last discussion we had, we talked a lot about internal needs versus external goals, and how they can relate to one another in a few different ways – but overall, that they should relate to one another. This week will be an extension of that discussion, but with a little more focus on the external goals of our characters.

So.

External goals.

How does one figure these out, how does one come up with good ones… the whole nine yards. First, and most importantly, external goals almost always tie directly into the plot of the story. In heavily plot-based stories, this is the case. The character’s external goals are the driving force that keeps things happening. However, in more character-based stories, you can get away with huge plot points happening internally, with little external action to speak of. Perhaps ‘get away with’ is really not clear language, because there is absolutely nothing wrong with major plot points happening inside your character’s heart and head. You should just be sure that that is the kind of story that you were telling the whole time. 😛

Whether plot-based or character-based, your character’s external goals tie into the plot of the story.

This ties the plot directly to the character (or vice versa) and ensures that the reader will experience the personal impact of the various plot points. The character’s drive and motivation are tied to the goals that they do (or do not) achieve throughout the up and downs of the story.

Even further, relating the external goal to your character’s internal need/want will connect your reader even closer to the full emotional impact of the plot points. We talked about doing this last week, but didn’t exactly explain why it is better this way. It’s pretty simple.

Your reader becomes invested in what happens, because they’re invested in the character, because they relate to the character or it feels real to them… and so they are intensely interested to see what happens next. Because they care, and they realize that everything that happens is going to effect the character in some way.

Think about it like this: Whether or not everything happens in exactly this order (and I can assure you, most of the time it will not) you start off by creating a strong character with vices, virtues, a strong personality, quirks, a strong voice, a great backstory, and a believable moral code – and then you have a choice. You can either tell a story that has this great character in it, or you can tell the story of this character. And the difference between telling a story, and telling the story, is the strength of the relationship between three things: the character theirself, their internal needs, and their external goals. Tie those three together, and you will capture the heart of the reader, and pull them along with your character into whatever happens in the book.

They will care. And so they will keep reading until the end.

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Today’s discussion itself is not too long. That’s either a blessing or a curse, depending on how you look at it. 😛

But to get ideas and discussion moving,  I’d love to hear examples from some of your own characters!

Think of the movie The Good Dinosaur. For Arlo, the events in the movie were a journey of overcoming fear in his life. Through the plot of the story, as he is separated from his family, his internal need for courage is brought to the forefront again and again as he seeks to meet his external goal: physical reunion with his family. Along the way, he undergoes an arc of self-discovery and growth. The events of the plot are inseparably tied to his internal need and external goal, and in fact strengthen and feed off of them in a really powerful way. In addition, every other character that comes into the story has a particular way of interacting with the whole theme of fear and courage, and they all provide thematic commentary about Arlo himself and his journey.

Hopefully that example puts what I’ve been trying to say into perspective. It’s often easier to recognize and understand an intellectual point when it is put into example form.

Now let’s hear it from you guys!

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