Story Goals: Are They Slowing Your Story���s Pace?

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If we���ve spent any time learning about
story craft, we know the importance of goals
in our story. They affect every aspect of our story:

Stories are about a problem to solve���a
goal.Characters striving for something are
more compelling.Scenes with characters pursuing a goal have
a story purpose.

Without goals, readers can���t tell what
stories are about, characters wander aimlessly, and scenes feel like filler. In
addition, goals
increase our story���s tension because they create stakes���the consequences if the goal isn���t reached.

In short, goals help drive our story
forward. Without them, our story���s pace slows because there���s nothing forcing
the story or characters to do
anything.

But we need the right kind of goals. Some goals are active goals, and others are passive goals. How can we make sure we���re using active goals that force our story forward?

What Are Active vs.
Passive Goals?

For all the talk about goals in
storytelling craft, we might not have heard about active vs. passive goals
before.

Active Goals: Active goals force
characters to take action. They push the plot forward as the characters strive
and overcome obstacles. They often lead a character to change or adapt, forming
part of a character���s arc.Passive Goals: Passive goals don���t force
anything. The plot crawls along in neutral as characters simply want to
maintain a status quo. Characters might stay in their comfort zone, with no
positive lesson learned from a struggle.



How Can We
Recognize Passive Goals?

If we���re not aware of the difference between
active and passive goals, we might think our story is just fine. After all, our
characters do want something. There is a goal���but it���s not necessarily
strong enough to force our story forward.

Look at the description of passive goals
above. See that word maintain? That���s
passive.

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Passive goals use words like keep, continue, stay, and so
on. The character wants to keep their
job, continue in their relationship,
or stay in their home. That���s different from a character actively
going after what they want beyond the status quo.

Why Are Passive
Goals ���Bad���?

At first, those examples above might look
fine. On the surface, passive goals often feel like any others. We can point
out how the character does want
something.

So on some level, passive goals might be enough to get the job done. But
no matter the specific details, passive goals are about avoiding. Characters are avoiding change���and stories are about
change.

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Goals about maintaining, keeping, and staying
leave the story in neutral (and possibly stalling out completely) rather than
forcing forward movement. So in addition to weakening our character���s arc,
passive goals make our story���s pace feel slower.

Are Story Ideas
with Passive Goals Doomed?

Luckily, having passive goals doesn���t necessarily
mean we should toss the whole story idea and start over. Often, the problem
isn���t with our story idea but in how we���re expressing
it.

It���s
usually possible to tweak most passive goals into active ones. Once fixed, keeping the active goal in mind while drafting will help
our story���and us.

Help for Our Story: Focusing on active
goals throughout the drafting process will naturally increase our story���s
tension and pace. Our characters��� desires will be felt more keenly, and
characters will be faced with a need to change or adapt to get what they want. That
creates a stronger arc, as they learn
what they���re capable of, and in turn the lesson they learn creates a stronger sense
of our story���s theme.Help for Our Writing Process: Focusing
on active goals can help us get through the draft. A stalled story is harder to
write, as there���s no clear idea of where the story���or we���should go next. So if
we���re struggling to figure out what comes next in our story, we can check if
the goals we���re using are active.



How Do We Fix
Passive Goals?



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Look
at why the status quo is at risk or
why they���re avoiding the change. Usually somewhere in that why
is an idea we can make the focus of their active goal.

For example:

Passive: She wants to keep her job���which is at risk.

Active: She wants to find proof her
coworker is scamming the company and blaming others.Passive: She wants to continue in her relationship���to avoid
change.

Active: She wants to get her mother
to stop thinking she���s a flake who can���t commit.Passive: She wants to stay in her home���to avoid change.

Active: She wants to convince her
husband to go to couple���s counseling and fix their marriage.

Those active goals (which aren���t even great ideas) give the characters���and
us���a stronger focus for their struggle. Knowing what they���re actively striving for helps our story move forward. *smile*

Do you have any questions or insights about
passive vs. active goals?

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