What They Want … Really?

“Start with what your main character desperately wants. If they don’t want something, they have no motivation.”

I really dislike that advice, mainly because most of the time I either have no idea what my protagonist’s deepest, most desperate wants are, or else I do know and those wants have nothing to do with the story I’m trying to tell. It’s really difficult to get an adventure story moving if the main character’s deepest desire is to spend a nice, peaceful, quiet time at home.

(It can be done, but if the main charac...