Field trip time! Let's all go to TYWC. There, admidst the clutter of a dead site, is this short story called Spud...
SPUD
So. I want you to notice two things about this story. One, it has no conflict. Two, the main character has no goals. In this particular thread, we'll deal with goals.
Goals are essential for a story. You have a character with a goal and, sooner or later, you're going to have said character try to accomplish the goal.
Now, if you're writing a simple short story, then it's enough to only know the goal of the main character. For novels, however, goals for all characters is a must. And why? Because these goals might conflict with each other, which will send out sparkly rays of conflict...
But I'm getting ahead of myself.
What are the main goals for each of your important characters?
Goals
56 posts in this topic.
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Evangeline: Escape domineering English mother and ex-boyfriend and just get on with her life. Then, snake attractive and hilarious Tourette's kid whose name she can never quite remember.
Speederman: Get normal, by using Jack's homemade, theory-ridden "clinics" and "cover-ups." Woo latte-girl (aka Eva), and try to have a normal life.
Jack: wants to be accepted. Easy enough. Unless you're a male prostitute. Then, possibly, not so easy -
Samuel - To help coordinate and assist the Whigs in anyway possible against Parliament's taxing.
Welcome - Persuading Samuel's interest in warfare and fighting by eventually describing his own military background in depth and the conflict's it caused Welcome. He also wants Samuel protected.
Martha - Like Welcome, she fears for Samuel's safety and wants him protected.
Samuel Adams - To assist measures against Parliament's taxing, fill that 'emptiness,' and keep a secret between Samuel and him buried.
Paul Revere - Same as Samuel's goal. He also wants to learn restraint, and keep a fixed eye on Dr. Benjamin Church.
Garrick - Learn about the Bible and forget his family's past. Garrick wants to also learn how to take his hatred against Britain, his father, and somehow use that energy in a positive light.
Angus - Just to preform his duty without showing weakness or remorse, and tending to a fiery soldier. -
Empri - inner peace. shame that she's a warlord.
Aloisio - to get his true love back.
Emperor - pride. what a man
Alexander - to protect Empri and perhaps win her approval. he seeks approval everywhere and recieves it, but still does not feel satisfied. -
Charlie Kettle - have all the 'normals' realize that hey, magickers are people, too. Equal opportunities, freedom from persecution, all that.
Michael Deforges - hide. From everyone. Now. And to survive the guilt of Declan's death. -
Eli Addicre: To keep up the human trafficking. To find Kyra.
Kyra Deylan: To master her pyrokinesis.
Adolye Lynt: To help other people. To befriend Kyra. -
Tov: (meaning?) subconscious, scattered at least, maybe...hey, he wouldn't answer straight.
One way or another, he jumps from one goal to its opposite. He makes a damn good point of not considering any sort of 'end game'. 'Lives for the moment.
Piers: (a certain justice) Piers wants something like final judgement - on the edge of his reason, one way or another. Things ought to work one way; they aren't. If there's any reason left in the world, he'll break his head and back trying to put things right. He really oughtn't think Tov is crazy.
...others, perhaps, another time. -
Imp: I think it might be good to discover Tov a bit more.
Sadie's father: He wants his family (even the somewhat adopted family) to be safe.
Carolina: She wants to free from the domestic wife place she's expected to be.
Daniel: He wants to love without reserve.
Sadie: She wants freedom.
The freak: She wants the ones she loves to be safe.
Elsa: She wants to hold together the family.
Claude: He wants to be truly loved. -
Snoink: Tov's point is to confuse as much as possible. Er, he doesn't talk except for lying, and then asking questions... ^_~ But yes, he's still meandering... !_!
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He can be a mysterious character in your story, yes, but you at least have to know his motives! Otherwise... but that's another rant.
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Gah...I've put this off for so long...
Matthias- Keep family safe, [later] reunite family.
Mr. Barclett- Serve as go-to person for Luke/Upton, figure out a way to destroy the Empire's economy from the inside.
Lietutenant- Survive Virginia, so she can go home. (As fun as chopping peoples' heads off is...)
Master Blackwell- Keep original thought and deeper meaning alive in overwhelmingly 'clean' society. That is, make sure people keep thinking, even if it's you've thought the same way since you were born (that is, I'll die and I'll go to Hell/Heaven, love is [blank], God is [blank]).
Jeremy- same as Matthias, except he's got a few more side goals (go back to England, finally beat Lieutenant in a swordfight, etc. Not as drastic though. )
David- Ah, the ever present 'find himself' character. But it's true...he wants to learn how to get by on his own and figure out what he's going to do with his life.
Veronica- Enter clichèd Victorian goals, that is: eat, sleep, find suitable husband, raise affluent family. In that order.
Utpon- Escape school unharmed and live normally.
Liberty- Escape oppresive family...after which she'll do the same as Veronica and Upton.
Luke- (oh, dear, the hardest last.) Well, after you've escaped prison twice, what do you want? Hmm...he certainly wants to go back to England. And eventually, save the world- is there a more clichèd way I could say that?Prevent anarchy. Create cure for the common cold. All that jazz. (Kidding on that last part, if you didn't notice.
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I thought this would be easy. I got a list of 5 of my main characters. This isn't easy. ^_^ Okay...
Shan Azov Tefur: A meaning in life now that he's no longer part of what he spent the majority of his time/life giving to. A purpose worth fighting for again, I guess.
Kyra Elasin: She wants... things to be working out differently than they are in Sheodin. She wants civil reform and revolution. She's sort of using Shan and her nifty little powers concerning the chair of wind & darkness to make this happen as she thinks it should.
Airhei Livny: Hmmm... hard one. Mainly because I wrote him as the jerk of the story and I don't really have a motive for him. -_- Uhh... Livny's goal is to... keep things the way they are in Sheodin. Hmmm. That's good because it gives him a conflict with Kyra and therefore Shan besides just being irritating. Because, with things staying the way they are in Sheodin, people like him keep all the power and he really doesn't have to worry about anything. It's people like him who have the import and hence are really in no danger (save from revolution). ^_^
Lhe Jahan: ... has motvies of a more complex construction. He heads the Strazhad not because he believes what they do is right, mainly because he is aware of their capabilites and wishes to put himself beyond their ability to assassinate him. What better way to do that than to have their allegiance?
Ian Illtev: (I get the feeling he's important somehow for later in the story, but as of now I really don't know why. Lol, I'll get back to ya on that.) -
Okay, this I've got (I think). These are the initial goals, which will either change or be added to as the story progresses.
Hunter- Find and rescue his father.
Bennick- Reestablish the order of the Knights of the Wild and oust the believed evil current king.
Leona- Assist Bennick and discover the limits of her newfound power.
Rishele- Discover her friend's true identity and test her abilities.
Tallis- Prove his power and to become legendary.
Well, that's the basics. Like I said, the goals will change, evolve, and be added to as the novel (and the saga) progresses. Most of that I've got plotted, and I'll post some of the new goals when I get there in my writting. -
In the story of Sanctity of Benevolence, these are the characters that are included within and are generally important to the story. Still in the development stages as of this time, I will be sure to begin its rough draft by the end of this month. The goals of each character:
Lance Oken: His overall goal through the entire story is uncovering an artifact that is said to rescue his beloved wife. Minor goals include wishing to prove himself as his rank entails for both his father and his wife's father.
Katherine (Payne) Oken: Lacks a goal due to the fact that she is withdrawn from the story in the beginning.
Lacet Oken: Wishes the very best for his son--want him to surpass his own skill with the sword.
Martin Payne: Desires his son-in-law to succeed as a Heavenly Knight and ultimately make a good name for himself.
Aldaere: Would like to find the medium to cure his amnesiatic state.
Sybell Palmer: To prove to herself she is capable of assassination.
Simon Dye: Wishes to have access to the Scrolls of Knowledge
Baldwin Loudon: Wishes to have access to the Scrolls of Knowledge -
Man, these are great exercises!
Fineena O'Malley-To successfully begin a new life in America and raise enough money to bring the rest of her family over. That is the main focal point of the story. Minor goals include getting Patrick out of prison and writing for the New York Sun (have to check if that is correct newspaper) under a male alias so she can get her opinion out about world events.
Peter Donahue-Wants to protect Fineena the minute he sees her. Even under all her fieryness (if that's a word), he sees a vulnerability, a wanting, a yearning to be loved. His dream is to set up his own newspaper (which is realized later on) and speak for the freedom of Ireland. Also, he protects his sister, Bridget, and cares for her. He plays a major part in getting Patrick out of prison.
Patrick O'Malley- In the first part of the story, his main goal is to find work to earn money for his starving family. Patrick's main goal is to free Ireland from the British. Later on in the story, it is also convincing the English judges that he didn't kill a man. He also has to escape, with help from Peter, from Ireland because he was sentenced to be deported to Australia. He also has to overcome his depression at losing his wife. (I think that just about covers it! lol)
Bridget Donahue-To help Peter in whatever way possible. She is completely devoted to her brother and will do anything for him. She also becomes best friends with Fineena. She always helps other people and is extremely loyal. She helps Patrick overcome his depression. She also ends up falling in love with him.
Well, those are my main characters. There are other ones too. But I'll do those later!
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