How Selfish Is Your Protagonist?

We writers love our protagonists. We give them a few flaws and quirks, but we know that underneath their mistakes and faulty thinking beats a heart that is kind and good. The kind of heart that will ultimately lead them to Do The Right Thing.

We want our hero to show his noble heart by getting involved with the local homeless shelter and our heroine to display her fine character by fundraising to provide wells to villagers who need fresh water. Those are excellent goals, so long as you show the reader why your character cares.

Authors must not only figure out what goals our character strives for, but also why those goals matter to that particular character. And the reasons must be specific and selfish.

Yes, selfish. As in, what’s in it for him?

Because your hero does not volunteer at the shelter once a week just because it’s a nice thing to do. He does it because:

• He can no longer ignore God’s urging to serve in this area (despite the fact he hates talking to strangers.)
• The cute girl from World History class works there those same days.
• He thinks it will atone for the hit and run accident he caused.
• He discovered one of guys he plays pick-up basketball games with spent most of last year living in a shelter.

Each one of these options will lead to a very different story, won’t it?

The specific and selfish reasons you give your character must also serve to deepen his character arc and illustrate the underlying theme of your story. If the story is about stepping out in faith despite our fears then option one or four might make sense, while option three would suit a theme like understanding God’s mercy or learning to own up to our mistakes. And that cute girl from history class? She has all kinds of thematic options, depending on her motivations for working at the shelter.

Because every character needs specific and selfish reasons for their actions. Even cute girls.

So…

If your answer to the question, “Why does your protagonist care about his story goal?” isn’t specific, personal, and driven by some need or desire the character has, maybe it’s time to dig deeper.

You readers will be glad you did.