A high-stakes external goal is needed, and it must relate directly to her flaw. What’s the biggest ambition I can think up for Pocahontas? If she must give up her ambitions by the end of the book, then what goal will really sting when she finally decides to let it go?

When you start with a badly flawed character, the arc will be all about correcting that flaw—about your character growing into a better person, the kind of mythic hero archetype he was “meant to be” but couldn’t become until this adventure—the events of your plot—pushed him to change himself for the better.

Who wants the same external goal, but can reveal an opposite or cautionary aspect to the protagonist and to the reader? Whose different approach to attaining the same goal will serve as an “alternate reality” to your main character and to the reader?

They’re vying to determine the main character’s fate—whether he remains cursed or not. The external goal is control over the main character’s reality.

soemthing

Still others found that it sapped their enthusiasm for the book—once they knew all the particulars of the plot, they lost interest in actually writing it.

The inciting event is almost always closely tied to your character’s external goal.

The kind of theme I’m talking about is simply a unifying concept. What outlook on the world, or on human behavior, are you trying to explore?

The very best yardstick for determining a main character is the presence of a serious flaw. Does this character have an inner problem that’s impacting his life or the lives of the people he loves? Then he’s in need of a hero’s journey: let’s give him an outline!