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1. Goal and opposition

Your character wants a goal, they need a goal. A dramatic goal is specific and measurable. Dealing with life is not a goal. Happiness is not a goal. Seeking $10 million doubloons on an old Spanish shipwreck off the Florida keys is a goal. Winning the pan American ballroom dance competition is a goal. Getting the broomstick off th wicked witch in order to return to Kansas is a goal. The nature of a goal reveals a lot about your character.

Whatever the goal is, it should not be easy to attain. There must be opposition to the goal. Opposition creates conflict, and conflict makes drama. Conflict reveals a lot about your character and motivates people to learn. Ask yourself, what does my character want and what does he/she most fear? The opposition will force her to face her fear. The opposition should be an individual. If it is an organization, let someone represent that organization.

In situations where a group opposes the central character, such as a gang, focus on one person in that group who stands as the greatest personal threat to your character. Personalizing the opposition will create greater drama and will elicit the audience’s sympathy for the central character. The hero is often defined by his/her opposition. And that opposition need not be evil; you just need someone who has a good reason to block your hero’s attempt to achieve the goal.

It is possible to have a nonhuman opposition, such as the forces of nature, or even a monster (such as the Great White in JAWS). If you do have such an opposition, consider adding a human opponent as well. In JAWS, the mayor of amity serves as a secondary opponent to Roy Scheider.

In addition to the goal, you may wish to give your character some related inner drive or yearning that either supports the goal or is in opposition to the goal .this inner need may be inwardly blocked by some character flaw.


Next section: Motivation