Story Goal, Story Question, and the Protagonist’s Inner Need (Story Structure Part 1)

Over the next few weeks and months, I want to delve into the specifics of story structure. Topics will include the particulars of three-act structure (inciting incident, plot/turning points, pinch points, climax, and so forth), the specifics of the mythic structure (the hero’s journey), and scene and sequel.

However, before we consider the elements that we typically think of when we’re talking story structure, I want to at least mention a few additional topics crucial to the structuring of stories.

Story structure has to do with design and form, and one topic that speaks to form is story type. Tales, vignettes, and slice of life stories fall into this category. Slice of life stories, for example, with their lack of conflict and defined problem or goal, have a structure quite different from that of novels.

The narrative modes—action, dialogue, thought, description, and exposition (including narrative summary and transitions)—are also part of a story’s structure. A story heavy on action will be structured very differently from a story where the emphasis is on character thoughts.

Genre needs and expectations also influence structure. Murder mysteries typically begin with the murder—if the murder hasn’t already taken place offstage. Mysteries include red herrings, misdirection, and the introduction of suspects at regular interludes to keep the reader from guessing the identity of the culprit. Thrillers put main characters in danger right away, and romances include the first meet, the first kiss, and the first disagreement between hero and heroine at expected points in the story.

Another way to structure stories depends on the storytelling style; is the story told in a linear way, with events following other events in a cause and effect pattern, or is the story nonlinear in some way? While most novels—and most TV shows and movies—follow a linear structure, not all of them do. When flashbacks and flash forwards are used, events no longer appear in strict chronological order, which means that the story isn’t a pure linear structure. Story events could also be portrayed in reverse order (as in Jeffery Deaver’s October List and the movie Memento). Such options definitely shake up the more familiar linear structure.

In this article we’re going to examine three additional topics that influence story structure but may not often be addressed in discussions of structure: story goal, story question, and the protagonist’s inner need (also referred to as an internal goal).

All three of these drive structure decisions—story events, character motivations and reactions, and the appeal to reader emotions are built around the story goal, the story question, and the protagonist’s inner need.

Events need to be constructed in such a way that protagonists have trouble reaching their goals.

Events, character motivation, and character background need to work together to bring about a gradual growth in the protagonist. This growth is seen in the character arc (also known as the protagonist’s inner journey). This inner journey is a direct reflection of the protagonist coming to grips with his inner need or internal goal.

And the story question needs to be brought to the readers’ attention again and again (yet without beating them over the head with it) to keep readers hooked and turning pages.

Story Goal

The story goal and story question are typically established near the end of Act 1. Although the protagonist might have had a different goal prior to this moment, the inciting incident and what I’ve taken to calling the goad or push (what K. M. Weiland calls the key event) serve to get the protagonist involved in a different goal, a very specific goal that didn’t exist before the inciting incident and the goad event took place.

The protagonist’s goal at the opening of the story may have been

●  to be left alone

●  to maintain the status quo

●  to mind his own business

●  to keep his head down

●  to work diligently at his job

●  to not get involved with anyone his sister introduced him to

●  to never go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line (I couldn’t resist)

But the inciting incident and the goad push the protagonist into pursuing the story goal. Because of what’s happened—events that the writer creates purposely for this very reason—he can’t not go after the story goal.

A few genre-based story goals:

●  save the kidnapped prime minister or child

●  stop the madman, the serial killer, or the murderer

●  find the artifact or treasure

●  capture the heart of the beloved

●  solve the mystery

Escalating problems and complications drive the protagonist to push harder and dig deeper in order to achieve his goal, which means that the story must be structured to include those escalating problems and complications and that the problems need to be arranged at story points where they’re expected to be (to satisfy genre expectation) and/or where they’ll produce the strongest impact.

Increased problems and roadblocks in turn may lead the protagonist to cut corners or make reckless decisions, actions that are likely to result in additional problems. New problems may drive the protagonist into the need to rely on or trust others, or, conversely, problems may push the protagonist into trying to fix everything himself, with both options influencing his inner journey.

Events and scenes are designed around getting the protagonist to the story goal. Well, that’s the ultimate design; story events do eventually get the protagonist to the climax and the story goal, but in the short term, story events and problems actually serve to delay the protagonist’s arrival at the goal.

This advance and retreat—half a step forward and two steps back, one step sideways—must be planned. Reversals, roadblocks, and complications must be built into the story’s framework.

At the same time, each success and setback leads to growth in the protagonist. By the end of the story, he is likely to have learned something new about himself.

●  that he is stronger than he imagined

●  that his flaws don’t define him

●  that he is capable in a way he hadn’t expected to be

●  that he can trust others

●  that a weakness proved to be a strength

●  that a supposed strength proved to be a hindrance or handicap (at least in this situation)

This illustrates that the quest to reach the story goal and the protagonist’s inner need are linked.

A story’s theme and the protagonist’s inner journey and inner need are also linked. The story’s main theme is often revealed by what the protagonist learns while struggling through his inner journey toward growth.

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The inclusion of specific events and problems depends upon of the needs of the story goal, the story problem, and the protagonist’s inner need. Or in reverse, the story goal, the story problem, and the inner need should influence the choice of events and problems you include in your story.

To make each of these three elements work and continue to be effective over the course of a story, events have to be manufactured—tailored—to produce character growth (addressing the inner need) and to move the protagonist closer to the story goal.

This is all about deliberate creation of problems and situations to first establish a story goal and then to prevent the protagonist from reaching that goal too soon. Once the story goal is reached, the story is over. The author must structure the events of a story to gradually move the protagonist toward the goal while at the same time keeping him from the goal. A neat trick, to be sure. But successful writers do this all the time. One key to making this work is to include logical and believable roadblocks and complications. These arise from the setting, the genre, and from character backgrounds and motivations; all elements are linked.

The component parts must come together to help the writer create the forward and backwards/sideways progress in a way that comes across as completely natural and utterly believable.

This deliberate crafting also must keep the reader interested and mindful of the story question. The story can’t be about one question and goal in chapters 5 through 10 and another question and goal in chapters 11 through 20; the story must be cohesive. It must be one story made from many parts.

Story Question

While the story goal is for the protagonist, the story question is for the reader.

When the protagonist has reached the goal, the story is effectively over. And when the story question has been answered for the reader, that reader stops reading. If readers of a murder mystery guess the identity of the murderer and figure out how he committed the murder (and maybe why), they have no reason to read further. The story is over for readers who know the answer to the story question; the thirst for answers has been satisfied, and the uncertainty that drives readers to read on has been drained of its power.

The story question, coming into existence at the same time the story goal is established, keeps readers turning pages until it is answered. Readers simply must find out

●  how the mismatched lovers will end up together

●  how the detective catches the serial killer and prevents him from killing again

●  how the untrained and ill-equipped protagonist will find the sacred object

While the protagonist is focused on reaching his goal, the reader is wondering how he’s going to do it. And the more problems the writer drops on the protagonist—or drops the protagonist into—the more anxious readers will be about the outcome.

The story question is more than a query with a yes or no answer. Compelling story questions focus on how and on process. And while the mystery of the unknown is a major reason readers turn pages, the particulars of the answer are what keep readers interested.

Rather than ask will the hero and heroine get together permanently, the reader should be asking how will the hero and heroine get together given the conditions of their meeting and their backgrounds and their very different personalities? Will the protagonist prevent WWIII becomes how will the protagonist prevent WWIII?

Story goal, story question, and the protagonist’s inner need, because they must be considered and/or addressed in almost every scene, are at the core of decisions about what will happen in a story and when those events and actions and reactions will happen. These decisions thus constitute a major component of story structure.

A novel can’t be properly structured without acute attention given to these three foundational components. These core elements can’t be shunted aside or ignored for long.

Protagonist’s Inner Need

This need is often called an internal goal, yet the protagonist is often unaware of this need and thus is not actively working toward a goal. The need may also be considered a character weakness or flaw and has likely developed in reaction to a past event or trauma.

The protagonist might have a need to forgive herself or a need to let go of the past, yet this need may have been overlooked, repressed, or ignored by the protagonist. It’s only the circumstances in the story and the character’s reactions to them that bring this need to the fore to be recognized and dealt with by the character. The flaw or inner need may actually be standing in the way of the protagonist’s achieving the story goal—you’ll want to write your story to make this happen—so attention to the inner need or internal goal should track with the introduction of new problems in the story. This keeps the need or weakness at the forefront of the character’s awareness; you keep prodding her with this inner need at every turn. And thus the reason for the character’s repeated failures and some setbacks is made obvious to both character and reader.

We’re again talking about structure, this time about structuring two elements to work together in a way that deepens the effects of both.

Events and the character’s motivations, weaknesses, strengths, and background experiences work together to trigger the character into recognizing the need or into recognizing that the need must be dealt with now. Still, before she begins to address the need, the character might first try to re-suppress the need, ignore it, or satisfy the need in a multitude of ineffective ways.

Examples of inner needs—

●  need to overcome fear of failure

●  need to accept personal failure

●  need to prove worthiness or value

●  need to prove strength or independence

●  need to accept self as is

●  need to hide flaws

●  need to always be right or first

●  need to be loved and/or respected by those the character loves and respects

As events unfold, the character gradually comes to understand that the unsatisfied need, whatever it is, keeps her from growing or from achieving her goals. Keep in mind, however, that on the one hand, dealing with the inner need might mean satisfying the need while on the other hand it might mean lessening reliance on the need or even obliterating the need. That is, the inner need that drives your character’s reactions and feelings maybe shouldn’t be satisfied but instead should be changed or eliminated. What the protagonist does with the need depends on the kind of need it is. Will achieving the need lead to character growth, or would achieving the need be a step backwards for the character? A negative need can be eliminated, freeing the character from its heavy burden.

Across the length of the story, circumstances and the protagonist’s go-to responses—the ones that often don’t work and whose use creates additional problems—reveal a weakness or lack or deficit in the character. The series of problems and the actions that don’t work lead the protagonist to eventually acknowledge the need and to satisfy or change it—to make changes that will turn a weakness into a strength.

This need can be expressed as

●  a want

●  a yearning

●  a flaw or weakness

●  an inner turmoil

●  an emotional or psychological need

And yes, the need sometimes actually is an internal goal. A goal to be

●  content

●  satisfied (or unsatisfied) with the status quo

●  better, stronger, braver, or bolder

●  more understanding or accepting of others

●  less rigid

●  more hopeful

●  less condemning

●  perfect

Deliberate goal or newly revealed need, this issue is what drives the protagonist’s inner journey. This journey, the character arc, is the emotional heart of the story. It stretches from beginning to end, and it reveals the hidden journey the protagonist takes at the same time she’s trying to reach the story goal.

Readers can watch the physical journey that moves characters through the story world, but the inner journey is revealed only through the failures and successes of the visible journey. The protagonist’s changing attitude, changing behavior, changing approach to dealing with other people, and her changing problem-solving tactics all reveal the changes she’s going through on the inside. Yet these incremental changes have to be linked to what’s happening as the character maneuvers through the events of the story. Setbacks and successes lead to changes in the character; without this personal growth, the character won’t succeed.

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Virtually all protagonists are changed by the end of their adventure, and that’s why we feature them in our stories. Something life shattering happens to them and they are not the same after those events and we want to experience that very personal change with them. One exception to the changing protagonist is a series protagonist such as a detective. They often change very little from book to book, although there is often some growth over time if the series covers a long enough time period.

The protagonist’s inner journey speaks to theme—what does the protagonist learn or discover? We’re not talking about learning where the lost artifact is or who the murderer is now. We’re talking discoveries the character makes about himself. We’re talking discoveries of the heart.

A changing character is a vulnerable character. At first he might be unaware of his need, but still he’s likely to have been compensating for his weakness or lack for years (and may recognize at least that much about himself). So he’s not as competent as he could have been had he addressed the need earlier.

Discovering something lacking in us makes all of us insecure. We wonder if others knew about our flaw and weakness all along. We wonder if others pity us or have thought we were weak. We wonder if others make fun of our flaws behind our backs.

Discovery of our weaknesses puts us on the spot and may make us feel weaker than we actually are.

Discovery of flaws brings embarrassment and fear. It may lead to striking out. The protagonist might be driven to hide from her flaw—or from others—or to compensate for the flaw in a negative way.

Yet eventually the character recognizes that the flaw or weakness stands in the way of her achieving not only the story goal but other goals as well.

As the protagonist goes from ignorance of this inner need or not wanting to address it to recognizing it and then to fixing it, she grows. And she is better equipped to solve the story problem.

Growth and satisfying (or loosening the grip of) the inner need may help the protagonist accept the help of others, the very response needed to overcome the antagonist and achieve the story goal. Or satisfying the inner need may lead to the protagonist being able to trust her intuition or a skill that she couldn’t depend on before.

Meeting this inner need or achieving an internal goal usually happens before the protagonist accomplishes the story goal; meeting the need allows the character to do what is necessary to achieve the goal. (Of course, not all story goals are successfully attained, but that’s a different article.)

The character arc/protagonist’s inner journey is a complex topic and one that deserves an article of its own, so I may address the topic again as we continue our focus on the components of structure.

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Story goal and story question are clearly linked, even though one is the province of the protagonist and the other the concern of the reader. But those two story elements and the protagonist’s inner need demand to be considered again and again as you build your story.

Except for rare exceptions (in parallel plots, for example), the protagonist’s goal in every scene is to move closer to the story goal. At the same time, you should also be using scenes to remind readers about the main story question. Too long a time spent away from the main plot—following secondary plots or digressions—may have readers wondering if you changed stories on them.

The protagonist’s inner journey—and thus the inner need—should be woven into the character’s physical journey and into the race toward the story goal. All three elements should be foundational pieces of your story’s structure.

Tags: story structure     Posted in: Craft & Style, Story Structure