What Does Your Protagonist Need?
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What does your protagonist need?
At the beginning of your story, your protagonist may or may not want or need anything particular, but if something doesn't happen that will jerk him or her into action, you won't have much of a story.
We all have physical needs - warmth, shelter, clothing, air, medical help, food, clean water, safety. We also have emotional and spiritual needs - we need to love and be loved, to matter, to use the gifts God has given us.
Your protagonist may have any type of need, depending on the genre of the novel you are writing . . . physical, emotional, spiritual, community-related or all of the above and perhaps a few other things, too!
There will probably be one over-arching want/need, though. So, what is the one main thing that your protagonist lacks, that will make him act?
Does he need to find out why his mother died? Does he need to find out what the message in the bottle means? Is she desperately seeking forgiveness/love/acceptance? Will he gain significance from solving the crime? Does she need release from fear? Does he need to get to a place of safety (and save others, too)?
This main need of your protagonist, and their search to get it, will be your story. So what's yours? :-)
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