I find that the hardest thing to do (especially if you don't write notes on your characters and only have a rough outline of the story in your head) is to keep your characters consistent. Forgetting minor details can make a *major* impact on your reader's/listener's understanding of who your characters are.
Me too one time I all most forgot some so minor that when I reread it I felt like something was missing but luckily I use speare and free website which is on your browser and I hand write it so I was just lucky.
I recommend making a character profile to avoid consistency mistakes. You don't even have to do it beforehand. You can fill it in as you write your story and gain a clearer idea of what your character is like. And then you can still go back and fix things :).
@@KatSperlingBooks I normally do so, but my comment was in regards to the times when that may not mesh with your creative flow. I've sat down and written nearly 7,000 words in an afternoon before, and after that, I say fuck it and just keep writing day after day. Sometimes sitting and mulling over a character profile doesn't feel organic, if that makes sense. But you're right, of course. Doing what you offered helps a lot.
@@3264-m3b Makes sense! Don't let the character profile get in the way of your creative flow. Just fix everything in revision, that's what they're there for :)!
This video comes at the right time! I struggle with showing just the right amount of character growth. I write kid's books and all too often, the lessons in kid's media are too obvious and too in-your-face (sometimes they even get stated at the end of the book/episode/movie, ugh), which I find so insulting to kid's intelligence.
Her videos really are great! If you like her videos, and you like the more podcast version of writing videos (which I do) I would really recommend Quatidan writer, she has also really helped me and is very relaxing to listen to!
"Character agency is how you earn character growth." Best way I've heard it nutshelled! Now I finally understand how to do it. Knowing what something is and knowing how to do it are two very different things 😕 Thank you for the clarity!!
This was great-I’m taking notes to use as a kind of character checklist for my first draft ☺️ Also for additional reference-Momma Odi from The Princess and the Frog sings a whole song about “ya got what ya wanted but not what ya need!’ Lol love it.
You could give lecture classes and I'd fly to Cali for them without a thought. I honestly love the way you break down these concepts. I've heard them a million times, but you come from a perspective that I just GET. Love love love this one!
I learn a lot about my characters ahead of time by writing character profiles. It’s amazing how these brainstormed/free consciousness exercises even create subplots. I strongly encourage anyone having difficulty w agency/growth to try it. As a planser, it gives me a foundation as I navigate through the story with them. I know what they want and mostly what they need. It’s a big help.
Sometimes if you’re having too much trouble with a passive main character, it’s because you’re writing about the wrong character. If your secondary character is more active than your main, it’s probably that secondary character’s story that you’re writing!
One of my older projects had a persistent problem of no agency-itis for the main characters, who were being dragged hither and thither by the plot and not really choosing any of it. I think in the more recent versions they have more agency, but it's still a tricky thing to balance. Also for the stage of character getting what they thought they wanted, I think a really good example is Zuko from A:tlA. He goes home, gets his position back, gets his father's respect, gets his honor--but it's empty, and it's what leads him to finally realizing what he wants, and what he needs to do for both himself and the world.
This whole video my mind was screaming “ZUKOOO” and he is definitely the best example of good character grow. The perfect one because his arc is just brilliant and changes him from a hotheaded aggressive child to a calmer awkward and caring adult at the end of the story.
You are my absolute favorite person on UA-cam for writing advice. Even when you're covering topics I've heard about, you always, always provide information and advice I've not heard elsewhere (rather than just rehashing cliched advice that doesn't really help). Keep up the great work on putting out quality videos.
I’m working on my first book and I’m struggling with the characters and think about through how much agency they have or get is a awesome lense to think about it in
Currently listening to the video now. I had to pause and look up agency because I've never heard it used the way you're talking about it here. "Character Agency?" Even looking it up, it just kept saying business, corporate, bureau, etc. I'm still confused but still listening. The Character Arc aspect I'm definitely needing because I am nailing down my character's personalities, mannerisms, how they would truly act in situations. Thank you for another great topic! 🦊
Character agency basically means the character takes action and makes their own decisions, rather than just letting stuff happen to them, or even worse, letting others make decisions for them. Sometimes it's intentional to not give a character agency (like she said), but sometimes it's an accidental thing.
As a would-be writer who is yet to get off his ass and actually write something in its entirety, your videos are probably the most constructive I've found so far. They do hurt like a sledgehammer, though. Please continue.
I love these more advanced videos. I feel like I've seen the basics done a million times and, while I'll always be working on those, I think I'm ready for more but it's so hard to find! Lol Thank you for this awesome channel! ❤
This advice is exactly what I needed! Thank you! I'm going to watch this at least 5 more times to soak it all in. I'm working on revising a novel, and this video is going to help a lot - especially your ideas on agency. Thank you so much!
I'm about to dive into the first draft of my new WIP (time-traveling sapphic witches!! yay!!) and character agency and arcs is something I literally was just thinking about!!! so thank you so much for this video, it's so helpful!! this is definitely pushing me to think through my MC's journey (this story feels like it'll fit into a trilogy, so I have to consider that also). cause she definitely started out very passive but I feel like I cracked some of her wants and needs and figured out some decisions she's gonna have to make it!!! anyway, I'm so excited to continue working on my WIP and thank you so much for all the advice!!!!
Seems interesting! :) And I think having a character's growth precisely to gain/take more agency and evolve from passive to active could be an interesting story.
I know this video is from a year ago, but I started working on my quarantine novel again yesterday and I want to ask this question, even if no one sees it; my story is a family saga about a rich, influential family who bring up their children in a very strict, authoritative way. I explore the dynamics through multiple povs, but only one of the children speaks in first person, and she's the only one who has access to the present as well (the rest of their stories are told in past tense). Although she's a pretty passive character, always abiding by her family's values and simply witnessing the drama of other family members who try to break free, I wanted to make her the main character from the beginning. I didn't understand why - that's what got me stuck. Until two days ago I realized; that's her character arc. The story ends with a very tragic event which could have been prevented if she had been less passive, and that fills her with guilt and pushes her to her character arc. So my question is; should I write my story like this? If I'm going to break the rule of the "non-passive main character" what should I pay attention to?
This sounds like such an interesting story, and framing structure! If you're still looking for inspiration... It sounds to me like you're writing a tragic, "falling" arc. So if your character's giant flaw is passivity, and the giant climax is the tragic family event, then during the falling action after the event, you can have the character try desperately to fix things, making active decisions, trying to make up for their flaw, but they just keep making things worse and it's a tragic/sad ending. The structure of Greek tragedies, or Shakespeare's tragic plays are a fun reference! OR, if you'd rather a happy ending, then maybe place that big tragic family event in the middle of the book, and make that the "turning point" for your character, where she realizes she has to start taking agency, and the rest of the plot is her making decisions and reaping ultimately positive results (with some nasty moments on the way) Either way, i think it'll be really interesting to explore, and I'd love to hear if you're still pursuing this story! 💖
thank u sooo much for this video! made me realise the main character of my biggest wip was basically a puppet whose strings were pulled by chance rather than them choosing paths to get from A to Be both literally and metaphorically haha. rookie mistake, but i'm thankful there're people like you giving advice tastefully and not judging ♡
Thanks for making this video. I am trying to figure out my main/side characters and more passive characters right now in my story, so this is right on for what I need! 💛
This was what I needed. Drafting a YA fantasy, and really wanting to make sure my MC has a lot of agency. Great tips and as always, thank you for sharing them!
I had to really tweak parts of my WIP because I realized that my MC wasn't making any decisions for herself at the beginning. And I'm so happy with the changes that were made.
I'm drafting a book with a group of 3 friends and my main character has definitely fallen into the passive territory. I was considering combining her with one of the others but the story doesn't feel right with just two of them. While watching this I realized her wants and what she actually needs. Annnnd I figured out a few spots where I can put her in the "driver's seat" a little more. Thank You so much!!!!!
I enjoyed this a lot, thanks. I always have to put more character agency in during revisions. On another note, do you have a video explaining the different genres, what makes each one unique? I have a lot of new writers ask me this and I'd love to direct them to you as a source. If you don't have one, would you consider making one?
A "passive" protagonist I read recently that I thought worked well was Briseus in The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker. The main thread of the book is about whether she will mentally survive the cruel treatment she suffers.
I saved this video and now I will watch it again and again till I have everything memorized :p . You covered some very important points! Recently I started noticing my protagonist lacks a lot of agency. Though he is supposed to be passive and socially awkward, I am scared his passiveness will make him too boring...
Thank you for this video. I was wondering how I was trying to grow my characters and have them actively make decisions that effect them and the people around them.
agency or a lack thereof is a thing one can play with for dramatic puroses if one is aware of its impact. You can toatly write a very passiv character, when this makes sense for the story and is thee feeling you want to evoke . . . like in a horrorstory the feeling of beeing forced and unable to change the path you are one might be wanted and the change in when a character gets to decide for themselfs and show agency will be more impactful in contrast . . . if the reader stays invested that fare. You can also play it for humor with makeing them beeing draged along for the plot very very obvious. The importend part is, that it has to be a concious choice on side of the author when and how much agency is taken away from the character. Give it meaning, make sure the reader is invested in the character by some other means and chose carefuly on how and why the charcter turns activ or passiv in any given scenario
there is a very fun anime where the main character is mostly passiv and get tagged along but then suddenly steps up takes control of the situation, it is great and it is hilarious. We got hints of him haveing a tallent for manipulation and not beeing as harmless as he apears, but the moment he takes advantage of those is still awesome and unexpected. Especialy with his foil, who he had been the sidekick of the whole time, who is impulsiv, draged him along . . . .and than suddenly after haveing been the plotdriving character, has to take the backseat. Those two are hilarious for they are very loyal friends . . . you think, but they do not seam to like eachother very much . . . and you actualy find out that the mc had simply been draged into that friendship just like into the story and at some poindt had given up on trying to escape . . . but they are still very protectiv of eachother . . . . Sadly their story kind of goes downhill shoretly after that, but up to there und just for the interactions of those two, it is totaly worth watching just for how interessting and puzzeling their dynamic is. Their role reversal of who is in controll, is the mad one and in position to order the other as well as strike fear in to the hearts of their antagonists whith his determination is pure gold
Hi! I love your videos and I was wondering if you could make a video on how to introduce characters. I'm writing and I don't know how to introduce then without sounding boring or cheesy.
I just started watching your videos and I really appreciate the work you put into them. Your tips seem generally helpful, but for my novel, my main character has a fall arc. Some of the story structure tips are a little bit different for a fall arc, and I would really appreciate it if you made a video on how to structure a fall arc.
Am I the only one who hates the "works super hard for a specific goal their entire life only to change their mind entirely in the end" trope? That peoples perspective changes - great! That they decide that they want to focus more on family/friends - wonderful! But the act of throwing all ones hard work away just makes me angry.
Love your videos! This one was particularly eye-opening. What about a video on where to find quality real advice online to keep up with the book publishing industry?
Great video, Alexa! I like the idea about having questions ready to ask CPs or betas to dive in deeper into character which will help make the book the best it can be! :0)
Ok, we seem to have some kind of psychic connection! Just kidding, but really every time I am having an issue with my book I see you uploaded a video with that very topic! Great video and great advice, thanks! :)
Characters agency and growth. Development and growth by making you characters relate to wants, needs and moves the story ahead. This feels active reading incolved. Decisions made by media is trending and forces the plot ahead. Characters show a begining a middle and an end. A character may have what they want or need what do they want what it takes to get what they want. The characters wants someone to love them they want glory. We discover interesting characters growth with conflict and traits, sensitivity and witness of spoil through experience. In the middle the challenge of reversal losing a love one or the characters throwing away the thing they thought they wanted for the thing they need. Side characters change in or out of a love interest. What and when are the consequences comes readers won't find out until the last seen. "Agency" is only reacting with the main character and is driving the plot forward. Things happen to your character and things normally do in a "Agency."
I'm having a hard time with my character's growth and agency. The problem is, my character is a prisoner who becomes a queen then is again taken prisoner. A lot of things happen to her and she reacts to most of them. It is not until the very last that she finally says enough is enough and gives herself some agency and does something about her situation. Is this alright to do, or should I give her agency sooner in the story?
It's probably worth investment into a few other characters as foils and influences on her. At least someone should remark from the perspective that she's brought these consequences on herself, even when she can easily defend the position "I didn't do anything wrong"... BUT she didn't do ANYTHING at all. Almost any point after a notice like that being called out, to her if nobody else, then would be appropriate for her to "start tinkering with agency" and making some pro-active choices... Sure, you can linger about the whole passive issue, and spring some of that "enough is enough" material. The only problem is that it's very easy to "come out of nowhere". Lending her an influence from someone who might believe that "you make your own luck" would present (symbolically at least) a reason for her to start exploring agency rather than "just a writer's cop out" when she abruptly changes her whole course of actions and starts 180 degrees out of her character arc to date. Whether you invest "all in" on one particular foil for her, a certain character who somehow manages to appear nearby in almost every circumstance to point out his/her perspective on the matter... OR you decide to have several otherwise minuscule characters pop in and out of her life with similar thoughts and ideals... well... that's up to you. It might be believable that every time she's captured, there's the same other prisoner also regularly tortured and miserable in the same or similar nearby cell (whatever) of the dungeon... AND every time she escapes, somehow there's a consequential event that lets this other character loose either at the same time or fairly soon after. OR if it's just too ridiculous to get along with, several "bit-part-characters" can have similar circumstances one way or another... just in passing... as she's going through in those moments. They can then in turns lend their philosophy of pro-active maneuvering instead of "sitting around on thumbs" as it were. The bottom line is that it's alright to go about the reluctance to take up actions for a majority of the story... the same as it's alright to start making pro-active choices earlier. So long as you seed the idea that this active/passive issue is what's being resolved, you're probably going to have a reasonably satisfying read. What you really want to avoid is "acting out of nowhere"... ;o)
“What do you want” “I would appreciate not dying...” “And what do you need” “To not die” “Well I have great news!” “You aren’t going to kill me?” “Oh, most definitely not!” “Then what’s the good news?” “Well by shattering your wants and needs dying will build character in you!” “...”
I think another reason agency is difficult is because generally life happens TO us. As humans we're more reactionary than active in our perspective. "I got fired so i guess i'll look for a job" not "wow i really deserved to be fired because i was hanging out on youtube all day" Because we live in the now life feels more like a reaction then small constant decisions. That then translates onto paper as "of course life HAPPENS to you, this character isn't in charge of x-thing" so doing studies on yourself and your life can help you create opportunities for your characters to practice agency. i have a character who i want to fall for moral dilemma y and get captured by the antagonist. So its a series of decisions that get him captured and a series of learning and applying that knowledge that gets him out. sure, there's nothing he could do about being captured or being a prisoner, but he can make decisions that lead there and lead out.
Most of us have some sensibility that "there are things outside of our control"... BUT just for instance, Navy Seals are taught, "We do not get defeated. We can only defeat ourselves." It's a difficult mindset to adopt, but taking responsibility for everything in one's life IS most certainly a credible and long standing philosophy of life. Not all humans even believe that "Life happens TO us." ;o)
@@evinkrowe1334 WAY to miss the point... OH... you must be one of "those people" the kind who is afflicted with life as if it's a terminal STD. Right? There's a cure for that, you know. ;o)
I think that's a good idea (makes for an interesting and realistic arc, since we all have a point in life where we need to start taking responsibility for ourselves), but there's a risk that readers might drop off too early to see the change because they get annoyed by passive characters? I personally wouldn’t drop off because I can’t identify with overly proactive characters, but I heard it’s a pet peeve of many readers.
many of my characters grow on their own and sometimes I struggle to come up with how they ended up changeing like this . . . or they just ran into the nearest knife when I was not looking and then I have to deal with that fallout . . . many of my stories and characters are based on dreams so I have like snapshots of them in different stages and than somehow have to make sense of all the stuff that is very clear in a dream, but makes literaly no sense outside of it good thing, the characters feel real and flawed and layered, bad thing, i sometimes do not understand them and they do what ever they want and I have neither structure nor controll
heyyyy I need some advice please, someone! I'm a 20 yo Australian guy and thinking about pursuing a career in writing, but I feel like I have a problem because while YA isn't really my kind of thing, I'm probably too young and inexperienced to write "adult" fiction.... I realise that if I do pursue writing it would probably take until I'm a few years into my 20s to make any progress on a book, but in your opinion is there a minimum age to write "adult" fiction? (Loving your content btw Alexa)
How would character agency work in a story where the characters actions are driven by fate or a prophecy? I'm writing a story based on Greek mythology so the Fates control most of the action, but I still want my characters to feel like they're acting on their own.
That could be especially interesting, for example, the characters could try to defy the prophecy and their actions lead them somewhere else, and then their destiny kicks in anyway but in a really creative way. The futility of one’s actions in the scheme of themes could be a really complex, interesting theme, if you do it right (and like it for yourself!).
Hey Alexa, you did okay with this topic but you left out HALF of all stories. Not all characters are change characters, sometimes the characters are steadfast and change their world. Which leads into the topic of growth. Growth comes in two flavors. Stopping something or Starting something. In a change character their dilemma is internal and they must either begin a new behavior/belief or abandon an existing one. But when the character is steadfast in their view point they are either doing the work necessary to get the world started on a new path or they are focused on making the inequity of the situation apparent to all in order to stop the inequity. It frustrates me that people ignore half of all stories by insisting all characters are change characters. Wonder Woman, Shrek, and Pretty Woman are all examples of steadfast characters that change their worlds rather than themselves. Of the three of those Shrek's world is the one that changes the most and so people are often confused when I say that he is steadfast character, but the main argument of Shrek is that true happiness is only found in accepting and loving who you truly are and it is Fiona that learns that lesson, and is what Shrek knew from the beginning.
Alexa, You touched on this briefly, but if a character's entire arc is about them literally going from passive to active but I'm wondering how well an arc like that would sit with agents. (i.e. "everything happens to me because God wills it" to "Things happen as a direct result of my own choices"). Speaking on my own work, it's been very difficult to balance character agency with a main character whose culture raised him with an inherently passive mindset.
Maybe have little hints of agency? Maybe he thinks "god wills it" with his ultimate destiny, but he'll stand his ground and refuse to eat carrots because he thinks they're gross?
That's actually a good point and I think I've done that. Guess I just worry how agents might perceive it, but I won't know until I put it out there, will I?
Are there any specific things you consider regarding main character agency around the time of the ‘refusal of the call of adventure’? Should a writer usually try to make the refusal more of their own choice?
It’s great that you’re acknowledging your struggles of writing female and non-binary characters, that’s the first step at getting better at it :)! I have a video on writing strong female characters on my channel which might be helpful: ua-cam.com/video/OpucAVUIlBU/v-deo.html. I don’t know anyone who gives writing tips on how to write non-binary characters, but Christopher Drost (another AuthorTuber) has several videos on trans characters, so depending on your definition of trans (if you count non-binary as trans), that might be helpful. I’m sure you can also just search for (non-writerly) UA-cam channels of people who identify as non-binary to gain more insights about their life and to get a feeling for writing them.
Possibly a stupid question, but does it still count as agency if the character makes a decision but that decision is problematic and leads to terrible consequences? Or is that still things happening to the character despite their later efforts to dig themselves out of the hole they've ended up in?
It counts as agency if the Character in question is ACTING upon that decision of their own free will, not bound by some tangible plot device or other... not as a reaction or consequence of someone ELSE's activities. Okay, so nothing exactly happens in a vacuum. The principle is still relatively sound, however. The closer you can define any character's actions as entirely their own and unchanged if they did come from a vacuum, the more agency that character is exercising. Making a decision is one thing. Actively engaging that decision from start to a finished product is another. Even if that finished product turns out to be an unmitigated disaster, so long as the character was engaged in creating that disaster, it's still agency. IF (just in case) on the other hand, the character's only decision was intangible, and physically he/she just sat on thumbs while the world around them went to hell in a handbasket... then yes, there was still a decision made, but no agency taken. A soldier who digs a foxhole and sits in it amid all the bombs, the shelling, and the various (others) running over no-man's land to get killed in droves might still survive the war... BUT he had no agency in its outcome. A soldier who parachuted in and gave up on the foxhole to rush a machine-gun position and break through enemy ranks has taken agency for his cause... whether or not he survives the ordeal. SO maybe something herein helps?(I hope) ;o)
@@gnarthdarkanen7464 Yes, thank you. It was a very detailed answer and it definitely helps me to worry less. Because my character's decisions are largely reactions to what's going on around her, I wasn't entirely sure, but she's definitely not sitting on her thumbs waiting for things to happen to her (which is kind of her problem; she needs to learn to be less rash and that sometimes discretion is the better part of valor lol). I really appreciate you taking the time to answer my question and give some concrete examples to clarify things in my mind. I'm in the midst of plotting and researching for the first novel-length story I've ever attempted, and the doubts... omg, the DOUBTS. They burnses us, precious!!! Thank you again :)
@@LillieLights Thanks, Lillie :) the last thing I want to is to write a powerless female lol. Those make me grind my teeth when I run into them so, if I produced one myself, I'd have to find the nearest brick wall and bang my head against it until the pain stopped :D
I had put a story one ice for I had the importend characters and they where interessting and diverse . . . but they where stagnnt . . . They hade no development and as soon as I noticed I stopped even though t is a story with so many interessting plotpoints and for my writeing a prett decent draft of from where to where and how . . . probably later on I will revive it when the characters are more willing to grow but for the moment thwir world is way more interessting and uncooperative characters really do not make a good story
I feel you Alexa, I feel like the characters are the story. A lame plot full of interesting characters can still make a good story, but an incredible plot full of dull characters makes for an awful story in my book.
I find that the hardest thing to do (especially if you don't write notes on your characters and only have a rough outline of the story in your head) is to keep your characters consistent. Forgetting minor details can make a *major* impact on your reader's/listener's understanding of who your characters are.
Me too one time I all most forgot some so minor that when I reread it I felt like something was missing but luckily I use speare and free website which is on your browser and I hand write it so I was just lucky.
I recommend making a character profile to avoid consistency mistakes. You don't even have to do it beforehand. You can fill it in as you write your story and gain a clearer idea of what your character is like. And then you can still go back and fix things :).
@@KatSperlingBooks I normally do so, but my comment was in regards to the times when that may not mesh with your creative flow. I've sat down and written nearly 7,000 words in an afternoon before, and after that, I say fuck it and just keep writing day after day. Sometimes sitting and mulling over a character profile doesn't feel organic, if that makes sense. But you're right, of course. Doing what you offered helps a lot.
@@3264-m3b Makes sense! Don't let the character profile get in the way of your creative flow. Just fix everything in revision, that's what they're there for :)!
@@KatSperlingBooks For sure.
This video comes at the right time! I struggle with showing just the right amount of character growth. I write kid's books and all too often, the lessons in kid's media are too obvious and too in-your-face (sometimes they even get stated at the end of the book/episode/movie, ugh), which I find so insulting to kid's intelligence.
I absolutely love your videos!! They have truly helped me as a new writer and shown me what truly matters when writing! Thank you so much!!
Her videos really are great! If you like her videos, and you like the more podcast version of writing videos (which I do) I would really recommend Quatidan writer, she has also really helped me and is very relaxing to listen to!
"Character agency is how you earn character growth." Best way I've heard it nutshelled! Now I finally understand how to do it. Knowing what something is and knowing how to do it are two very different things 😕 Thank you for the clarity!!
This was great-I’m taking notes to use as a kind of character checklist for my first draft ☺️
Also for additional reference-Momma Odi from The Princess and the Frog sings a whole song about “ya got what ya wanted but not what ya need!’ Lol love it.
You could give lecture classes and I'd fly to Cali for them without a thought. I honestly love the way you break down these concepts. I've heard them a million times, but you come from a perspective that I just GET. Love love love this one!
So true!
I love the lengthiness of your videos and how thorough they are, and can I just say you're such a gorgeous person!! I'm so glad I found your chanel(:
I learn a lot about my characters ahead of time by writing character profiles. It’s amazing how these brainstormed/free consciousness exercises even create subplots. I strongly encourage anyone having difficulty w agency/growth to try it. As a planser, it gives me a foundation as I navigate through the story with them. I know what they want and mostly what they need. It’s a big help.
Oooh! Have never been this early. Yussss!
And just the right video since I'm tweaking the protagonist's arc of my July Camp Nano story.
Sometimes if you’re having too much trouble with a passive main character, it’s because you’re writing about the wrong character. If your secondary character is more active than your main, it’s probably that secondary character’s story that you’re writing!
Just as I finish the NovelTea Show Podcast episode, this pops up... Yay for double Alexa today xD
One of my older projects had a persistent problem of no agency-itis for the main characters, who were being dragged hither and thither by the plot and not really choosing any of it. I think in the more recent versions they have more agency, but it's still a tricky thing to balance.
Also for the stage of character getting what they thought they wanted, I think a really good example is Zuko from A:tlA. He goes home, gets his position back, gets his father's respect, gets his honor--but it's empty, and it's what leads him to finally realizing what he wants, and what he needs to do for both himself and the world.
This whole video my mind was screaming “ZUKOOO” and he is definitely the best example of good character grow. The perfect one because his arc is just brilliant and changes him from a hotheaded aggressive child to a calmer awkward and caring adult at the end of the story.
You are my absolute favorite person on UA-cam for writing advice. Even when you're covering topics I've heard about, you always, always provide information and advice I've not heard elsewhere (rather than just rehashing cliched advice that doesn't really help). Keep up the great work on putting out quality videos.
I’m working on my first book and I’m struggling with the characters and think about through how much agency they have or get is a awesome lense to think about it in
Currently listening to the video now. I had to pause and look up agency because I've never heard it used the way you're talking about it here. "Character Agency?" Even looking it up, it just kept saying business, corporate, bureau, etc. I'm still confused but still listening.
The Character Arc aspect I'm definitely needing because I am nailing down my character's personalities, mannerisms, how they would truly act in situations.
Thank you for another great topic! 🦊
Character agency basically means the character takes action and makes their own decisions, rather than just letting stuff happen to them, or even worse, letting others make decisions for them. Sometimes it's intentional to not give a character agency (like she said), but sometimes it's an accidental thing.
As a would-be writer who is yet to get off his ass and actually write something in its entirety, your videos are probably the most constructive I've found so far.
They do hurt like a sledgehammer, though.
Please continue.
Every time I listen to these I have to make notes cause these give great ideas to the story I’m writing
I love these more advanced videos. I feel like I've seen the basics done a million times and, while I'll always be working on those, I think I'm ready for more but it's so hard to find! Lol Thank you for this awesome channel! ❤
This advice is exactly what I needed! Thank you! I'm going to watch this at least 5 more times to soak it all in. I'm working on revising a novel, and this video is going to help a lot - especially your ideas on agency. Thank you so much!
This video was very helpful. It helped me to realize where I can improve my character's agency and motivation in interesting ways. Thank you!
I'm about to dive into the first draft of my new WIP (time-traveling sapphic witches!! yay!!) and character agency and arcs is something I literally was just thinking about!!! so thank you so much for this video, it's so helpful!! this is definitely pushing me to think through my MC's journey (this story feels like it'll fit into a trilogy, so I have to consider that also).
cause she definitely started out very passive but I feel like I cracked some of her wants and needs and figured out some decisions she's gonna have to make it!!! anyway, I'm so excited to continue working on my WIP and thank you so much for all the advice!!!!
Seems interesting! :)
And I think having a character's growth precisely to gain/take more agency and evolve from passive to active could be an interesting story.
Next novel Alexa, you should try to give Fanny Price more agency! Still, I suppose she refuses marriage which is not nothing!
I know this video is from a year ago, but I started working on my quarantine novel again yesterday and I want to ask this question, even if no one sees it; my story is a family saga about a rich, influential family who bring up their children in a very strict, authoritative way. I explore the dynamics through multiple povs, but only one of the children speaks in first person, and she's the only one who has access to the present as well (the rest of their stories are told in past tense). Although she's a pretty passive character, always abiding by her family's values and simply witnessing the drama of other family members who try to break free, I wanted to make her the main character from the beginning. I didn't understand why - that's what got me stuck. Until two days ago I realized; that's her character arc. The story ends with a very tragic event which could have been prevented if she had been less passive, and that fills her with guilt and pushes her to her character arc. So my question is; should I write my story like this? If I'm going to break the rule of the "non-passive main character" what should I pay attention to?
This sounds like such an interesting story, and framing structure!
If you're still looking for inspiration... It sounds to me like you're writing a tragic, "falling" arc.
So if your character's giant flaw is passivity, and the giant climax is the tragic family event, then during the falling action after the event, you can have the character try desperately to fix things, making active decisions, trying to make up for their flaw, but they just keep making things worse and it's a tragic/sad ending. The structure of Greek tragedies, or Shakespeare's tragic plays are a fun reference!
OR, if you'd rather a happy ending, then maybe place that big tragic family event in the middle of the book, and make that the "turning point" for your character, where she realizes she has to start taking agency, and the rest of the plot is her making decisions and reaping ultimately positive results (with some nasty moments on the way)
Either way, i think it'll be really interesting to explore, and I'd love to hear if you're still pursuing this story! 💖
I basically just heard from almost 20 minutes this women describe Zuko from Avatar the last Airbender 😅
thank u sooo much for this video! made me realise the main character of my biggest wip was basically a puppet whose strings were pulled by chance rather than them choosing paths to get from A to Be both literally and metaphorically haha. rookie mistake, but i'm thankful there're people like you giving advice tastefully and not judging ♡
You made my day with this upload! Thanks Alexa.
Hey Alexa, I love your channel and just bought my own copy of Brightly Burning, and I’m so excited to read it. Thank you for all your help 💙💜
Thanks for making this video. I am trying to figure out my main/side characters and more passive characters right now in my story, so this is right on for what I need! 💛
This was what I needed. Drafting a YA fantasy, and really wanting to make sure my MC has a lot of agency. Great tips and as always, thank you for sharing them!
I had to really tweak parts of my WIP because I realized that my MC wasn't making any decisions for herself at the beginning. And I'm so happy with the changes that were made.
I'm drafting a book with a group of 3 friends and my main character has definitely fallen into the passive territory. I was considering combining her with one of the others but the story doesn't feel right with just two of them. While watching this I realized her wants and what she actually needs. Annnnd I figured out a few spots where I can put her in the "driver's seat" a little more. Thank You so much!!!!!
I enjoyed this a lot, thanks. I always have to put more character agency in during revisions. On another note, do you have a video explaining the different genres, what makes each one unique? I have a lot of new writers ask me this and I'd love to direct them to you as a source. If you don't have one, would you consider making one?
A "passive" protagonist I read recently that I thought worked well was Briseus in The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker. The main thread of the book is about whether she will mentally survive the cruel treatment she suffers.
Thanks to this video, I increased my female protagonist's military rank from Major to Lieutenant-Colonel.
what 😂
I saved this video and now I will watch it again and again till I have everything memorized :p . You covered some very important points! Recently I started noticing my protagonist lacks a lot of agency. Though he is supposed to be passive and socially awkward, I am scared his passiveness will make him too boring...
Thank you for this video. I was wondering how I was trying to grow my characters and have them actively make decisions that effect them and the people around them.
love this! I needed this for my current WIP !
Thank you for this! You help my process so much with your videos.
You have, hands down, the best videos on craft. ❤
Just bought your book Brightly Burning at Barnes and Noble today!
agency or a lack thereof is a thing one can play with for dramatic puroses if one is aware of its impact. You can toatly write a very passiv character, when this makes sense for the story and is thee feeling you want to evoke . . . like in a horrorstory the feeling of beeing forced and unable to change the path you are one might be wanted and the change in when a character gets to decide for themselfs and show agency will be more impactful in contrast . . . if the reader stays invested that fare.
You can also play it for humor with makeing them beeing draged along for the plot very very obvious. The importend part is, that it has to be a concious choice on side of the author when and how much agency is taken away from the character. Give it meaning, make sure the reader is invested in the character by some other means and chose carefuly on how and why the charcter turns activ or passiv in any given scenario
I would love more 2.0 type videos like this!
there is a very fun anime where the main character is mostly passiv and get tagged along but then suddenly steps up takes control of the situation, it is great and it is hilarious. We got hints of him haveing a tallent for manipulation and not beeing as harmless as he apears, but the moment he takes advantage of those is still awesome and unexpected. Especialy with his foil, who he had been the sidekick of the whole time, who is impulsiv, draged him along . . . .and than suddenly after haveing been the plotdriving character, has to take the backseat. Those two are hilarious for they are very loyal friends . . . you think, but they do not seam to like eachother very much . . . and you actualy find out that the mc had simply been draged into that friendship just like into the story and at some poindt had given up on trying to escape . . . but they are still very protectiv of eachother . . . .
Sadly their story kind of goes downhill shoretly after that, but up to there und just for the interactions of those two, it is totaly worth watching just for how interessting and puzzeling their dynamic is. Their role reversal of who is in controll, is the mad one and in position to order the other as well as strike fear in to the hearts of their antagonists whith his determination is pure gold
Hi! I love your videos and I was wondering if you could make a video on how to introduce characters. I'm writing and I don't know how to introduce then without sounding boring or cheesy.
That's a great idea! I'd love to see that video!
@@KatSperlingBooks 😊
Love the comment on female agency!
Loved the video!
I just started watching your videos and I really appreciate the work you put into them. Your tips seem generally helpful, but for my novel, my main character has a fall arc. Some of the story structure tips are a little bit different for a fall arc, and I would really appreciate it if you made a video on how to structure a fall arc.
i have a winter arc
Am I the only one who hates the "works super hard for a specific goal their entire life only to change their mind entirely in the end" trope? That peoples perspective changes - great! That they decide that they want to focus more on family/friends - wonderful! But the act of throwing all ones hard work away just makes me angry.
Love your videos! This one was particularly eye-opening. What about a video on where to find quality real advice online to keep up with the book publishing industry?
Great video, Alexa! I like the idea about having questions ready to ask CPs or betas to dive in deeper into character which will help make the book the best it can be! :0)
Ok, we seem to have some kind of psychic connection! Just kidding, but really every time I am having an issue with my book I see you uploaded a video with that very topic! Great video and great advice, thanks! :)
Characters agency and growth. Development and growth by making you characters relate to wants, needs and moves the story ahead. This feels active reading incolved. Decisions made by media is trending and forces the plot ahead.
Characters show a begining a middle and an end. A character may have what they want or need what do they want what it takes to get what they want. The characters wants someone to love them they want glory. We discover interesting characters growth with conflict and traits, sensitivity and witness of spoil through experience. In the middle the challenge of reversal losing a love one or the characters throwing away the thing they thought they wanted for the thing they need. Side characters change in or out of a love interest. What and when are the consequences comes readers won't find out until the last seen.
"Agency" is only reacting with the main character and is driving the plot forward. Things happen to your character and things normally do in a "Agency."
I took a different aproach giving my character what he wanted right at the start,but slowly took everything from him making him miserable.
Maybe the most challenging thing to me.
I'm having a hard time with my character's growth and agency. The problem is, my character is a prisoner who becomes a queen then is again taken prisoner. A lot of things happen to her and she reacts to most of them. It is not until the very last that she finally says enough is enough and gives herself some agency and does something about her situation.
Is this alright to do, or should I give her agency sooner in the story?
Try and make some of the things that happen to her a result of her choices. Let her make wrong choices that come back to bite her.
It's probably worth investment into a few other characters as foils and influences on her.
At least someone should remark from the perspective that she's brought these consequences on herself, even when she can easily defend the position "I didn't do anything wrong"... BUT she didn't do ANYTHING at all.
Almost any point after a notice like that being called out, to her if nobody else, then would be appropriate for her to "start tinkering with agency" and making some pro-active choices...
Sure, you can linger about the whole passive issue, and spring some of that "enough is enough" material. The only problem is that it's very easy to "come out of nowhere". Lending her an influence from someone who might believe that "you make your own luck" would present (symbolically at least) a reason for her to start exploring agency rather than "just a writer's cop out" when she abruptly changes her whole course of actions and starts 180 degrees out of her character arc to date.
Whether you invest "all in" on one particular foil for her, a certain character who somehow manages to appear nearby in almost every circumstance to point out his/her perspective on the matter... OR you decide to have several otherwise minuscule characters pop in and out of her life with similar thoughts and ideals... well... that's up to you. It might be believable that every time she's captured, there's the same other prisoner also regularly tortured and miserable in the same or similar nearby cell (whatever) of the dungeon... AND every time she escapes, somehow there's a consequential event that lets this other character loose either at the same time or fairly soon after.
OR if it's just too ridiculous to get along with, several "bit-part-characters" can have similar circumstances one way or another... just in passing... as she's going through in those moments. They can then in turns lend their philosophy of pro-active maneuvering instead of "sitting around on thumbs" as it were.
The bottom line is that it's alright to go about the reluctance to take up actions for a majority of the story... the same as it's alright to start making pro-active choices earlier. So long as you seed the idea that this active/passive issue is what's being resolved, you're probably going to have a reasonably satisfying read.
What you really want to avoid is "acting out of nowhere"... ;o)
“What do you want”
“I would appreciate not dying...”
“And what do you need”
“To not die”
“Well I have great news!”
“You aren’t going to kill me?”
“Oh, most definitely not!”
“Then what’s the good news?”
“Well by shattering your wants and needs dying will build character in you!”
“...”
I think another reason agency is difficult is because generally life happens TO us. As humans we're more reactionary than active in our perspective. "I got fired so i guess i'll look for a job" not "wow i really deserved to be fired because i was hanging out on youtube all day" Because we live in the now life feels more like a reaction then small constant decisions. That then translates onto paper as "of course life HAPPENS to you, this character isn't in charge of x-thing" so doing studies on yourself and your life can help you create opportunities for your characters to practice agency.
i have a character who i want to fall for moral dilemma y and get captured by the antagonist. So its a series of decisions that get him captured and a series of learning and applying that knowledge that gets him out. sure, there's nothing he could do about being captured or being a prisoner, but he can make decisions that lead there and lead out.
Most of us have some sensibility that "there are things outside of our control"...
BUT just for instance, Navy Seals are taught, "We do not get defeated. We can only defeat ourselves." It's a difficult mindset to adopt, but taking responsibility for everything in one's life IS most certainly a credible and long standing philosophy of life. Not all humans even believe that "Life happens TO us." ;o)
@@gnarthdarkanen7464 yeah, cause the general pop are navy seals
@@evinkrowe1334 WAY to miss the point...
OH... you must be one of "those people" the kind who is afflicted with life as if it's a terminal STD. Right?
There's a cure for that, you know. ;o)
What if my character’s arc is to grow from passive to active, to learn how to have agency and to take it for herself?
I think that's a good idea (makes for an interesting and realistic arc, since we all have a point in life where we need to start taking responsibility for ourselves), but there's a risk that readers might drop off too early to see the change because they get annoyed by passive characters? I personally wouldn’t drop off because I can’t identify with overly proactive characters, but I heard it’s a pet peeve of many readers.
many of my characters grow on their own and sometimes I struggle to come up with how they ended up changeing like this . . . or they just ran into the nearest knife when I was not looking and then I have to deal with that fallout . . .
many of my stories and characters are based on dreams so I have like snapshots of them in different stages and than somehow have to make sense of all the stuff that is very clear in a dream, but makes literaly no sense outside of it
good thing, the characters feel real and flawed and layered, bad thing, i sometimes do not understand them and they do what ever they want and I have neither structure nor controll
Is it fine to take your time with agency? Let it go on throughout the series?
Awesome video. My book is now wih beta readers and I *think* my main character has agency but we'll find out what the readers say haha!
heyyyy I need some advice please, someone!
I'm a 20 yo Australian guy and thinking about pursuing a career in writing, but I feel like I have a problem because while YA isn't really my kind of thing, I'm probably too young and inexperienced to write "adult" fiction.... I realise that if I do pursue writing it would probably take until I'm a few years into my 20s to make any progress on a book, but in your opinion is there a minimum age to write "adult" fiction?
(Loving your content btw Alexa)
How would character agency work in a story where the characters actions are driven by fate or a prophecy? I'm writing a story based on Greek mythology so the Fates control most of the action, but I still want my characters to feel like they're acting on their own.
That could be especially interesting, for example, the characters could try to defy the prophecy and their actions lead them somewhere else, and then their destiny kicks in anyway but in a really creative way. The futility of one’s actions in the scheme of themes could be a really complex, interesting theme, if you do it right (and like it for yourself!).
Hey Alexa, you did okay with this topic but you left out HALF of all stories. Not all characters are change characters, sometimes the characters are steadfast and change their world. Which leads into the topic of growth. Growth comes in two flavors. Stopping something or Starting something. In a change character their dilemma is internal and they must either begin a new behavior/belief or abandon an existing one. But when the character is steadfast in their view point they are either doing the work necessary to get the world started on a new path or they are focused on making the inequity of the situation apparent to all in order to stop the inequity. It frustrates me that people ignore half of all stories by insisting all characters are change characters. Wonder Woman, Shrek, and Pretty Woman are all examples of steadfast characters that change their worlds rather than themselves. Of the three of those Shrek's world is the one that changes the most and so people are often confused when I say that he is steadfast character, but the main argument of Shrek is that true happiness is only found in accepting and loving who you truly are and it is Fiona that learns that lesson, and is what Shrek knew from the beginning.
Alexa,
You touched on this briefly, but if a character's entire arc is about them literally going from passive to active but I'm wondering how well an arc like that would sit with agents. (i.e. "everything happens to me because God wills it" to "Things happen as a direct result of my own choices").
Speaking on my own work, it's been very difficult to balance character agency with a main character whose culture raised him with an inherently passive mindset.
Maybe have little hints of agency? Maybe he thinks "god wills it" with his ultimate destiny, but he'll stand his ground and refuse to eat carrots because he thinks they're gross?
That's actually a good point and I think I've done that. Guess I just worry how agents might perceive it, but I won't know until I put it out there, will I?
I know I’m yearsssss late, but how would you handle dialogue though text messages?
Are there any specific things you consider regarding main character agency around the time of the ‘refusal of the call of adventure’? Should a writer usually try to make the refusal more of their own choice?
I struggle with making all my characters female or non-binary.
I don’t know why, but a male character never comes to me organically.
Does the world really need more fictional guys, though? ;)
It’s great that you’re acknowledging your struggles of writing female and non-binary characters, that’s the first step at getting better at it :)! I have a video on writing strong female characters on my channel which might be helpful: ua-cam.com/video/OpucAVUIlBU/v-deo.html. I don’t know anyone who gives writing tips on how to write non-binary characters, but Christopher Drost (another AuthorTuber) has several videos on trans characters, so depending on your definition of trans (if you count non-binary as trans), that might be helpful. I’m sure you can also just search for (non-writerly) UA-cam channels of people who identify as non-binary to gain more insights about their life and to get a feeling for writing them.
if my main character isn't making the optimal move at all times they're making a mistake
Oh God twilight, read salems lot
Possibly a stupid question, but does it still count as agency if the character makes a decision but that decision is problematic and leads to terrible consequences? Or is that still things happening to the character despite their later efforts to dig themselves out of the hole they've ended up in?
I think it definitely counts as agency if the character was the one who made the choice that got them into that mess. So, yes.
It counts as agency if the Character in question is ACTING upon that decision of their own free will, not bound by some tangible plot device or other... not as a reaction or consequence of someone ELSE's activities.
Okay, so nothing exactly happens in a vacuum. The principle is still relatively sound, however. The closer you can define any character's actions as entirely their own and unchanged if they did come from a vacuum, the more agency that character is exercising.
Making a decision is one thing. Actively engaging that decision from start to a finished product is another. Even if that finished product turns out to be an unmitigated disaster, so long as the character was engaged in creating that disaster, it's still agency.
IF (just in case) on the other hand, the character's only decision was intangible, and physically he/she just sat on thumbs while the world around them went to hell in a handbasket... then yes, there was still a decision made, but no agency taken.
A soldier who digs a foxhole and sits in it amid all the bombs, the shelling, and the various (others) running over no-man's land to get killed in droves might still survive the war... BUT he had no agency in its outcome.
A soldier who parachuted in and gave up on the foxhole to rush a machine-gun position and break through enemy ranks has taken agency for his cause... whether or not he survives the ordeal.
SO maybe something herein helps?(I hope) ;o)
@@gnarthdarkanen7464 Yes, thank you. It was a very detailed answer and it definitely helps me to worry less. Because my character's decisions are largely reactions to what's going on around her, I wasn't entirely sure, but she's definitely not sitting on her thumbs waiting for things to happen to her (which is kind of her problem; she needs to learn to be less rash and that sometimes discretion is the better part of valor lol). I really appreciate you taking the time to answer my question and give some concrete examples to clarify things in my mind. I'm in the midst of plotting and researching for the first novel-length story I've ever attempted, and the doubts... omg, the DOUBTS. They burnses us, precious!!! Thank you again :)
@@LillieLights Thanks, Lillie :) the last thing I want to is to write a powerless female lol. Those make me grind my teeth when I run into them so, if I produced one myself, I'd have to find the nearest brick wall and bang my head against it until the pain stopped :D
@@Katherine_The_Okay always welcome. Glad it helped. ;o)
A lot of the time female authors use male characters as emotional support dogs for the main female character
I had put a story one ice for I had the importend characters and they where interessting and diverse . . . but they where stagnnt . . . They hade no development and as soon as I noticed I stopped even though t is a story with so many interessting plotpoints and for my writeing a prett decent draft of from where to where and how . . . probably later on I will revive it when the characters are more willing to grow but for the moment thwir world is way more interessting and uncooperative characters really do not make a good story
More 201! More 201!
You're a mind reader, Alexa! I've just needed a video on character agency :)
I feel you Alexa, I feel like the characters are the story. A lame plot full of interesting characters can still make a good story, but an incredible plot full of dull characters makes for an awful story in my book.
Thank you for making this video! Love how well you can explain all this.