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October 25, 2025

Theme for the day

Characters Need Agency

Agenda

• Quick catch-up
• What is agency?
• How do you make sure the characters have it?

Segment 1

The last time we did this topic was way back in 2021 here’s the link to Episode 130. We think maybe we’ve learned something since then. Born out of the “be mean to your characters” necessity, “what could be meaner than making your characters make decisions, do something, take responsibility, and live with consequences of their actions?”

• According to this link by Meg LaTorre at Savvy Authors, “agency” means the character is more proactive than reactive in the story. The character does stuff instead of stuff just happening to him/her.
• To give characters agency, ensure they drive the plot through active choices and pursuit of clear, motivated goals, rather than passively reacting to events. This involves providing meaningful choices, showing consequences for their actions, creating internal and external conflicts that require decisive action, and allowing for character growth based on their decisions. (thanks, AI and this link)

Segment 2

How do you do it? Check out this link (summary below):

• Active, Not Passive: Your protagonist should be the driver of the plot, making decisions that shape the story, not just having things happen to them.
• Clear Goals: Give characters specific, achievable goals rooted in their desires and motivations.
• Strong Motivations: Explain why a character takes action, linking their choices to their values, beliefs, and internal struggles.
• Meaningful Choices: Present dilemmas where characters must make difficult decisions that reflect their personality.
• Consequences: Show the tangible positive and negative outcomes of their decisions, reinforcing their impact on the story.
• Conflict as a Catalyst: Use obstacles and conflicts to force characters to act and make choices.
• Show, Don’t Tell: Reveal agency through actions and dialogue, not just narration of thoughts or feelings.
• Character Arc: Allow characters to change and develop as a result of their experiences and choices.
• Avoid Deus Ex Machina: Don’t resolve conflicts randomly or through external forces beyond the character’s control. 

Segment 3

How to Test for Agency:

• The “What If” Test: If you remove the character, does the plot fall apart, or would it unfold the same way? If the latter, the character lacks agency.
• Motivation Check: If you changed the character’s motivations, would the scene still play out the same? If not, their reasons likely matter. 

Check your story for these common characterization traps that can result in passive protagonists (this link):

1. The witness: The protagonist is present for the action of the story, but primarily as an observer or reporter, rather than a key driver of the plot.
2. The bystander: The plot happens adjacent to the main character; he’s “in the room where it happens,” but not intrinsic to making it happen.
3. The recipient: Another character in the story affects the action and drives the plot, handing the spoils—essential information, progress toward a goal, etc.—to the ostensible protagonist, who didn’t directly do anything to achieve them.
4. The victim: The character is woefully put-upon in her journey toward self-actualization, but we never see her taking the reins to act for her own salvation; she just weathers the storm.