WEBVTT 1 00:00:03.790 --> 00:00:11.480 Michelle @ ProWritingAid: Welcome everyone. If you can see and hear me drop your location in the chat so we can see where you are joining us from 2 00:00:11.600 --> 00:00:16.999 Michelle @ ProWritingAid: welcome to our 3rd session of Science Fiction writers. Week 2024. 3 00:00:17.020 --> 00:00:19.169 Michelle @ ProWritingAid: We're so glad to have you here. 4 00:00:19.180 --> 00:00:23.650 Michelle @ ProWritingAid: If you can see and hear me drop your location in the chat or say, Hey. 5 00:00:24.730 --> 00:00:30.280 Michelle @ ProWritingAid: Hello! I see some repeat names already that have been with us today. 6 00:00:30.560 --> 00:00:35.729 Michelle @ ProWritingAid: Lovely to have you back Texas, Rhode island, the Uk. Canada. 7 00:00:36.000 --> 00:00:37.450 Michelle @ ProWritingAid: Hello. 8 00:00:38.010 --> 00:00:52.090 Michelle @ ProWritingAid: Kentucky, Latvia! Awesome. It looks like everything is working. I don't want to delay anything, so we can get through all of the info. So I'm just going to jump right into the housekeeping notes. So 9 00:00:52.420 --> 00:01:04.050 Michelle @ ProWritingAid: replays for today through Thursday, sessions are all going to be on the regular Science fiction writers. Week hub, I'm going to drop links in the chat for you now, and I will drop them throughout 10 00:01:04.110 --> 00:01:19.649 Michelle @ ProWritingAid: the session today. So our 1st couple of replays are already up. It just depends on how long it takes zoom and Youtube to process everything. So if you don't see anything right away, just keep checking back, and it will be up hopefully within a couple of hours. 11 00:01:19.690 --> 00:01:31.639 Michelle @ ProWritingAid: Replays will also be posted on our community page. By next Friday you can view them there as well as all of our previous writers. Week event replays on the event recordings. Page 12 00:01:32.470 --> 00:01:54.214 Michelle @ ProWritingAid: premium day is this, Friday. So Monday, through Thursday's sessions are free for everyone to attend. Friday's sessions are limited to premium and premium pro users. Those are more hands on workshops. We would love to have you attend. If you would like to upgrade before then, and you are a free user, we do have a special discount for you, which is on the next slide. But 13 00:01:54.630 --> 00:02:06.300 Michelle @ ProWritingAid: premium and premium pro users will receive an email on Friday morning with the instructions to attend and access those workshops and resources. So look in your email. Friday. 14 00:02:06.570 --> 00:02:32.050 Michelle @ ProWritingAid: Your special offer for attending Science Fiction writers week with us is 15% off your 1st year of prowriting aid premium or premium pro. There's a special code. Sfw, 2,024. That gives you the discount. But we have a link on the hub that will automatically include that for you. So you can just go to the Hub. And if you would like to access this discount, it is good until September 27.th 15 00:02:32.090 --> 00:03:00.020 Michelle @ ProWritingAid: If you would like to keep talking sci sci-fi writing, we'd love to have you in our private online writing community. It is free to join. You just need a prorating aid account, even a free prowriting aid account. You can just log in with your account information, and it will let you access all of the community resources, including our event recordings, page and our live event chat where we are now doing some polls and discussion posts about science fiction. So we'd love to have you there. 16 00:03:00.480 --> 00:03:25.660 Michelle @ ProWritingAid: Reminders for our session. If you have a question for our speaker, please put them in the Q. And A. Box, so we don't miss them. The chat can move very quickly, and we don't want to miss any questions. Please feel free to chat with fellow attendees today. You'll want to make sure that you select everyone in the drop down, menu beside the word to, so that everybody can see your messages, otherwise by default they just come to the host and panelists. 17 00:03:26.400 --> 00:03:39.180 Michelle @ ProWritingAid: So with that being said, I'm so happy to introduce Danny Abernathy. Danny is an enneagram teacher and book coach who helps. Novelists write the stories they need to tell, so their readers can feel, seen, and can see others 18 00:03:39.180 --> 00:04:02.679 Michelle @ ProWritingAid: specializing in fantasy, soft sci-fi and Ya Danny merges, how story works with, how people work creating books that help. Readers have more empathy for themselves and others. Through her rooted writers, mentorship. She helps novelists embrace, plan, and write books they're proud of. Danny is a Capricorn Infj. And Enneagram type 4 who believes that stories can change the world. One reader at a time. 19 00:04:02.680 --> 00:04:04.810 Michelle @ ProWritingAid: Welcome, Danny. We're so happy to have you back. 20 00:04:06.220 --> 00:04:10.270 Dani Abernathy: Hi! Thanks for having me. I'm very excited to be here. 21 00:04:10.960 --> 00:04:17.979 Dani Abernathy: I am going to get right into sharing my screen. So everybody, if you can tell me in the chat. 22 00:04:18.640 --> 00:04:22.140 Dani Abernathy: you can see this main character energy. 23 00:04:26.180 --> 00:04:28.120 Dani Abernathy: Yes, perfect. 24 00:04:29.090 --> 00:04:31.320 Dani Abernathy: We can. Okay, wonderful. 25 00:04:33.510 --> 00:04:36.380 Dani Abernathy: Okay, let me just get myself situated. 26 00:04:38.680 --> 00:04:39.820 Dani Abernathy: All right. 27 00:04:41.850 --> 00:04:47.619 Dani Abernathy: Alright. So today we're talking about main character energy, how to create unforgettable characters. 28 00:04:48.030 --> 00:05:15.269 Dani Abernathy: Let me tell you a little bit about myself. I'm Danny Abernathy. My pronouns, are she they? I'm an author, accelerator, certified book coach. So a book coach is like an editor who works with you while you write. Most editors come in at the end and assess your manuscript, and a lot of times tell you that you need to start all over, and I want to avoid that as much as possible, and so I help you figure out as you're writing how to make all your pieces fit together. 29 00:05:16.640 --> 00:05:38.409 Dani Abernathy: I'm an enneagram teacher. The Enneagram is a personality system that helps you understand why people are the way they are and what motivates them. I use the enneagram with my clients to help them understand themselves as writers and also to develop characters. We're not going to be talking about the Enneagram today, because that's a whole other workshop. But it is a really great tool. 30 00:05:39.250 --> 00:05:53.550 Dani Abernathy: I'm the creator of the rooted writers mentorship. And that's a group coaching program for self proclaimed bookish weirdos who are deep thinkers and feelers, and who have a story they need to tell. It's a really wonderful little community. 31 00:05:54.190 --> 00:06:06.710 Dani Abernathy: I live in Northwest Arkansas, in Fayetteville. Fayetteville is a beautiful small town. We have an amazing library. There are planes hanging in the Children's section. It's just amazing. 32 00:06:07.880 --> 00:06:16.779 Dani Abernathy: I love books, of course, and rainy days, and deep conversation, and I'm an enneagram for Infj Capricorn and manifesting generator. 33 00:06:17.778 --> 00:06:22.570 Dani Abernathy: If you know any of your personality, things, please put them in the chat because I would love to know. 34 00:06:24.480 --> 00:06:31.499 Dani Abernathy: My mission is to help novelists write the stories they need to tell, so their readers can feel, seen, and can see others. 35 00:06:31.810 --> 00:06:39.020 Dani Abernathy: I believe that stories can change the world, one reader at a time, because they teach us to have more compassion for ourselves and others. 36 00:06:40.730 --> 00:06:42.580 Dani Abernathy: and I think stories are. 37 00:06:48.960 --> 00:06:50.080 Dani Abernathy: Some of. 38 00:06:50.170 --> 00:06:56.670 Dani Abernathy: That's why I support writers who hold one or more marginalized identities in writing brave books. 39 00:06:57.410 --> 00:07:00.619 Dani Abernathy: Thanks for all of the personality. 40 00:07:01.020 --> 00:07:03.930 Dani Abernathy: lots of infps intps. 41 00:07:04.480 --> 00:07:09.260 Dani Abernathy: Okay, that's not what we're talking about today. Stay on topic, Danny. Okay, today. 42 00:07:09.440 --> 00:07:17.350 Dani Abernathy: you will understand why you need main character energy. You're going to learn the elements of an impactful character. 43 00:07:17.540 --> 00:07:27.269 Dani Abernathy: You'll discover your characters, true motives, and you're going to see how to create characters with an internal emotional logic 44 00:07:27.640 --> 00:07:38.249 Dani Abernathy: before we dive in. I want you to go grab your workbook. You can get that at Danny abernathy.com slash main character. Danny is spelled DANI 45 00:07:38.640 --> 00:07:39.560 Dani Abernathy: and 46 00:07:41.050 --> 00:07:46.929 Dani Abernathy: I put the link in the chat for you. So go grab that now it's going to give you 47 00:07:47.430 --> 00:08:05.689 Dani Abernathy: well reminders from today's presentation, but also specific questions to help you find your main character energy. It's also going to give you a link to a canva template so that you can create your own flow chart that I'm going to show you today. You do have to have a canva account to do that. 48 00:08:06.228 --> 00:08:12.690 Dani Abernathy: But it's free. So go grab your workbook. Let me know in the chat once you've got it. 49 00:08:13.510 --> 00:08:23.687 Dani Abernathy: This presentation today I'm a little bit nervous about because I am. I've re like, structured. How I'm teaching this stuff. I'm really excited about it. But it's also the 1st time I've taught it. So 50 00:08:24.030 --> 00:08:26.350 Dani Abernathy: you guys, are, you guys are getting the 51 00:08:26.700 --> 00:08:27.950 Dani Abernathy: the good stuff. 52 00:08:28.840 --> 00:08:29.590 Dani Abernathy: Okay? 53 00:08:32.880 --> 00:08:35.529 Dani Abernathy: Why do we need main character energy? 54 00:08:35.720 --> 00:08:49.720 Dani Abernathy: 1st of all, let's talk about what is a main character. This is the character who drives the story and the one who changes it's the protagonist. So protagonist is a word for main character. Antagonist is a word for for the villain. 55 00:08:50.314 --> 00:09:01.510 Dani Abernathy: So you'll hear me say, character, main character and protagonist today. The work we're doing today can apply to any of your characters. But it's most important that you have it for your main character, your protagonist. 56 00:09:02.670 --> 00:09:09.790 Dani Abernathy: So your main character is the avenue through which the reader lives. Your story. 57 00:09:10.330 --> 00:09:14.690 Dani Abernathy: Your main character is the avenue through which the reader lives. Your story. 58 00:09:15.070 --> 00:09:23.110 Dani Abernathy: I want to read you a quote by Lisa Cron. This is in her book story, genius. Lisa's books are amazing. If you haven't read them, I highly recommend them. 59 00:09:23.350 --> 00:09:40.010 Dani Abernathy: She says our survival depends on making sense of the particular chaos we call home, not in the general objective sense we hear so much about, but in the much more practical subjective. How will this affect me personally? Since 60 00:09:40.580 --> 00:09:56.240 Dani Abernathy: thus the evolutionary job of story is to funnel said chaos through one very grounding filter, the specific, the specific effect that chaos has on the protagonist who becomes our avatar, the reader's avatar. 61 00:09:56.390 --> 00:10:08.980 Dani Abernathy: The events by themselves mean nothing. It's what those events mean to someone that has us compulsively turning pages. That's why the protagonist is the portal through which we enter the novel. 62 00:10:10.020 --> 00:10:21.729 Dani Abernathy: Remember, when we're lost in story, we're not passively reading about something that's happening to someone else. We're actively experiencing it on a neural level, as if it were happening to us. 63 00:10:22.000 --> 00:10:26.380 Dani Abernathy: We are literally making the protagonist experience our own 64 00:10:26.960 --> 00:10:31.850 Dani Abernathy: without a main character. The reader has no skin in the game. 65 00:10:31.980 --> 00:10:36.039 Dani Abernathy: and everything remains utterly neutral and surprisingly hard to follow 66 00:10:36.270 --> 00:10:49.840 Dani Abernathy: while we might know what is happening. We have no idea why it matters or what the point is, because the point doesn't stem from events. Rather it stems from the struggle they trigger within the protagonist 67 00:10:49.860 --> 00:10:53.880 Dani Abernathy: as she tries to figure out what the heck to do about the problem she's facing. 68 00:10:54.890 --> 00:10:55.680 Dani Abernathy: So 69 00:10:55.860 --> 00:11:00.680 Dani Abernathy: your main character is the avenue through which the reader lives. Your story 70 00:11:01.060 --> 00:11:08.379 Dani Abernathy: without a main character. The story means nothing to the reader. We don't care if we don't have a main character. 71 00:11:08.510 --> 00:11:11.950 Dani Abernathy: and we we need a character to attach to 72 00:11:12.710 --> 00:11:18.150 Dani Abernathy: and to lead us through the events of the story, and that character needs to be relatable. 73 00:11:18.220 --> 00:11:21.159 Dani Abernathy: They need to feel deep and authentic. 74 00:11:21.360 --> 00:11:24.159 Dani Abernathy: human, vulnerable flood. 75 00:11:24.630 --> 00:11:32.689 Dani Abernathy: If they don't. Your readers either not going to finish your book, or if they do finish, they're not going to remember it. 76 00:11:36.020 --> 00:11:52.989 Dani Abernathy: I want to introduce you to the story tree. Tell me in the chat. If you've been to a workshop before, and you you already know the story. Tree. I talk about it every time I teach the story tree is how I think about story. It's how I help writers develop their story. 77 00:11:53.770 --> 00:11:54.720 Dani Abernathy: So 78 00:11:56.180 --> 00:12:06.489 Dani Abernathy: the 1st part of the tree that we develop is the roots, and that's because you, the author, are the roots of your story tree. I think that you are the most important part of your story. 79 00:12:06.510 --> 00:12:10.960 Dani Abernathy: because every part of your book comes from you. And so that is 80 00:12:11.412 --> 00:12:25.029 Dani Abernathy: the characters, the world, the conflict, but also the meaning, the impact the ability to finish all of that is grounded in you. And so the 1st course in the mentorship is actually all about self discovery. It's about embracing yourself. 81 00:12:25.080 --> 00:12:43.879 Dani Abernathy: because I think the stronger your roots are, the stronger. Your book is going to be. So once we have a really stable root system, then we grow your tree trunk and your tree trunk is made up of a few different things. It's your genre how you want to publish who you're writing to. But the most important part of your tree trunk is the point. 82 00:12:43.960 --> 00:12:49.689 Dani Abernathy: The point is a simple sentence that conveys the message or the worldview of your book. 83 00:12:50.370 --> 00:12:54.010 Dani Abernathy: and it is so important because 84 00:12:54.060 --> 00:12:59.150 Dani Abernathy: it is the thing that all of your other story branches grow from. 85 00:12:59.270 --> 00:13:05.160 Dani Abernathy: So in phase 2, we grow all of these other story branches, protagonist, antagonist. 86 00:13:05.210 --> 00:13:13.610 Dani Abernathy: world cast character, arc, plot series. All of these things grow from who you are and what you want to say about the world. 87 00:13:14.670 --> 00:13:25.119 Dani Abernathy: and then, and only then, do we move on to phase 3, which is drafting or revising. If you already have a manuscript, and we do it in this order, because your book is too important to rush. 88 00:13:25.150 --> 00:13:38.040 Dani Abernathy: You deserve the gift of writing slow. The world needs your book, and I know how terrible and painful it can be to spend months, or years writing a book, only to find out you have to start all over. 89 00:13:38.140 --> 00:13:40.280 Dani Abernathy: And so when you do this work. 90 00:13:40.510 --> 00:13:48.436 Dani Abernathy: the writing you do is going to be more efficient. It's going to take you toward a story that's working, and is the one that you really care about. 91 00:13:48.770 --> 00:13:51.098 Dani Abernathy: So why am I telling you all this? 92 00:13:51.750 --> 00:13:55.810 Dani Abernathy: Because I want you to pay attention to this green branch? 93 00:13:56.320 --> 00:14:03.779 Dani Abernathy: This is the protagonist branch of your story tree. It's the most important branch of the tree. 94 00:14:03.880 --> 00:14:10.090 Dani Abernathy: because it is the branch that your reader hangs on. This swing is where your reader sits. 95 00:14:11.260 --> 00:14:15.090 Dani Abernathy: The protagonist, is how the reader connects to your story. 96 00:14:15.550 --> 00:14:26.255 Dani Abernathy: And so we need to make sure that this branch is really strong because we do not want it to crack and fall and crush your reader. That is not a good reading experience. 97 00:14:26.960 --> 00:14:31.999 Dani Abernathy: So how do we make this branch strong with main character energy. 98 00:14:34.790 --> 00:14:38.130 Dani Abernathy: Let's talk about creating main character energy. 99 00:14:40.120 --> 00:14:51.819 Dani Abernathy: 1st of all, what is not main character energy. It is not knowing whether your character is an introvert or an extrovert. Although I love to know that information. 100 00:14:51.880 --> 00:15:04.489 Dani Abernathy: it is not knowing every detail about their childhood, it is not knowing their favorite book, or what they carry in their pockets or their purse, or in their car. It's not knowing their pet peeves or their perfect day. 101 00:15:05.350 --> 00:15:12.000 Dani Abernathy: Main character energy comes from knowing your protagonist's secret desires and fears. 102 00:15:12.060 --> 00:15:16.309 Dani Abernathy: and how those things impact their behaviors and choices. 103 00:15:16.930 --> 00:15:32.420 Dani Abernathy: So while you might know all those random details about your character, what you really need to know is what they care about deep down inside. And then how those things make them act out in the real world, how they cope with those desires. 104 00:15:32.760 --> 00:15:37.299 Dani Abernathy: We need to know what's driving them from the inside out. 105 00:15:38.590 --> 00:15:42.290 Dani Abernathy: So we're going to look at 4 main character drivers today. 106 00:15:42.770 --> 00:15:44.090 Dani Abernathy: Motives. 107 00:15:44.160 --> 00:15:45.550 Dani Abernathy: strategy. 108 00:15:45.620 --> 00:15:48.680 Dani Abernathy: objective, and stakes. 109 00:15:49.170 --> 00:15:53.969 Dani Abernathy: So these 4 drivers are going to make your protagonist real enough 110 00:15:54.140 --> 00:15:57.420 Dani Abernathy: for your reader to follow them through the story. They're going to make your reader care. 111 00:15:58.150 --> 00:16:03.019 Dani Abernathy: They're going to strengthen that protagonist branch. So it doesn't crush your radar. 112 00:16:04.580 --> 00:16:13.220 Dani Abernathy: These character drivers grow from each other. This is so important. We want them to all speak to each other. 113 00:16:14.030 --> 00:16:16.099 Dani Abernathy: Let me show you what this looks like. 114 00:16:16.850 --> 00:16:19.850 Dani Abernathy: So we're going to start with your character's motives. 115 00:16:20.250 --> 00:16:21.980 Dani Abernathy: From the motive 116 00:16:22.400 --> 00:16:23.969 Dani Abernathy: comes the strategy. 117 00:16:24.520 --> 00:16:27.789 Dani Abernathy: From the strategy comes the objective. 118 00:16:27.970 --> 00:16:31.060 Dani Abernathy: and from the objective comes the stakes 119 00:16:31.330 --> 00:16:36.109 Dani Abernathy: and the stakes in turn serve the motives. 120 00:16:36.700 --> 00:16:40.169 Dani Abernathy: So all of these things are connected 121 00:16:40.580 --> 00:16:44.409 Dani Abernathy: when they're connected, they make sense together. 122 00:16:44.730 --> 00:16:52.679 Dani Abernathy: Your character makes sense when these drivers are connected, and that makes the character feel cohesive. I don't know if you've ever read a book where it's like 123 00:16:52.710 --> 00:16:55.770 Dani Abernathy: it feels like the author just sort of picked random 124 00:16:55.960 --> 00:16:57.980 Dani Abernathy: personality traits and like 125 00:16:58.220 --> 00:17:03.055 Dani Abernathy: desires and backstory and just sort of like, threw them all into a pot and made a character soup 126 00:17:03.540 --> 00:17:22.249 Dani Abernathy: which I don't know. Maybe character soup would be delicious, but it's not it doesn't feel real, because real people have logic within themselves about why they do things and what they care about. So when we build these in conjunction with each other, we build that emotional logic. 127 00:17:27.760 --> 00:17:41.410 Dani Abernathy: These character drivers exist before the story begins. So your character has had a whole life before page one EI mean, if you're starting with their birth, then fine, they don't. But 128 00:17:41.800 --> 00:17:47.059 Dani Abernathy: 99% of the time they have a whole life before the story begins, and so 129 00:17:47.210 --> 00:17:52.610 Dani Abernathy: their motives, their strategy, their objective, their stakes, have all been established already. 130 00:17:54.450 --> 00:18:01.519 Dani Abernathy: So when we look at these today, we are talking about the drivers on page 0. Who is this character? 131 00:18:01.870 --> 00:18:05.190 Dani Abernathy: Before the story begins? Right before the story begins. 132 00:18:05.600 --> 00:18:21.009 Dani Abernathy: the story shows us how these drivers change so as the story progresses, these drivers are going to change, and that is where the real story lies. That's what a character arc is. And that's what's going to make your reader care. That's the main character energy. 133 00:18:21.960 --> 00:18:22.760 Dani Abernathy: Okay. 134 00:18:24.510 --> 00:18:30.480 Dani Abernathy: let's talk about motives. The 1st driver of motives. So what are motives? 135 00:18:30.780 --> 00:18:34.400 Dani Abernathy: These are the core emotional needs that drive the character. 136 00:18:35.350 --> 00:18:50.729 Dani Abernathy: the core, emotional needs that drive the character. Let me give you some examples. Safety, love, belonging agency, success, recognition, peace, freedom, honor, power, significance, legacy. 137 00:18:51.992 --> 00:19:02.709 Dani Abernathy: In the enneagram, the personality system that I teach there are 9 different types, and each type has one core motivator, whether it's safety or love or belonging. 138 00:19:02.840 --> 00:19:08.259 Dani Abernathy: And so we each have one main thing that is driving us. 139 00:19:08.350 --> 00:19:12.070 Dani Abernathy: One thing we want the most way deep down inside 140 00:19:12.080 --> 00:19:14.760 Dani Abernathy: the thing that we think will make us feel fulfilled. 141 00:19:17.850 --> 00:19:26.560 Dani Abernathy: And these this driver, this motive has both a positive and a negative value. So this positive value 142 00:19:26.790 --> 00:19:34.990 Dani Abernathy: from the character's perspective leads to life, it feels like life, and the negative value leads to death or feels like death. 143 00:19:35.470 --> 00:19:40.219 Dani Abernathy: So in the motive that positive value is the desire. 144 00:19:40.650 --> 00:19:49.639 Dani Abernathy: and that negative value is the fear, so the desire. When they get it. It feels like life and the fear. When the fear happens, it feels like death. 145 00:19:50.510 --> 00:19:56.579 Dani Abernathy: Both of these things center around the same emotional need. So the desire and the fear 146 00:19:56.960 --> 00:20:00.380 Dani Abernathy: would both center around safety, for example, or love. 147 00:20:00.660 --> 00:20:06.083 Dani Abernathy: but one of them is the positive version of that, and one is the negative. I'm gonna give you an example in just a minute. 148 00:20:07.940 --> 00:20:19.459 Dani Abernathy: 1st of all. Let me define the desire. This is an internal objective the character is working to achieve. It's the emotional need the character wants badly enough to face the story problem. 149 00:20:20.060 --> 00:20:26.580 Dani Abernathy: the fear, the negative motive is an internal catastrophe. The character is working to avoid. 150 00:20:26.680 --> 00:20:37.119 Dani Abernathy: It's the emotional outcome. The character dreads enough to face the story problem. So notice that these are internal. They are emotional. They are deep primal 151 00:20:37.160 --> 00:20:38.200 Dani Abernathy: things. 152 00:20:38.430 --> 00:20:42.079 Dani Abernathy: They can't be seen or touched. They can only be felt emotionally. 153 00:20:43.800 --> 00:20:46.689 Dani Abernathy: Okay, let me give you an example here. 154 00:20:46.740 --> 00:20:50.700 Dani Abernathy: So this character's motive is significance. 155 00:20:52.180 --> 00:20:57.860 Dani Abernathy: The desire is to understand their own significance and live in service to it. 156 00:20:58.380 --> 00:21:02.129 Dani Abernathy: If they can do that, it will feel like life. To this character 157 00:21:02.260 --> 00:21:13.199 Dani Abernathy: their fear is of having no significance, and leading a meaningless life that would be equivalent to death for this character, so both the desire and the fear 158 00:21:13.270 --> 00:21:17.050 Dani Abernathy: are related to this core motive of significance. 159 00:21:18.060 --> 00:21:22.170 Dani Abernathy: Another example. This character is motivated by freedom. 160 00:21:22.960 --> 00:21:29.620 Dani Abernathy: they want to pursue without constraint. All that life has to offer. 161 00:21:30.990 --> 00:21:35.650 Dani Abernathy: Their fear is of being trapped in pain, boredom, and repetition. 162 00:21:36.730 --> 00:21:39.959 Dani Abernathy: and then the 3, rd character wants peace. 163 00:21:40.720 --> 00:21:48.560 Dani Abernathy: Their desire is to have peace in all areas of life, and their fear is of having strife in all areas of life. 164 00:21:52.580 --> 00:22:03.419 Dani Abernathy: So these motives, the desire and the fear. They never change our core. Emotional desire. The thing we most want in the world doesn't really change. It stays with us our whole life. 165 00:22:06.510 --> 00:22:16.829 Dani Abernathy: and so the motives of this character will be the same at the beginning and end of the story. But all these other drivers we're going to talk about will likely change. 166 00:22:20.750 --> 00:22:21.520 Dani Abernathy: Okay. 167 00:22:23.490 --> 00:22:25.200 Dani Abernathy: let's talk about the strategy. 168 00:22:26.770 --> 00:22:28.540 Dani Abernathy: What is the strategy? 169 00:22:29.350 --> 00:22:38.600 Dani Abernathy: This is the behavior the character adopts, believing it will serve their motive. It's their fatal flaw, so the strategy is equivalent to the fatal flaw. 170 00:22:38.860 --> 00:22:41.390 Dani Abernathy: Let me give you some examples of strategies. 171 00:22:42.379 --> 00:22:48.979 Dani Abernathy: Avoiding danger or confronting danger, so if the characters motive is safety. 172 00:22:49.100 --> 00:22:56.130 Dani Abernathy: they might employ the strategy of avoiding danger as much as possible, or they might employ the strategy of confronting danger. 173 00:22:57.130 --> 00:23:03.599 Dani Abernathy: other strategies meeting other people's needs, getting other people to meet your needs. Withdrawal. 174 00:23:04.760 --> 00:23:05.900 Dani Abernathy: withdrawal 175 00:23:06.120 --> 00:23:07.480 Dani Abernathy: my Texan's coming out. 176 00:23:07.530 --> 00:23:10.049 Dani Abernathy: keeping everyone happy. 177 00:23:10.680 --> 00:23:12.400 Dani Abernathy: controlling everything. 178 00:23:12.410 --> 00:23:26.899 Dani Abernathy: letting others take control, planning for every contingency, ignoring emotions, staying busy, being the best. These are all behaviors that your characters adapt or adopt to serve 179 00:23:26.920 --> 00:23:28.709 Dani Abernathy: their desire and their fear. 180 00:23:28.840 --> 00:23:35.310 Dani Abernathy: They think that doing this thing is going to get them what they want and move them away from their fear. 181 00:23:37.350 --> 00:23:48.970 Dani Abernathy: So this fatal flaw. This strategy serves both the desire and the fear. The same behavior moves the character toward their desire, and away from their fear. 182 00:23:52.510 --> 00:23:54.040 Dani Abernathy: Let me give you examples. 183 00:23:54.330 --> 00:24:12.239 Dani Abernathy: The character who wants significance, the strategy they employ is to pursue all remarkable opportunities and avoid mundanity. So if something is special and exclusive and cool, they're gonna do it. If it is boring and normal, they're not gonna do it 184 00:24:12.420 --> 00:24:26.720 Dani Abernathy: because doing boring and normal things they think is going to mean they have no significance, and they're going to lead a meaningless life, but doing all special things, is going to help them understand their own significance and live in service to it 185 00:24:28.480 --> 00:24:30.609 Dani Abernathy: the character who wants freedom. 186 00:24:31.080 --> 00:24:47.490 Dani Abernathy: their strategy is to pursue all novel opportunities and reject obligations. So this is similar to the character who wants significance. But while the strategy is similar, they are serving different motives. 187 00:24:49.440 --> 00:24:51.150 Dani Abernathy: I feel called out 188 00:24:52.990 --> 00:24:54.969 Dani Abernathy: the character who wants peace. 189 00:24:56.860 --> 00:25:02.349 Dani Abernathy: Their strategy is to keep everyone else happy. So there's never conflict 190 00:25:03.370 --> 00:25:10.640 Dani Abernathy: when they do that, when they try to keep everyone else happy, they think it's bringing them peace in all areas of their life 191 00:25:11.810 --> 00:25:14.029 Dani Abernathy: and moving them away from strife. 192 00:25:15.450 --> 00:25:25.699 Dani Abernathy: So the strategy is the behavior the character thinks is serving their motives. But it actually isn't. It's actually hurting them. And the people in their life. It's their fatal flaw. 193 00:25:26.270 --> 00:25:33.729 Dani Abernathy: As the character changes during the book, so will their strategy. So most of the time. 194 00:25:33.850 --> 00:25:40.859 Dani Abernathy: unless you're writing a flat character arc or a negative character arc. The behavior of the character is going to change as they do. 195 00:25:43.250 --> 00:26:04.280 Dani Abernathy: Okay, if you're feeling overwhelmed or a little lost. I want to remind you to go get the workbook at Danny abernathy.com slash main character. It has reminders in here. It has definitions, also questions to help you find your own drivers. It also has the link to the canva template. So you can create your own character progression. 196 00:26:05.870 --> 00:26:08.790 Dani Abernathy: Okay, let's talk about objectives. 197 00:26:10.100 --> 00:26:11.759 Dani Abernathy: I'm going to get a drink of water. 198 00:26:16.030 --> 00:26:17.820 Dani Abernathy: What is an objective? 199 00:26:18.190 --> 00:26:21.159 Dani Abernathy: It's the circumstance a character believes 200 00:26:21.170 --> 00:26:23.330 Dani Abernathy: will fulfill their desire 201 00:26:23.440 --> 00:26:25.520 Dani Abernathy: and circumvent their fear. 202 00:26:27.150 --> 00:26:35.280 Dani Abernathy: So it's the tangible thing the character wants badly enough to face the story problem. It's the goal of the character. 203 00:26:39.820 --> 00:26:43.530 Dani Abernathy: So this goal, like the strategy 204 00:26:43.760 --> 00:26:57.779 Dani Abernathy: serves both the desire and the fear. One single situation, one single goal, the character thinks, will move them toward their desire and away from their fear we don't have a separate goal for the desire and a separate goal for the fear it's just one. 205 00:27:00.284 --> 00:27:04.830 Dani Abernathy: So the goal we want to be tangible and specific. 206 00:27:04.880 --> 00:27:08.320 Dani Abernathy: something that can be seen and touched and measured. 207 00:27:08.440 --> 00:27:17.530 Dani Abernathy: The motives, the desire and the fear. Those are intangible. They're internal. They're emotional. The goal is tangible, specific, external. 208 00:27:17.780 --> 00:27:27.549 Dani Abernathy: because the reader needs to be able to imagine it. They need to be able to say, Oh, yes! The character achieved their goal of painting their door red. 209 00:27:27.870 --> 00:27:50.760 Dani Abernathy: or oh, no, they didn't ever find paint. They couldn't ever paint their door, or oh, they changed their goal now. They wanted to paint their door blue. We need that specificity because it allows the reader to feel satisfaction that comes from seeing the character paint their door red, or like the heartbreak that comes from like them, never being able to get paint. 210 00:27:52.840 --> 00:27:57.221 Dani Abernathy: If you want to make up, why, the character wants to paint their door red, please do and let me know. 211 00:27:59.390 --> 00:28:01.199 Dani Abernathy: Let's look at examples. 212 00:28:01.260 --> 00:28:03.470 Dani Abernathy: The character who wants significance. 213 00:28:04.340 --> 00:28:13.530 Dani Abernathy: Their strategy is to pursue all remarkable opportunities and avoid mundanity. Their objective. Their goal is to become the leader of their colony's temple 214 00:28:13.770 --> 00:28:21.860 Dani Abernathy: by becoming the leader. They are pursuing this remarkable opportunity, and they think they will get their desire 215 00:28:24.480 --> 00:28:29.530 Dani Abernathy: the character who wants freedom. Their objective is to buy a ship. 216 00:28:29.560 --> 00:28:36.330 Dani Abernathy: become an independent transport captain, and see all of the 32 Territories in their world. 217 00:28:38.000 --> 00:28:46.800 Dani Abernathy: By doing this by pursuing this goal, getting this goal, they are employing their strategy in order to get their desire and avoid their fear. 218 00:28:48.220 --> 00:28:54.890 Dani Abernathy: This last one's a little different. So this character who wants peace. Their strategy is to keep everyone else happy. So there's never conflict. 219 00:28:55.340 --> 00:29:10.590 Dani Abernathy: and their goal is to be promoted to head genetic engineer. So with those other 2, we can see a clear like link between their motives and their strategy and their objective. This one. It's not clear how this objective serves the motive. 220 00:29:10.690 --> 00:29:13.630 Dani Abernathy: yet it will become clear in the stakes. 221 00:29:17.580 --> 00:29:20.220 Dani Abernathy: so your conflict 222 00:29:20.370 --> 00:29:27.660 Dani Abernathy: will come between the character and their objective, so that objective must be something the character wants desperately enough 223 00:29:27.920 --> 00:29:33.090 Dani Abernathy: to overcome the conflict. Let me give you a little graphical representation. 224 00:29:33.140 --> 00:29:36.759 Dani Abernathy: So this is Stan, our friendly little 225 00:29:37.370 --> 00:29:39.729 Dani Abernathy: alien main character. 226 00:29:39.740 --> 00:29:45.050 Dani Abernathy: and Stan wants more than anything to belong. That is his motive to to belong. 227 00:29:45.170 --> 00:30:04.029 Dani Abernathy: And so Stan has all of these different OP. Objectives he could pursue to try to belong. He could go after the Space Hamburger, or the space Boombox or Space love all of these things. Could be objectives for Stan. But the thing he really wants is the space condo. 228 00:30:04.120 --> 00:30:09.389 Dani Abernathy: because he thinks that if he gets his space condo, it's going to fulfill his desire of belonging. 229 00:30:10.310 --> 00:30:16.820 Dani Abernathy: But then oh, no, there's a Space mountain in the way. So this 230 00:30:16.840 --> 00:30:19.529 Dani Abernathy: Space Mountain is the story's conflict. 231 00:30:20.240 --> 00:30:27.340 Dani Abernathy: The conflict is going to come between your protagonist and their does and their objective their goal. 232 00:30:28.860 --> 00:30:30.910 Dani Abernathy: Now, if Stan 233 00:30:32.240 --> 00:30:37.090 Dani Abernathy: didn't think that this space Condo was going to get him belonging. 234 00:30:37.460 --> 00:30:48.210 Dani Abernathy: Then he could just pick any of these other objectives, any of these other goals, and avoid the mountain altogether. Why would you climb a mountain if you can just go over here where there's nothing in the way. 235 00:30:48.890 --> 00:30:58.339 Dani Abernathy: But because Stan believes that this space condo is going to fulfill his desire to belong. He has to climb the mountain. 236 00:30:58.450 --> 00:31:01.430 Dani Abernathy: He can't avoid it. He can't just pick another goal. 237 00:31:01.920 --> 00:31:09.570 Dani Abernathy: So that's why we need all of these drivers to work together. That's why we need to grow them from each other. 238 00:31:10.300 --> 00:31:16.630 Dani Abernathy: Because when they are working to fill this internal desire. 239 00:31:17.000 --> 00:31:20.280 Dani Abernathy: that's when it matters to the character that's when they have to keep going. 240 00:31:22.200 --> 00:31:25.879 Dani Abernathy: Okay, let's talk about stakes. This is the last driver. 241 00:31:27.590 --> 00:31:28.720 Dani Abernathy: What are stakes? 242 00:31:29.370 --> 00:31:36.310 Dani Abernathy: Stakes are the consequences that will occur if the character achieves or fails to achieve their goal. 243 00:31:37.060 --> 00:31:41.199 Dani Abernathy: So with stakes, we have a positive and negative version. 244 00:31:41.330 --> 00:31:45.450 Dani Abernathy: The payoff is the positive stake it leads to life. 245 00:31:45.730 --> 00:31:52.690 Dani Abernathy: The penalty is a negative stake that leads to death, and this is like it could be literal death. But it's metaphorical death. 246 00:31:55.090 --> 00:32:00.220 Dani Abernathy: So the payoff is what the character gains if they achieve their goal. 247 00:32:01.130 --> 00:32:06.489 Dani Abernathy: The penalty is what the character loses if they fail to achieve their goal. 248 00:32:08.180 --> 00:32:15.020 Dani Abernathy: Stakes are specific and tangible, but they also serve the character's desire and fear. 249 00:32:15.820 --> 00:32:16.610 Dani Abernathy: So 250 00:32:17.880 --> 00:32:24.380 Dani Abernathy: we've got all these things motive, strategy, objective stakes, and all these things are working together, and the stakes 251 00:32:24.720 --> 00:32:25.970 Dani Abernathy: serve 252 00:32:26.450 --> 00:32:31.770 Dani Abernathy: the motive. So if the character achieves their goal and they get this payoff 253 00:32:31.950 --> 00:32:38.740 Dani Abernathy: that is going to make the desire be fulfilled. As far as the character understands it. 254 00:32:39.310 --> 00:32:45.500 Dani Abernathy: If they don't get their goal. And this penalty happens that is going to. 255 00:32:45.930 --> 00:32:49.399 Dani Abernathy: they're going to. Their fear will be realized, and that will feel like death. 256 00:32:50.030 --> 00:32:57.290 Dani Abernathy: So this is a loop. Everything is working together all of these things. Strategy, object, objective States 257 00:32:57.800 --> 00:33:01.850 Dani Abernathy: stakes. They all exist to serve the character's motive. 258 00:33:04.780 --> 00:33:06.289 Dani Abernathy: You guys following me along 259 00:33:08.840 --> 00:33:10.520 Dani Abernathy: feel like I'm throwing a lot at ya. 260 00:33:11.570 --> 00:33:12.390 Dani Abernathy: Good. 261 00:33:14.870 --> 00:33:21.270 Dani Abernathy: Okay. Let's look at examples. I'm going to read through all of this so that we can see how everything connects. 262 00:33:22.900 --> 00:33:25.880 Dani Abernathy: So this character's motive is significance. 263 00:33:27.610 --> 00:33:29.170 Dani Abernathy: They want 264 00:33:29.250 --> 00:33:36.589 Dani Abernathy: to understand their own significance and live in service to it. That is their desire. It is the thing that's going to feel like life to them. 265 00:33:37.820 --> 00:33:47.509 Dani Abernathy: Their fear is of having no significance and leading a meaningless life that will feel like death. If that happens, the characters it's going to feel like dying. 266 00:33:48.400 --> 00:33:51.500 Dani Abernathy: So in order to move toward their goal. 267 00:33:52.250 --> 00:34:06.309 Dani Abernathy: I'm using my words incorrectly in order to move toward their desire and away from their fear, they employ this strategy, this behavior of pursuing all the remarkable, wonderful opportunities and avoiding anything that's mundane. 268 00:34:07.470 --> 00:34:14.730 Dani Abernathy: They are working toward becoming the leader of their colony's temple. If they become the leader 269 00:34:15.590 --> 00:34:19.810 Dani Abernathy: they will have a lifelong position of repute. 270 00:34:20.060 --> 00:34:30.569 Dani Abernathy: They will be able to influence all of the important important colony matters, and they'll get to wear a golden robe, so everyone will know that they are important and significant. 271 00:34:31.670 --> 00:34:33.520 Dani Abernathy: When these things happen. 272 00:34:33.860 --> 00:34:41.219 Dani Abernathy: the character will feel like they have gotten their desire, they will feel like they understand their significance, and that they are living in service to it. 273 00:34:41.699 --> 00:34:45.529 Dani Abernathy: If they do not become the leader of the colony's temple. 274 00:34:46.120 --> 00:34:47.730 Dani Abernathy: then they get the penalty. 275 00:34:47.790 --> 00:34:52.160 Dani Abernathy: That means they'll have to take a job as an agricultural worker 276 00:34:52.290 --> 00:34:57.019 Dani Abernathy: they will become their father. That's what the character imagines will happen. I'm going to turn into my father. 277 00:34:57.150 --> 00:34:58.420 Dani Abernathy: and then 278 00:34:58.680 --> 00:35:00.050 Dani Abernathy: they will also 279 00:35:00.060 --> 00:35:03.849 Dani Abernathy: have to live like everyone else does, and they'll die unfulfilled. 280 00:35:05.410 --> 00:35:12.919 Dani Abernathy: Now these things may not actually come to happen. This is what the character tells themselves will happen if they reach their goal. 281 00:35:16.340 --> 00:35:19.160 Dani Abernathy: All right. Let's look at this character. Who wants freedom. 282 00:35:19.400 --> 00:35:26.169 Dani Abernathy: Their desire is to pursue life without no pursue, without constraint. All that life has to offer. 283 00:35:26.230 --> 00:35:30.179 Dani Abernathy: their fears of being trapped in pain and boredom and repetition. 284 00:35:30.290 --> 00:35:39.940 Dani Abernathy: so to move toward their desire and away from their fear. They pursue all novel opportunities and reject obligations. They don't want to be tied down. 285 00:35:40.730 --> 00:35:44.959 Dani Abernathy: They are working toward this tangible goal of buying a ship. 286 00:35:45.020 --> 00:35:53.440 Dani Abernathy: becoming an independent Transport captain, and seeing all the 32 Territories, the reader will know if these things happen, they are specific. 287 00:35:54.490 --> 00:35:55.310 Dani Abernathy: If 288 00:35:55.740 --> 00:36:02.510 Dani Abernathy: this character does all these things, they will have the payoff of having full autonomy over their life. 289 00:36:02.610 --> 00:36:10.319 Dani Abernathy: They'll have money to explore the Territories, and they'll be able to stop caring for their ill sibling. 290 00:36:12.090 --> 00:36:15.450 Dani Abernathy: If they do not reach their objective. 291 00:36:15.710 --> 00:36:17.590 Dani Abernathy: they will have the penalty 292 00:36:17.800 --> 00:36:21.530 Dani Abernathy: of having to spend all of their income caring for their sibling. 293 00:36:21.720 --> 00:36:32.160 Dani Abernathy: They'll never leave the Territory, and they'll have to wear the same terrible uniform every day. So this character in the previous one really care about what they're wearing. There's some very important 294 00:36:32.190 --> 00:36:34.130 Dani Abernathy: symbols for these characters. 295 00:36:35.430 --> 00:36:38.270 Dani Abernathy: If this character gets the payoff. 296 00:36:38.700 --> 00:36:42.139 Dani Abernathy: they will feel like they have achieved their desire. 297 00:36:43.090 --> 00:36:50.410 Dani Abernathy: If this character gets the penalty, they will feel trapped in pain and boredom and repetition. 298 00:36:54.230 --> 00:36:56.420 Dani Abernathy: Okay. Last example. Here 299 00:36:56.970 --> 00:36:58.860 Dani Abernathy: the character who wants peace. 300 00:36:59.510 --> 00:37:02.640 Dani Abernathy: their desire to have peace in all areas of life. 301 00:37:02.870 --> 00:37:06.230 Dani Abernathy: Their fear is of strife in all areas of life. 302 00:37:07.700 --> 00:37:19.969 Dani Abernathy: The behavior this character employs to move toward their goal and away from their fear is to keep everyone else happy. So there's never conflict. If they do that, they think they will have peace and they will not have strife. 303 00:37:20.410 --> 00:37:27.369 Dani Abernathy: The specific objective they are working toward is to be promoted to head genetic engineer. 304 00:37:27.660 --> 00:37:33.830 Dani Abernathy: If they become head genetic engineer, they think they will get the payoff of having a big raise 305 00:37:33.900 --> 00:37:36.660 Dani Abernathy: so they can move to a new housing pod. 306 00:37:36.680 --> 00:37:43.349 Dani Abernathy: They'll be able to put their kids in an elite school, and there will be no more arguments about finances with their partner. 307 00:37:43.760 --> 00:37:49.109 Dani Abernathy: If these things happen, the character believes they will have peace in all areas of life. 308 00:37:50.450 --> 00:38:03.289 Dani Abernathy: If they do not get the promotion they're gonna have this penalty. They're gonna have to stay in their dilapidated housing pod. Their kids will keep getting bullied at school, and they won't earn their certification. 309 00:38:04.140 --> 00:38:07.520 Dani Abernathy: and they'll continue having arguments about finances with their partner 310 00:38:07.600 --> 00:38:09.830 Dani Abernathy: and eventually break up with their partner. 311 00:38:10.330 --> 00:38:11.770 Dani Abernathy: So this 312 00:38:11.890 --> 00:38:13.720 Dani Abernathy: will feel like death. 313 00:38:13.840 --> 00:38:16.509 Dani Abernathy: It will mean strife in all areas of life. 314 00:38:16.620 --> 00:38:30.120 Dani Abernathy: That's why it's so important to this character that they get this objective that they get their goal. That's why they're willing to climb that space mountain because they so desperately want these things that they think 315 00:38:30.180 --> 00:38:31.430 Dani Abernathy: will mean 316 00:38:31.620 --> 00:38:36.349 Dani Abernathy: peace. And they so desperately want to avoid these things that 317 00:38:36.400 --> 00:38:37.800 Dani Abernathy: are there fear? 318 00:38:40.330 --> 00:38:41.180 Dani Abernathy: Okay. 319 00:38:42.340 --> 00:38:47.900 Dani Abernathy: there's 1 more thing I want you to know about these drivers. And then we're going to have lots of time for questions. 320 00:38:51.760 --> 00:38:52.820 Dani Abernathy: these 321 00:38:53.060 --> 00:39:03.299 Dani Abernathy: 1st 2 drivers motive and strategy. These are unconscious, so your character may not ever be aware of their desire, their fear, their motive, or their fatal flaw. 322 00:39:04.320 --> 00:39:06.669 Dani Abernathy: The goal and the stakes. 323 00:39:06.700 --> 00:39:09.719 Dani Abernathy: they will always be aware of. 324 00:39:10.100 --> 00:39:14.780 Dani Abernathy: The character is always aware of their goal and their stakes. They are 325 00:39:15.410 --> 00:39:18.549 Dani Abernathy: maybe never aware of their motive and their strategy 326 00:39:18.620 --> 00:39:25.209 Dani Abernathy: depending on the kind of book you're writing, they may become aware of their motive and their strategy. 327 00:39:25.300 --> 00:39:27.019 Dani Abernathy: but sometimes they won't. 328 00:39:27.900 --> 00:39:41.709 Dani Abernathy: but they will always know their goal and their stakes and their goal and their stakes may change as a story progresses. Often the goal changes and often the stakes get bigger as the story progresses, as the mountain gets more difficult to climb. 329 00:39:42.880 --> 00:40:00.289 Dani Abernathy: So when you know your protagonist motives, their deepest desire and their fear when you know their strategy for trying to get those things, when you know the tangible thing they're aiming toward and what it will mean if they achieve their goal or don't. 330 00:40:00.400 --> 00:40:12.789 Dani Abernathy: That is, when you've got main character energy, because everything is working together. It all makes sense together, and it is all founded in this deep internal need of the character. 331 00:40:16.960 --> 00:40:21.500 Dani Abernathy: This is how you make a really strong protagonist branch 332 00:40:22.250 --> 00:40:31.059 Dani Abernathy: that can hold your reader all the way through your book. Your reader is going to have an effing good time. If you, if you know all these character drivers 333 00:40:31.470 --> 00:40:39.179 Dani Abernathy: because they're going to be able to connect with your character, empathize with them, and they're going to be able to. As Lisa Cron said. 334 00:40:39.598 --> 00:40:44.899 Dani Abernathy: to experience the story for themselves, because this character is relatable and feels real. 335 00:40:46.180 --> 00:40:54.519 Dani Abernathy: Now in the mentorship we do talk about a few other character elements like misbelief and backstory, but these are kind of the core. 336 00:40:54.630 --> 00:40:56.560 Dani Abernathy: The core things of the character. 337 00:40:57.610 --> 00:41:04.400 Dani Abernathy: Okay? So I want to remind you one more time. You can get your workbook at Danny abernathy.com slash main character. 338 00:41:04.650 --> 00:41:14.970 Dani Abernathy: It includes questions to help you find your drivers and a link to this canva template so that you can create your own flow chart. 339 00:41:17.340 --> 00:41:18.460 Dani Abernathy: and 340 00:41:18.470 --> 00:41:35.270 Dani Abernathy: if you create your flow chart, please. Share it with me on Instagram. Tag me on Instagram, and I'll share it to my stories. I'm Danny Abernathy, author on Instagram. I would love to see what your character drivers are. I love to see just how people's stories fit together. 341 00:41:36.290 --> 00:41:38.860 Dani Abernathy: Okay, one more thing I want you to know about 342 00:41:39.380 --> 00:41:49.029 Dani Abernathy: is that I am doing a workshop this weekend called find your writing roots. It's going to help you embrace yourself, discover what your story is really about, and find your writing purpose. 343 00:41:49.420 --> 00:41:59.819 Dani Abernathy: If you enjoyed what we did today really like thinking deeply about our characters and stuff, then please come to this workshop. We're going to be really growing your roots here. 344 00:41:59.910 --> 00:42:14.750 Dani Abernathy: I'm going to be giving you almost all of the 1st course of the mentorship for free. These workshops are 3 h long. And they're actually workshops. So you're going to actually implement the stuff we talk about on the call. 345 00:42:16.020 --> 00:42:17.689 Dani Abernathy: There's not a sales pitch. 346 00:42:17.710 --> 00:42:22.019 Dani Abernathy: I will tell you at the end about the mentorship if you don't want to hear it, but you don't have to. You can leave. 347 00:42:22.120 --> 00:42:29.209 Dani Abernathy: and there is a replay available. I think you'll be able to find a time that works for you, no matter where you are in the world. But if you can't, you can check the replay. 348 00:42:29.350 --> 00:42:37.109 Dani Abernathy: So Danny, abernathy.com slash workshop. Please go register right now so you can have all that on your calendar 349 00:42:37.690 --> 00:42:38.859 Dani Abernathy: and it's free. 350 00:42:39.740 --> 00:42:40.530 Dani Abernathy: Okay. 351 00:42:40.830 --> 00:42:48.809 Dani Abernathy: we are going to do questions. If you have questions, please put them in the QA. We've got lots of times for time for questions. 352 00:42:50.990 --> 00:42:52.159 Dani Abernathy: Let me grab a drink. 353 00:43:05.550 --> 00:43:06.930 Michelle @ ProWritingAid: Danny, you're muted. 354 00:43:08.960 --> 00:43:12.719 Dani Abernathy: Thank you. There's a link for the workbook I'm on so you can 355 00:43:12.980 --> 00:43:14.053 Dani Abernathy: download it. 356 00:43:15.130 --> 00:43:18.770 Dani Abernathy: Do you think it's possible to write a flawed protagonist 357 00:43:18.910 --> 00:43:22.340 Dani Abernathy: which makes their existence a mistake. 358 00:43:22.570 --> 00:43:28.910 Dani Abernathy: or, in other words, the protagonist doesn't have to be perfect like a merry, superfect hero. Superhero! It needs 359 00:43:29.780 --> 00:43:31.089 Dani Abernathy: to be right. 360 00:43:31.640 --> 00:43:33.370 Dani Abernathy: Do you think it's possible 361 00:43:33.550 --> 00:43:37.710 Dani Abernathy: to write a flawed protagonist which makes their existence a mistake? 362 00:43:39.220 --> 00:43:48.249 Dani Abernathy: Manson, I am not sure that I totally understand your question. I do think it's possible to write a flawed protagonist. I think that we 363 00:43:48.810 --> 00:43:50.841 Dani Abernathy: I mean I enjoy. 364 00:43:52.130 --> 00:44:02.270 Dani Abernathy: I enjoy flawed protagonists a lot more than perfect ones. I don't relate to perfect perfect ones. I had like an anxiety attack on a coaching call with my clients last week, so 365 00:44:03.440 --> 00:44:11.070 Dani Abernathy: there's no perfection here. Manson, if you can give me a little bit more clarity about what you mean. I'm happy to answer your question. 366 00:44:11.610 --> 00:44:15.440 Dani Abernathy: Okay, Philip asks, what do we do if we have 2 main characters? 367 00:44:15.874 --> 00:44:27.740 Dani Abernathy: So, Philip, you would do this activity for both of them. You can do this activity for all of your characters in your book, actually, and you don't need to, because they don't necessarily all need this much depth. 368 00:44:27.760 --> 00:44:30.699 Dani Abernathy: But if you do this, if you have 369 00:44:31.490 --> 00:44:34.041 Dani Abernathy: certainly 2 main characters. 370 00:44:34.810 --> 00:44:41.049 Dani Abernathy: I recommend doing this for both, and potentially any secondary character that 371 00:44:46.320 --> 00:44:57.369 Dani Abernathy: that sort of impacts the the protagonist, or that has a prominent role in the story. It's gonna make them feel more real. And it's going to help you understand them more as well. So you know how to write them. 372 00:44:58.610 --> 00:45:00.530 Dani Abernathy: How do stakes trans 373 00:45:00.580 --> 00:45:02.910 Dani Abernathy: translate to the conflict? 374 00:45:03.970 --> 00:45:07.479 Dani Abernathy: I'm going to answer your question, Ahmad. But tell me if 375 00:45:08.080 --> 00:45:09.919 Dani Abernathy: if you want more clarity. 376 00:45:09.930 --> 00:45:12.819 Dani Abernathy: so how do stakes translate to the conflict? 377 00:45:14.770 --> 00:45:16.979 Dani Abernathy: This is my thinking face. Let me think 378 00:45:21.320 --> 00:45:22.520 Dani Abernathy: so. 379 00:45:23.853 --> 00:45:31.490 Dani Abernathy: As the story progresses the stakes get higher, so the character stands to lose, more, more is at stake for them. 380 00:45:31.580 --> 00:45:33.459 Dani Abernathy: They have more to gain and more to lose. 381 00:45:34.990 --> 00:45:36.710 Dani Abernathy: The conflict 382 00:45:37.270 --> 00:45:39.020 Dani Abernathy: stands between them 383 00:45:39.410 --> 00:45:43.529 Dani Abernathy: and and their goal. And so, if 384 00:45:43.830 --> 00:45:47.979 Dani Abernathy: they have to face the conflict in order to reach their goal. 385 00:45:48.930 --> 00:45:57.249 Dani Abernathy: if they decide not to face a conflict, then they're definitely not going to reach their goal because it's on the other side of the conflict. If they face the conflict and they lose. 386 00:45:57.830 --> 00:46:02.080 Dani Abernathy: then they're not going to reach their goal. So, in order for them to get what they want. 387 00:46:02.330 --> 00:46:04.069 Dani Abernathy: they have to 388 00:46:04.550 --> 00:46:06.370 Dani Abernathy: overcome the conflict. 389 00:46:06.580 --> 00:46:16.040 Dani Abernathy: Now in some books that means winning a war, and in some books that means making peace with your mother like that conflict can be many, many different things. 390 00:46:19.000 --> 00:46:23.580 Dani Abernathy: So when they are victorious over the conflict. 391 00:46:24.060 --> 00:46:26.370 Dani Abernathy: then they get that payoff. 392 00:46:27.760 --> 00:46:36.739 Dani Abernathy: Often, however, the character realizes that what they are seeking the goal they're going after to try to to 393 00:46:36.770 --> 00:46:39.810 Dani Abernathy: fulfill their desire isn't actually going to do that. 394 00:46:40.080 --> 00:46:42.219 Dani Abernathy: And they need to change 395 00:46:42.500 --> 00:46:47.000 Dani Abernathy: their behavior. They need to change their goal. And 396 00:46:48.750 --> 00:46:51.120 Dani Abernathy: and that also changes the stakes. 397 00:46:53.600 --> 00:46:59.429 Dani Abernathy: Yeah. So I to let me know I'm on if I if I answered your question, or if you'd like more clarity. 398 00:47:00.870 --> 00:47:04.509 Dani Abernathy: John, what personality types has freedom as their motive? 399 00:47:05.657 --> 00:47:07.692 Dani Abernathy: Other motives and strategies. So 400 00:47:08.110 --> 00:47:13.630 Dani Abernathy: In the enneagram as type 7, I would say, would want freedom, or potentially an 8 401 00:47:13.740 --> 00:47:17.909 Dani Abernathy: eights want more control, and to be invulnerable. But type sevens 402 00:47:17.980 --> 00:47:29.329 Dani Abernathy: desire of freedom. They want to have fun, they want to avoid boredom. Actually, the character who wants significance was a type 4. The character who wants peace was a 9, and the character who wants freedom was a type 7. 403 00:47:30.140 --> 00:47:33.410 Dani Abernathy: I also have an enneagram cheat sheet on my website. If you want to go, grab that. 404 00:47:34.820 --> 00:47:44.119 Dani Abernathy: Philip, would the desire and fear be equivalent to external and internal motivations. So I would say, the desire and the fear are both internal motivations. 405 00:47:46.390 --> 00:47:49.209 Dani Abernathy: the external motivation would be the goal. 406 00:47:50.510 --> 00:47:54.340 Dani Abernathy: the external obstacle would be the 407 00:47:58.500 --> 00:48:04.570 Dani Abernathy: conflict or antagonist. The internal obstacle would be the fear or the misbelief. 408 00:48:05.350 --> 00:48:07.519 Dani Abernathy: which is something we didn't talk about today. But 409 00:48:08.710 --> 00:48:11.970 Dani Abernathy: so the desire and the fear are both internal motivations. 410 00:48:12.380 --> 00:48:15.319 Dani Abernathy: External motivations are things in the character's life. 411 00:48:16.420 --> 00:48:22.159 Dani Abernathy: Jb, are the stakes always articulated explicitly by the character? Can they be applied or suggested? 412 00:48:22.800 --> 00:48:26.469 Dani Abernathy: I. You know it depends on your book. the 413 00:48:26.580 --> 00:48:31.140 Dani Abernathy: the thing I want to emphasize is that specificity is really important because 414 00:48:31.160 --> 00:48:35.489 Dani Abernathy: general things we don't relate to very much, and we don't remember. 415 00:48:36.020 --> 00:48:39.029 Dani Abernathy: So the more specific you can be. 416 00:48:39.330 --> 00:48:48.200 Dani Abernathy: the more your character is going to feel connected and understand. We've remembered details a lot more. 417 00:48:48.340 --> 00:48:50.410 Dani Abernathy: Then we remember. 418 00:48:50.890 --> 00:48:56.230 Dani Abernathy: you know, like, oh, they want to be happy. Well, what does happiness mean to them? We need to know what it means to them. 419 00:49:00.490 --> 00:49:04.420 Dani Abernathy: I think some stake has to be articulated. 420 00:49:05.570 --> 00:49:09.090 Dani Abernathy: otherwise we don't have any reason to care. 421 00:49:09.270 --> 00:49:12.920 Dani Abernathy: so we have to know what the character 422 00:49:13.940 --> 00:49:17.410 Dani Abernathy: loves like. Why would they face this mountain? 423 00:49:18.680 --> 00:49:20.370 Dani Abernathy: Is it for 424 00:49:20.790 --> 00:49:23.290 Dani Abernathy: to save their sister's life, you know? Is it 425 00:49:24.150 --> 00:49:26.400 Dani Abernathy: we have to know what they care about. 426 00:49:28.200 --> 00:49:38.159 Dani Abernathy: Charlie? Can you talk about how they fail and try again. How does that work on your drivers? So I think what you're talking about? Charlie is kind of this. 427 00:49:38.170 --> 00:49:40.657 Dani Abernathy: a progression of characters. 428 00:49:42.900 --> 00:49:44.290 Dani Abernathy: trying 429 00:49:45.690 --> 00:49:53.720 Dani Abernathy: so they would be they would be implementing their their strategy, their fatal flaw, to try to achieve their goal. 430 00:49:54.310 --> 00:49:57.889 Dani Abernathy: and either they don't have the skill they need 431 00:49:57.920 --> 00:50:07.700 Dani Abernathy: to achieve the goal yet, and so they try, and they fail because they're not skilled enough, or they come up against the antagonist or the the story problem. And 432 00:50:08.000 --> 00:50:15.480 Dani Abernathy: again, they're not skilled enough. They haven't learned enough. They're not in the right place to to overcome them. And so, Charlie. 433 00:50:15.830 --> 00:50:18.059 Dani Abernathy: as the story progresses. 434 00:50:18.090 --> 00:50:19.969 Dani Abernathy: that characters 435 00:50:20.080 --> 00:50:22.899 Dani Abernathy: likely their strategy will change 436 00:50:23.030 --> 00:50:31.210 Dani Abernathy: and their their goal and their stakes will change, and as they change that change actually allows them to. Then 437 00:50:32.090 --> 00:50:34.490 Dani Abernathy: be victorious because 438 00:50:35.040 --> 00:50:38.780 Dani Abernathy: they need to learn something in order to 439 00:50:38.910 --> 00:50:47.849 Dani Abernathy: overcome the conflict. They have to have the proper tools and skills to like, climb the mountain, and they they get those by changing. 440 00:50:51.774 --> 00:51:00.899 Dani Abernathy: Diana, can you explain how the characters misbelief fits within this framework, and how it'll change during the story. So, Diana, I 441 00:51:01.350 --> 00:51:08.169 Dani Abernathy: I was trying to come up with a graphic that would show the misbelief and the back story, and I I couldn't. 442 00:51:08.210 --> 00:51:16.009 Dani Abernathy: This. The way I'm teaching it today is new, and so I couldn't quite figure it out. But the misbelief 443 00:51:16.180 --> 00:51:22.860 Dani Abernathy: is kind of it. It comes from the motives, so that core desire of like love 444 00:51:23.120 --> 00:51:26.649 Dani Abernathy: is there, and the misbelief relates to love. 445 00:51:27.373 --> 00:51:28.360 Dani Abernathy: And it 446 00:51:28.470 --> 00:51:31.119 Dani Abernathy: it sort of underlies 447 00:51:31.770 --> 00:51:43.930 Dani Abernathy: those latter 3 drivers, the strategy, the object objective, and the stakes and the belief. So the misbelief is a lie. The character believes at the end the beginning of the story 448 00:51:44.290 --> 00:51:48.079 Dani Abernathy: likely about whatever that driver is like. How they get love. 449 00:51:48.840 --> 00:51:51.351 Dani Abernathy: Is that the example I used love? 450 00:51:52.240 --> 00:51:54.560 Dani Abernathy: And then, as the story progresses. 451 00:51:55.100 --> 00:52:01.469 Dani Abernathy: their belief will change. So what they understand about love, what it means to be loved, how to get love that will change 452 00:52:03.400 --> 00:52:05.699 Dani Abernathy: And as that changes 453 00:52:06.260 --> 00:52:09.980 Dani Abernathy: the the strategy, the objective, the stakes will change. 454 00:52:11.890 --> 00:52:15.220 Dani Abernathy: Does the reader need to know who the protagonist is in the 1st chapter? 455 00:52:15.280 --> 00:52:17.896 Dani Abernathy: As soon as possible, Jack, 456 00:52:19.050 --> 00:52:29.890 Dani Abernathy: Because the protagonist is who the reader follows through the story. We want them to form an attachment to the protagonist as quickly as possible. Certainly you don't want to wait 457 00:52:30.290 --> 00:52:35.699 Dani Abernathy: very long to introduce the protagonist, so sooner the better. 458 00:52:38.240 --> 00:52:46.049 Dani Abernathy: Crystal. How do I write a character who's morally gray and turns bad? What points would have to be hit to make this smooth. 459 00:52:46.080 --> 00:52:47.120 Dani Abernathy: So crystal. 460 00:52:50.780 --> 00:52:59.440 Dani Abernathy: so I I you're asking 2 different questions here. I think one of them is about the character arc, and one of them is perhaps more about the the 461 00:52:59.550 --> 00:53:04.510 Dani Abernathy: structure of the story, or the the beast of a character arc. 462 00:53:04.530 --> 00:53:09.350 Dani Abernathy: But here's what I'm going to recommend. You can do this. Fill out your 463 00:53:09.610 --> 00:53:10.770 Dani Abernathy: flowchart 464 00:53:11.050 --> 00:53:16.150 Dani Abernathy: of your characters, drivers at the beginning of the story, so it who they are? 465 00:53:16.510 --> 00:53:27.039 Dani Abernathy: Who are they at the beginning of the story? What! What's their desire? What's their strategy, their goal? All that stuff? And then who are they at the end when they're worse. 466 00:53:28.430 --> 00:53:33.390 Dani Abernathy: So what you're gonna look for is the way the character 467 00:53:33.600 --> 00:53:36.180 Dani Abernathy: tries to meet their motive. 468 00:53:36.450 --> 00:53:40.000 Dani Abernathy: the the fatal flaw they employ that might get worse. 469 00:53:41.720 --> 00:53:44.790 Dani Abernathy: and and their goal might be. 470 00:53:45.660 --> 00:53:47.279 Dani Abernathy: you know, worse. 471 00:53:47.290 --> 00:53:50.440 Dani Abernathy: So you should be able to see a difference between 472 00:53:50.490 --> 00:53:55.100 Dani Abernathy: who they're who there are in the beginning, the drivers in the beginning, and the drivers at the end. 473 00:53:55.120 --> 00:53:59.349 Dani Abernathy: Whether that is a positive character, arc or a negative character arc. 474 00:54:01.620 --> 00:54:06.720 Dani Abernathy: Could their framework be used to develop an antagonist. Absolutely. Do it for your antagonist. 475 00:54:07.130 --> 00:54:14.980 Dani Abernathy: Do you usually start with this process or do it after you've started or finished writing the story or book. Stacey, it's you know, every 476 00:54:16.110 --> 00:54:19.419 Dani Abernathy: Michelle. Can you remind me, are we going until the hour. 477 00:54:20.310 --> 00:54:21.539 Michelle @ ProWritingAid: Yes, we are. 478 00:54:21.540 --> 00:54:22.649 Dani Abernathy: Okay, thank you. 479 00:54:24.430 --> 00:54:31.870 Dani Abernathy: every writer is different. Every writer needs different things. I find that a lot of writers need to know 480 00:54:33.160 --> 00:54:40.300 Dani Abernathy: certain things about their story, they need to know their point. So what the message is of their story. They need to know 481 00:54:40.440 --> 00:54:53.719 Dani Abernathy: these drivers of their character, and how they want the character to change, and they need to know what the characters up against. So I think usually you need to know at least those things. A lot of writers 482 00:54:54.260 --> 00:54:56.879 Dani Abernathy: benefit from figuring out more. 483 00:54:57.200 --> 00:55:08.049 Dani Abernathy: You can do this at any point in the process, though, if you are starting a revision and you haven't explored these elements of your character definitely do it because it's going to. 484 00:55:09.540 --> 00:55:15.389 Dani Abernathy: It's gonna provide a lot more clarity for the character arc and for making the protagonist stronger, which is going to make your book better. 485 00:55:18.000 --> 00:55:28.510 Dani Abernathy: I with my clients. We start by exploring them. Then we explore what they want to say about the world. And then we start developing their protagonist before we do all the other stuff. 486 00:55:30.100 --> 00:55:40.550 Dani Abernathy: Anna, how much of this applies to short stories and novellas. Which aspects do we need to transmit to the reader, and which can be left out so, Anna, I am not a short story 487 00:55:40.990 --> 00:55:54.400 Dani Abernathy: expert at all. There should be a change in a short story. I I would say you could do this activity for your protagonist in the short story. Certainly they're gonna all this will apply to them. 488 00:55:55.272 --> 00:55:57.080 Dani Abernathy: But as for 489 00:55:59.360 --> 00:56:01.890 Dani Abernathy: yeah, I don't really feel like I can speak to 490 00:56:02.010 --> 00:56:04.920 Dani Abernathy: to how this applies to short stories. Unfortunately. 491 00:56:06.600 --> 00:56:13.740 Dani Abernathy: Bill, can you show the sample motives again, Bill? The slides are available on the hub? 492 00:56:13.750 --> 00:56:16.359 Dani Abernathy: I think so. You can go grab the slides there. 493 00:56:19.060 --> 00:56:20.170 Dani Abernathy: Okay. 494 00:56:21.320 --> 00:56:23.980 Dani Abernathy: any other questions. 495 00:56:26.630 --> 00:56:33.069 Dani Abernathy: Michael. I'm just looking in the chat. Would a protagonist employ a strategy that actually works against their goal? 496 00:56:38.270 --> 00:56:41.829 Dani Abernathy: Don't know. I think I would need to hear more about it. 497 00:56:42.461 --> 00:56:46.310 Dani Abernathy: About the specifics of your story, Michael. They 498 00:56:47.000 --> 00:56:52.430 Dani Abernathy: the strategy often works against their desire and their fear. 499 00:56:53.019 --> 00:56:57.909 Dani Abernathy: Because they think it's meeting getting them what they want. But it's actually not. 500 00:56:58.240 --> 00:57:01.000 Dani Abernathy: But I don't know if it will work against their goal. 501 00:57:01.290 --> 00:57:06.980 Dani Abernathy: It could certainly so like if if their goal was to be promoted. But their strategy was to like 502 00:57:08.030 --> 00:57:14.159 Dani Abernathy: control everything, you know. The behavior of being overly controlling could prevent them from being promoted. 503 00:57:14.950 --> 00:57:17.830 Dani Abernathy: So yeah, I think it could work against their goal. 504 00:57:24.560 --> 00:57:25.530 Dani Abernathy: Okay. 505 00:57:26.340 --> 00:57:29.549 Dani Abernathy: work against their goal because of their misbelief. The misbelief 506 00:57:29.970 --> 00:57:31.778 Dani Abernathy: I love the misbelief. Y'all. 507 00:57:32.320 --> 00:57:34.500 Dani Abernathy: yeah, the misbelief will 508 00:57:35.330 --> 00:57:38.210 Dani Abernathy: isn't working for them like their fatal flaw. 509 00:57:38.320 --> 00:57:45.800 Dani Abernathy: So when I teach misbelief, I teach, I teach that we. We evaluate what the character believes about the world, what they believe about themselves, and then 510 00:57:46.530 --> 00:57:49.870 Dani Abernathy: what strategy they adapt adopt from that. 511 00:57:50.270 --> 00:57:56.509 Dani Abernathy: And so the misbelief is kind of bringing together a lot of these elements into one 512 00:57:57.200 --> 00:58:16.365 Dani Abernathy: crystal. Should the love interest also get a tree, or only the main character. So, Crystal, if you're thinking about the story tree, the love interest would be a branch of the story tree. If you're writing a romance, the the love interest is usually the antagonist. So we have a branch for the protagonist and a branch for the antagonist. 513 00:58:16.920 --> 00:58:27.300 Dani Abernathy: we also have a branch for cast, so the rest of your characters, so they don't get a separate tree. Everything is connected in one book everything is connected in. They're all in one tree together. 514 00:58:29.940 --> 00:58:30.950 Dani Abernathy: Okay. 515 00:58:31.110 --> 00:58:33.100 Dani Abernathy: thank you all so much. 516 00:58:33.750 --> 00:58:37.349 Dani Abernathy: This was really lovely. Feel free to 517 00:58:38.090 --> 00:58:40.320 Dani Abernathy: post other questions for me in the 518 00:58:41.260 --> 00:58:43.810 Dani Abernathy: Hub, and I'm happy to answer them. 519 00:58:44.850 --> 00:59:07.059 Michelle @ ProWritingAid: Thank you, Danny, so much. This was a great session. Thank you. To everybody who came. The slides will be up on the hub soon, and if you have any additional questions for Danny, you can post them in the community, or you can email them to us at Hello, prowritingaid.com, but we will see you at the next session in an hour, so we'll see you then. Thanks everyone.