: Re: How much agency should main characters have in the plot? I have two main characters. Character A is more prominent than Character B. I've been trying to tease out problems with the story

It is difficult when we do not know the plot.

But the fact that you have asked this question at all suggests that you know thereâ€™s a problem with your story. And I would say, yes, you probably are doing them a disservice.

The problem with characters who lack agency is that they donâ€™t drive the story, and characters who donâ€™t drive the story often come across as dull and ineffectual (not that Iâ€™m suggesting yours are, Iâ€™m just highlighting a possible danger).

Itâ€™s okay for an event to happen to a character without them having any agency over it, but they must react and make decisions based on that event. Their reaction as a result of that event or dilemma should then be the driving force for the next event in your story.

Read this article for more information on this:
www.advancedfictionwriting.com/articles/writing-the-perfect-scene/
And for further detail, the book this is taken from:
www.amazon.co.uk/Techniques-Selling-Writer-Dwight-Swain/dp/0806111917
It is hard to write in this way, alternating scenes/chapters between goal/conflict/disaster and reaction/dilemma/decision but having written one novel where I didnâ€™t do this and one where I now have, the difference is startling in terms of how engaging and readable the characters are. It makes for a far more interesting read than a story where events simply wash over your characters like waves, bobbing them around like lifeless objects.

Good luck!

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: Re: How much agency should main characters have in the plot? I have two main characters. Character A is more prominent than Character B. I've been trying to tease out problems with the story

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: How do I ratchet down expectations in a genre that seems to have gone gonzo? I've done worldbuilding and extensive plotting for a Book 1 based around a "detective" (not a literal detective

: Create looping patterns within the dialog, such as the order that people speak, and little mannerisms within their speech. Then repeat the pattern a few times. You don't need to be too rigid

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