: Re: From reactive to proactive; When should the protagonist change tack? In my exploration of story structure, I have encountered some conflicting advice. In some instances, it has been suggested that

Readers typically prefer active characters, because one of the reasons we read is to learn, and one of the ways we learn is by seeing the decisions that characters make, and their consequences, dramatized. There's less to learn from a passive character who only reacts.

Given that, and all other things being equal, I would prefer to give your character consequential decisions early. However, it sounds like your character's story arc is going from passive to active, in which case that's a transition that might not happen until your character is absolutely forced to take control.

It's important to keep in mind that there's a difference between being "active" and being "effective." A character who is making choices that don't work out or that don't have an effect is not being passive.

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: Should you avoid redundant information after dialogue? Should we avoid repeating redundant information after a dialogue and is there a way around this? Sometimes, you feel prompted to write the

@Sarah872

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: The problem with tropes isn't that they're tropes, it's that they're symptoms of lazy writing. In this case, having a species that always does the worst possible thing is a) too easy b) not

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: Is the MC in first person singular always all knowing? While writing a first-person singular novel, is the MC all-knowing? How do we handle plots which do not include the MC, like something

: Re: From reactive to proactive; When should the protagonist change tack? In my exploration of story structure, I have encountered some conflicting advice. In some instances, it has been suggested that

More posts by @Sarah872

: Should you avoid redundant information after dialogue? Should we avoid repeating redundant information after a dialogue and is there a way around this? Sometimes, you feel prompted to write the

: When should a character refer his dad or someone close in third impersonal person? When should a character refer his dad or someone close in third impersonal person? Let's say you have a character

: The problem with tropes isn't that they're tropes, it's that they're symptoms of lazy writing. In this case, having a species that always does the worst possible thing is a) too easy b) not

: Is the MC in first person singular always all knowing? While writing a first-person singular novel, is the MC all-knowing? How do we handle plots which do not include the MC, like something

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