Ever get feedback that your main character feels flat, reactive, or like things just happen to them? That’s because they lack agency, one of the main ingredients in narrative drive — the force that makes readers keep turning the pages and engage with the story.
In this episode of the Write It Scared podcast, we’re digging into what real agency looks like on the page and how to give your characters the power to act, choose, and change their fate. I’ll walk you through the three key ingredients every active protagonist needs—motive, means, and opportunity—and show you how to use them to turn a passive story into a page-turner.
Timestamps
00:00 – Why Some Characters Feel Passive (and How to Fix It)
00:19 – Welcome to Write It Scared
01:15 – What Is Character Agency, Really?
01:55 – Why Agency Is the Beating Heart of Story
05:10 – The Three Ingredients: Motive, Means, and Opportunity
07:54 – Creating Moments of Choice That Matter
09:27 – How to Spot When Your Character’s Lost Control
11:08 – Final Takeaways
Links mentioned in this episode:
Episode 76: Narrative Drive: The Secret to Story Momentum and Reader Engagement
Wire For Story by Lisa Cron.
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