There’s a rule that your main POV character must move from reactive to proactive. Some rules are made to be broken. This week in the Candid Writer.
What is a proactive character? Proactive characters take action into their own hands. The proactive character doesn’t wait for others to create a solution, he is involved in creating his own solutions. They make decisions about their situation, maybe come to a fork in the road, maybe make a bad decision – but they don’t wait around for others to fix things. These characters are more interesting to read about, and because the reader is along for the decision-making process they’re invested in the character.
But not always. This has got me thinking. Does your POV character HAVE to be proactive to have a great story? Some rules are made to be broken.
5 Case Studies: Reactive or Proactive?
Buffy (of Buffy the Vampire Slayer fame)
Bella Swan (of Twilight)
Edward Cullen (of Twilight)
Sarah Connors (of Terminator 2 fame)
Anakin and Luke Skywalker (of Star Wars)
Who Do You Care About?
Regardless of who the main POV characters are, which characters sell those stories to readers?
See if you can spot the typo. I accidentally mislabeled one case study – though the description should make it clear what I meant.
Been told you should learn Deep Point Of View? Had an editor or critique partner tell you to “go deeper” with the emotions in your fiction? Looking for a community of writers seeking to create emotional connections with readers? Check out the Free Resource Hub and then join the Going Deeper With Emotions In Fiction Facebook group.
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