I’ve read a lot of scripts. As a moderator on the Screenwriters Network, as a judge for writing contests, and as a script consultant, I’ve done a lot of work assessing and providing feedback to other writers. And one of the most common mistakes I see that’s holding their script backs? Passive main characters.
Recently I’ve been doing some counseling and advising for young writers. A note that I kept giving on first drafts was that their protagonist didn’t have enough agency. The scripts would follow the same general beats. The situation was established. The main character suffered while continuing to repeat the same actions. And finally at the climax they would reach a breaking point and do something – not because something had changed but because it was time for the story to end.
In short, story was happening to the characters, rather than the characters causing the story.
Reaction v Action
The Screenwriters Life has a theory, which I subscribe to, that we write passive characters because we see ourselves that way. Most people think of themselves as reactive protagonists in their own story, dealing with whatever life throws at them. And so the same winds up happening to our characters.
I’m certainly guilty of this; I just had to set aside a script after writing half of a first draft because the protagonist, I realized, wasn’t taking dramatic action. Like we’ve discussed previously, dramatic action isn’t just bang-bang-pow stuff. Dramatic action represents a character making a choice and advancing the story. Physical fights can be dramatic action, but so can asking someone out or telling a lie or signing a lease or a host of other things.
My character was doing stuff – but he wasn’t making choices, and he wasn’t affecting the narrative. Other characters were. I had dressed the story up well enough to fool myself at the outline stage that it was working, but when it came time to do the scene work it quickly became clear that the foundation wasn’t there.
While this is an easy trap to fall into, it’s also an easy one to avoid. When you’re planning your script, ask yourself – what is my character’s objective, and what are they doing to get it? This is one of the reasons writing a logline can be so useful. It forces you to clearly lay out the fundamental objectives and obstacles of your script.
The Issue
You may be asking, why can’t I have a passive character? As usual, screenwriting rules aren’t about “you can’t do this” but “it’s easier if you don’t do this.” Active characters who pursue objectives will naturally encounter obstacles, generating conflict. Put enough obstacles in their way that they have to change a bit to actually make it to their goal, or even adjust their goal, and now you have a story. Arranging the beats so a passive character can also go on a journey takes more work and skill to pull off.
There are forms and genres that do work well for passive main characters. Melodrama, for instance, often revolves around uncontrollable events happening to characters. Characters then spend the rest of the story to this event and its aftermath. Draft Zero has a few episodes that dig deep into how to write this way.
But that’s not the situation in the work I was reading, or in my own recent script. These were stories that needed a character pushing the narrative forward. Protagonists who made choices, and went on a journey. Instead the scripts spent a lot of time stalling between the start and the end, waiting for the something to happen.
The Takeaway
While we try to never say never about anything, in most cases you’ll be better served by an active rather than reactive protagonist. So take a moment and do an honest assessment of your work. Does my character want something, and are they taking actions to get it? If not, you might be setting yourself up for a frustrating draft.