G'day everyone!

Today we are going to talk about something that plagues me in my own writing-- namely, passive versus active characters.

But what's the difference? I hear your talented fingers type. Well, sit down young grasshopper, and I'll walk you through a couple of methods for improving how your MC's play a role in your story.

Ugh, I can't even.

Passive characters are typically defined by their reactive approach to the stones life throws in their little pond. For whatever reason, they always seem to be on the defensive, barely getting by with no real plan to survive or what to do next beyond the current hazard they find themselves faced with.

Think of a police detective in the midst of hunting a killer. The detective is frustrated, there are no clues, that damned killer is a genius and has left no clues for the plucky police officer to follow up on. Luckily for them, the killer is not content to simply stand by and have their prowess ignored, so they do what absolutely no sane person who wanted to avoid jail would do; they call the detective.

You see, the plot did not move forward because of the protagonist. Whether they were working the case, eating a sandwich, or organizing their stamp collection, the plot would have moved long in the exact same direction, at the exact same time.

Now, there is nothing wrong with passivity in characters. We have all, at times, felt as though things in our life were fundamentally out of our control. Whether in our professional or personal life, we have all struggled against the tide, wondering how exactly we were going to survive.

Naturally we identify with this, and so, having your character's experience passivity and suffer the slings and arrows of life's hardships can be beneficial in assuaging your readers need to know they are not alone. However, having a hero or heroine refuse to accept control, to take the reins of their own destiny will inevitably lead to a disconnect between your characters and your readers.

Moderation is the key, because eventually your character is going to have to suck it up and do something.

Like, seriously-- do SOMETHING

Hi-ho, Silver! Away!

The most definable trait of an active protagonist is their drive or resolution to bring change, resolve conflict, or otherwise rise to the challenge that stands before them. They have a goal or motivation, and the story, town, even the world can be forever changed through their journey to complete that goal.

Think of that same detective mentioned earlier, only this time, the killer is not an idiot. They don't call the detective, nor do they kidnap a loved one and tell them "It's time to end this.". Instead, what if it was the detective's indomitable will and endless tenacity that led to the killer's hideout at the old, abandoned metalwork factory.

(Seriously, how do they never check there first?)

An active character does not simply act in a physical manner, that is, it is not enough just to have your hero running around all the time, fighting bad guys and solving crimes with their half-man, half- dolphin sidekick. They need to act with purpose. Their decisions don't have to be genius, they don't have to be the right ones, but they do need to be their decisions.

Tips and Tricks.

So now that we have a very broad understanding of what makes a passive versus active character, let's list a few tips that maximize the effectiveness of each type.

--Ensure that your character has a goal, and more importantly, that there are forces preventing them from achieving them (internal, external, FoN).

--Just because your character has a plan, doesn't mean they should always go off without a hitch. A botched plan can provide the MC an opportunity to reflect on failures, deal with consequences, and even provide opportunity for later tension (perhaps they freeze the next time they have to make a decision).

--As writers, we can have a tendency to develop plot first and then populate it with characters afterwards, this leads to the plot taking priority, which leads to thinking "I need character x to do this", instead of "What would character x want next?" Take the time to know your characters wants and needs, to plan out the cause and effect of their desires and actions, as well as how those actions ripple into the live of your secondary characters.

Aaaaaand that's it for now, hope it helps in some small way.

Now get back to writing

Inline comment some questions you have that you think might be good discussion starters. We will begin posting those questions with our Trope Breaker magazine! So ask here and let the Writing Faery answer all your questions!

As with all things the Fae Folk admins attempt, Shannon is not a master writer. All comments within this article are merely the suggestions, mad ravings, and opinions of the author. They should be taken with a grain of salt and understanding that he may just be a well worded lunatic and not a literary expert.