Your Character Should Have Internal And External Goals

Your main character has an unconscious goal to change; they just don’t realize it at first. People usually want something different but don’t think we need to do something different to get it.

The first statement from the character reveals that they think everything must change—but them. The main character’s goal is to eliminate the character wobble (a limiting inner quality or attitude that the character must face and conquer by the end of the story). This is called an unconscious goal because YOU don’t believe you have any reason YOU are the Character 19 to change.

There is no progress until you are “kicked” into this realization. In the beginning, the character only sees what’s on the outside as causing their dilemma.


Internal: What really needs to
change/character wobble?


External: What the change
will look like/physical proof of
accomplishment