Why Does Your Protagonist Want What They Want Right Now?

Opening the door | First Draft November: Day 3

art by Mariam Chagelishvili

→ This week’s goal: Power through Act One and get to the place where your character makes a decision they can’t go back on.

→ Word target: 12k words by the end of the week.

---

Before we dive in, I wanted to remind you of our structure for these Monday, Wednesday, and Friday posts. Each one includes a single guiding question meant to spark curiosity and move your story forward. We’ll follow the three-act structure as our compass, hitting key milestones along the way. You don’t need to know the answer; just stay curious, and write to see what happens. That’s how discovery (and first drafts!) begin. If you missed our full post on how this challenge will be structured, click here.

Also! You’ll find a new thread in our chat every day where you can post your daily word count and connect with other writers participating in the challenge. We want to know how it’s going!

---

Okay, let’s begin. Today’s question is meant to propel us into the life of our protagonist as we enter Act One. This is where the door to our stories opens—and we’re walking right on in to see where it will lead us.

The job of Act One is to set the stage: Introduce your protagonist in their ordinary world, reveal what they want and what’s missing, and establish the forces standing in their way. The first act grounds us in the story’s world, planting the seeds of conflict.

Our guiding question is simple, but it will unlock everything that follows:

Why does your protagonist want what they want, and what’s missing from their life right now?

As you write your opening pages and establish where the story could begin (saying “could” here because it’s just a first draft!), also consider that all stories build from a sense of yearning and a sense of lack.

Your protagonist’s yearning is the thing they want on the surface: think love, freedom, safety, recognition, power, or revenge. It’s usually something we can picture, like a promotion, a relationship, a house, a chance to run away. This yearning creates momentum. It’s what pulls the character (and the reader) forward. In my own first novel, for example, my protagonist begins by asking for extra shifts at her job because she wants more money, which she equates with freedom. On the surface, it sounds simple—and to her, in that moment, it is. But of course, as the novel unfolds, that desire becomes far more complicated and convoluted.

Underneath that yearning is the wound, a sense of lack. Think of this wound as a deeper hurt or absence that shapes why the protagonist’s desire matters so much. Maybe they grew up abandoned, so recognition feels like survival. Maybe they were humiliated, so power feels like safety. Maybe they lost someone, so love feels like oxygen. This wound adds depth, making your stakes emotional, not just situational.

In my novel, my protagonist’s desire for more shifts at work, and eventually a new job, is tied to more than just money. The real wound is her fear of being trapped—by her circumstances, her mother, and by her own sense of self. Freedom isn’t really about dollars in her pocket; it’s about proving to herself that she can escape a life that feels too small for her.

Every novel is powered by this dual engine: the outer desire and the inner wound. Together, they set the stage for conflict. Because if your protagonist wants something deeply, the story can begin to ask: What will it cost them to get it? And you, as the writer, are about to make it all kinds of complicated for them. That’s the fun part!

So today, sit with this question. Don’t rush past it. Don’t worry about making it perfect. Just explore:

• What does your protagonist think they want?

• What’s really missing from their life?

• How might this tension show up in the way they speak, act, or move through the opening pages?

And remember: This isn’t about making a polished scene. It’s about curiosity. Ask this question again and again, and let it guide you into discovery.

Happy writing! See you on Wednesday.

---

First Draft November is a free-for-all, month-long challenge for writers who are ready to get that novel they’ve been dreaming of on the page. Subscribe to get updates in your inbox!