Stephanie Donelson

One key element of a good protagonist, besides a goal and motivation to reach that goal, is agency.

Your protagonist must have agency in their own story to make choices that move the plot forward. No one wants to read a story where things just happen around the protagonist. They need to be an active participant in their character arc and the plot.

So what does it really mean to say a protagonist has agency? It means they make choices, get stuff done, and have an effect on the plot or world around them.

Are all those choices great or successful? Nope! Sometimes a protagonist will make a choice that’s bad or that your readers don’t agree with, but the point is that the main character still had the opportunity to do something – and they did. This something has to be meaningful and show that the character can affect the story. 

I hate to beat on an old drum but a great example of a character without agency is Bella Swan in Twilight. You could say that of course she can’t do much as she competes with supernatural characters, but Bella takes it to a whole new level. 

For example, in the third book, Eclipse, Edward is squaring off with Victoria and Bella is… present. She considers cutting her arm to distract Victoria and her partner Riley, but she doesn’t. She doesn’t affect the story. Her presence there meant nothing and she contributed nothing to the scene. The movie gave her more agency than her author did by actually having her cut herself to distract the bad vampires. 

Why is agency important?

Like I said earlier, no one wants to read a story about things just randomly happening. There needs to be a plot they can follow, problems they want to solve, and goals that need to be reached. A protagonist should not have a happy ending by doing nothing of their own accord.

It’s almost like examining fate vs. free will. If your character is fated to end up where they do, who cares? But, if your character’s free will and choices dictate the story, now we don’t know where it’ll end up!

There has to be tension, conflict, and the chance that the protagonist can fail by making the wrong choice. Their choices have to matter and have consequences on the story. 

How to tell if your protagonist has enough agency

Not sure your protagonist has agency? Ask these questions as your review your current work:

• Does my character make choices and move the plot or does the plot move on regardless?
• Is my protagonist actively working toward achieving a goal or are things just falling in their lap?
• Is someone telling the protagonist what to do or forcing them to do something? (hint: that’s not agency!)
• Are there obstacles in their path to achieving that goal?
• How can my protagonist’s decisions affect the story?
• How can my protagonist’s decisions affect other characters?
• What happens if my protagonist fails?

These questions can help you make sure your protagonist has agency in every scene and is relatable to readers.

How to give your character more agency

Give agency back to your protagonist with these eight tips!

• Give them a choice: Most simply, make them decide on something or act! They need to drive the plot.
• Make them the key to the plot: If you took your protagonist out of the story, what would happen? Your protagonist needs to be central to the action and the reason things happen. 
• Make them proactive: Instead of waiting for the villain to do the next bad thing so the protagonist can react, make some of their choices proactive. For example, your detective protagonist isn’t going to wait for the next bombing, they’re going to be doing research, combing through evidence, hunting down clues, running tests, ect. They aren’t waiting for the villain to attack, they’re trying to attack the villain first. 
• Give them a special skill: Maybe your protagonist is a medical professional, martial arts master, or really good with languages. Give them something that can help them make a decision or be a part of the critical action. 
• Tie some of their choices to their flaws: Flaws add conflict to your story and we all know we don’t make the best decisions 100% of the time. Allow your protagonist to make the wrong choice here and there and fail to make the achievement of the goal that much more satisfying. 
• Give them a reason to achieve their goal or stop the antagonist: Why does your protagonist care about their goal? Whatever internal wants or needs they have may impact the choices they make as the story moves forward. Or, think about the stakes and what would happen if they don’t reach their goal. 
• Put them in danger: Put your protagonist in danger and see what choices they make when faced with a threat. 
• Up the stakes: Add more consequences to the mix if the protagonist fails. Maybe this means another character’s life is on the line or the villain has new blackmail material on the protagonist that can’t be leaked. Upping the stakes is an easy way to add a ticking time bomb on the protagonist and drive them into taking action.  

Always remember that your protagonist’s gotta protag and be an active participant in the plot.