Hi Reader,

If you’re writing a book, I bet you have a goal to get it finished and on shelves one day.

I love that for you!

Not just because it will be so freaking cool to see your hard work in print, but because achieving that goal is going to fulfil you on a deeper, emotional level.

Self-belief. Pride. Validation. Security. Belonging. These are all worthy, complex, human needs.

In fiction, we call them internal goals. They’re the deeper desires that drive your characters’ external goals. And they are the beating heart of your novel.

When I’m structurally editing a story, I always ask myself two questions:

Usually the external goal is easy to pinpoint. It might be to get a new job, win a grand final, solve a crime, throw a magical ring into the cracks of doom, or to be the best damn bridesmaid the world has ever seen. This goal is what sets the plot in motion.

But the internal goal? That can be a lot slipperier. And if you haven't thought about it, you need to – because the internal goal is why the plot matters.

No biggie.

Let me explain:

Say your character really wants a new job, or a promotion. That’s their external goal. But the real reason they want the job – which they may not have even consciously recognised yet – might be to build their self-worth. They’re hanging their whole identity and future happiness on the promise of a new job title, a flash office and a sweet salary.

But, maybe their boss has someone else in mind for the role. Maybe your character makes a huge mistake along the way. Maybe someone else (a love interest?) is fighting just as hard for the position.

These setbacks are going to threaten your character’s external goal, and consequently, their chances of fulfilling their internal desire for self-worth. And that raises the stakes in every scene.

Knowing your character’s internal goal can also help you make decisions about where to take the plot. Perhaps if your character is trying to stoke their sense of self-worth, they’ll do something outrageous when their rival shows up for the interview. Maybe they’ll fumble an opportunity because they don’t yet believe in their own value. And maybe by the end they’ll finally realise that yeah, that promotion would’ve been great, but it’s nothing on the warm glow of pride they felt when they stood up for their colleagues in the face of a toxic team leader.

The external goal might be the way in, but it’s the internal goal that needs to be fulfilled on the way out – ideally, in a way that the character wasn’t expecting in chapter one.

So how do you uncover your character’s internal goal?

Go back to basics. Do a character sketch to get a sense of who this person is. How old are they? How do they dress? Where did they grow up? What was their family like? How do they like to spend their weekends? What’s their financial situation? What experiences and beliefs shape who they are as a person and how they see the world?

Using this information, look at what your character wants in the now of your novel and what deeper need or lack that goal might be ostensibly trying to fulfil. Were they abandoned as a child, leaving them to secretly believe they’re unlovable? Did a terrible past relationship erode their self-worth? Did a failed business make them question their judgement?

Once you know your character’s internal goal, your job is to tease it out as the narrative progresses so we can connect with the character and invest in their journey towards growth. This is what will create a compelling story.

Unlocking it will get you a whole lot closer to fulfilling your internal goal, too.

Go for it!

Penny

PS: Want me to take a closer look at your characters? Take a look at my structural edit and manuscript assessment services.