My main character's motivation fell apart halfway through a draft

I was convinced her goal was revenge, but a beta reader in my workshop last Tuesday pointed out she never seemed angry. I'm stuck now, has anyone rebuilt a character's core drive this late in a story?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_oliver6d ago

Honestly, a Tuesday workshop comment shouldn't derail your whole draft. Maybe your character isn't fueled by anger but by something quieter, like a cold need for justice or just plain old stubbornness. That beta reader saw one thing, but you know the full story. Instead of a total rebuild, look at the scenes you already have. You might find her drive is there, just shown through actions instead of big emotional speeches. Plenty of great characters pursue revenge without raging all the time.

wesley1396d agoMost Upvoted

Wait, you're telling me someone read a whole draft and their big takeaway was the main character isn't angry enough? That's wild. Some people just expect every revenge story to be all yelling and breaking things. A quiet character plotting in the corner is way more scary to me. That beta reader missed the point completely. Why does drive have to look one specific way?