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That time my MC's motivations got completely exposed by a beta reader in Seattle
I was workshopping this fantasy novel at a writing group near Pike Place Market and this one lady just flat out said "your hero acts like a side character because he never wants anything bad enough." She was right. I had him reacting to everything instead of driving the plot. Now I use a simple trick where I ask myself what my character would sacrifice to get what they want. Has anyone else had a beta reader point out something that obvious that you totally missed?
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matthewsullivan28d agoTop Commenter
She called your character a side character. That's brutal.
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elizabeth_bailey2628d ago
Honestly laughed out loud when I read that, it's not wrong though. Tbh I've always felt like I'm the comic relief friend who shows up for two scenes and then vanishes until the season finale. Ngl I'm basically the human equivalent of a "blink and you'll miss it" moment in a TV show. At least I'm memorable enough to get called out, right?
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