18 May 2026·3 min read
Does your main character have room to act?
When a story feels stuck, it can help to look at the choices your main character gets to make.
Go through a few scenes and mark where your main character makes a choice. Then look at what follows from it.
If most of the action comes from other people, consider whether your protagonist has room to affect the story. There’s no ideal ratio. A small choice can matter more than a page of activity.
Look beyond how likeable they are
A thoughtful or sympathetic character can still have very little influence on the story.
Look for what they want and what they do about it. That might be a direct action, a refusal or a decision to wait. What matters is whether the choice has consequences.
Try one decision
Choose a scene where your protagonist mostly reacts. Give them a decision within it and follow what changes.
It can be a poor decision. The point of the exercise is to see what happens when the character has a part in shaping the outcome.
Read more
These books explore the ideas in more detail, with examples you can try in your own work.
The Art of Fiction · John Gardner
A detailed look at how fiction works, including narrative distance and the experience of reading.
Stein on Writing · Sol Stein
Practical guidance on revision, with exercises to try on a draft.
The Anatomy of Story · John Truby
An approach to structure through character, conflict and the ideas a story explores.
For feedback on your own draft, Karlove offers a letter with examples from your pages, reviewed by Aksel before it's sent.
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