What’s
motivating your protagonist?
Several
people who have seen advance screenings of the film, “Slumdog Millionaire” have
raved about it. In a roundup of movies being released this time of year, John
Horn of the Los Angeles Times, noted:
“When screenwriter Simon Beaufoy sat
down to adapt the novel "Q & A" to the screenplay for "
Slumdog Millionaire," there was no love story between the game show's
contestant, Jamal, and his long-lost childhood crush, Latika. But Beaufoy
couldn't get excited about a story in which a cash prize was the protagonist's
reward.
‘I just didn't think money was a great motivator,’ Beaufoy says. ‘You don't leave a theater singing about someone who gets a Rolex watch. But Jamal is not on the show to win 20 million rupees. He's there to find the woman he loves.’”
It’s a good reminder that if you want your audience (or reader) to get emotionally involved with your protagonist, it helps if the character’s quest is appealing. Of course in many stories, the protagonist starts out wanting the wrong (or less worthy) thing and along the way discovers that he or she actually need something else—this is often called the wants/needs plot. In other words, the journey from what you want to what you actually need. It gives an extra dimension of depth and interest--maybe because we've all experienced it at some stage!
