Give a Character a Goal and a Choice

Connect a story problem with an action that can address it.

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Learn the skill

Name what the character wants. Give the character a problem that blocks that goal. Then choose an action that responds to the problem, rather than an unrelated event.

Worked example

If a character wants to deliver a note but the road is closed, finding another route connects to the goal. Buying a new hat does not solve that particular obstacle.

A planning diagram connects a character and goal to an obstacle and then a choice and consequence. The arrows show causal links rather than unrelated events. — A useful plan connects what someone wants, what gets in the way, and what their response changes.

Would you believe it?

A six-word story can still suggest a whole adventure: The moon returned my lost sock. What happened before that?

An Invitation to Deliver

Jae wants to deliver an invitation before a neighbor's party begins. The usual footbridge is closed. A sign shows a longer marked path that Jae can take with an adult. Use this plan to choose connected story events; do not send the character across the closed bridge.

Question 1 What is Jae's goal? Win a singing contest Deliver the invitation before the party Paint every house

Question 2 Which is the obstacle? The invitation has words The party has guests The footbridge is closed

Question 3 Which choice responds most directly to the obstacle? Use the longer marked path with an adult Pretend the bridge is open Count clouds and forget the invitation

Question 4 Which ending connects to the goal? A spaceship changes color far away Jae delivers the invitation just before the party Someone lists five vegetables

Question 5 Which detail would make the longer route matter to the story? Jae's socks have never been described The paper could be any color Jae has little time left before the party

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