How to Give Your Character Agency and Why It Matters
A few blog articles back we talked about narrative drive: the force that keeps readers turning pages.
And if I had to name ONE essential craft element behind it, I’d point to character agency; especially for your protagonist.
Character agency is one of those things we’re told we need, but all too often I see writers struggle with what it actually means, how to create it, and how to get it on the page.
So let’s break it down! ⤵️
What Is Character Agency?
If I could sum up character agency in two words they would be STRIVING and DECIDING.
If your character isn't striving for something they want, there is no story.
I mean, have you ever loved a story where the main character wanted nothing, took no action, and was never challenged in any way?
Yeah… me either, because those books don’t get read. 😉
“A story is how what happens (PLOT) affects someone (PROTAGONIST) who is trying to achieve what turns out to be a difficult goal (WANT), and how that character changes as a result (CHARACTER GROWTH).”
Agency is about a character striving to obtain their goal vs passively waiting for someone to hand it to them. And by definition striving is about struggle.
These are not easy things for the character to achieve. Achievement requires taking deliberate action, not just wanting and waiting for something to happen.
In order to be able to “take deliberate action,” a character must have the ability to decide to make meaningful (read: difficult) choices that affect change in their lives—and therefore in the story—and they must have some belief that change is possible for them, so they can’t be completely without hope.
When you give your character agency, you give your reader a reason to root for them and keep turning the pages, even if the reader is watching the character make some dumb choices.
Agency doesn’t always mean your character is perfectly in control of a situation. Rather, it means they will choose how to engage with the situation in front of them and create more situations because of the action they take.
Agency also doesn’t mean the character will make the moral or “right” choices. Characters can make really bad choices, be wrong, or fail, and still have agency.
Remember it’s about striving, not winning.
There are three main ingredients for character agency: Motive, Means, and Opportunity.
1️⃣ MOTIVE–the why it matters
Motive is what the character wants and why they want it.
Your character must desire something they are willing to take a risk to get.
They must have a goal—even if that means they want nothing to change at first. But this goal must be strong enough to make them step outside of their little comfy box.
Their motive is what will fuel their choices—so don’t go easy on them!
Why motive matters to character agency:
A character with a clear motive isn’t just being dragged through the story—they’re making decisions because something matters deeply to them. That is what keeps us rooting for them and propels the narrative forward.
Readers want to see a character take charge of their own fate.
👉 Example: In The Hunger Games, Katniss’s motive is to protect her little sister, Prim, and survive. That’s what drives her to volunteer and later to defy the Capitol.
But having a strong motive isn’t enough to create meaningful change.
Just because we want something badly doesn’t mean we can make it happen. We also need to have the means and the opportunity to go after it.
👉 Silly example 🤪: I can want to go to the movies, but if I don’t have the money for the ticket—or the deviousness to sneak into the theater hehe!—or the time to catch the show, then my want is nothing more than a wish.
2️⃣ MEANS–How the character’s want/goal is made possible
Means is what the character can use to effect change.
Means can be resources, skills, or abilities that the character either has or can acquire to help them achieve their goals.
Why means matters to character agency:
We want the character to solve their own problems, or try to.
It doesn't mean they’ll make good decisions. But we want to see them take action with the tools they possess: be that intelligence, charm, or a special skill set.
If a character’s problems are solved for them, we have less respect and less interest in them.
👉 Example: In The Hunger Games, Katniss uses her archery skills, wits, and wilderness knowledge to survive in the games.
3️⃣ OPPORTUNITY–the when/where we’ll go after what we want
In order for a character to take action to affect change they must be presented with an opportunity to do so.
This opportunity is the circumstance that allows them to employ their means and hopefully get what they want…or fall flat on their ass. 😂
Either way, it’s an important piece of agency.
Why opportunity matters to character agency:
A character needs to be able to recognize the opportunity in front of them and act on it, even at great cost.
If you don’t present them with an opportunity, they are often stuck waiting.
👉 Example: In The Hunger Games, Katniss has the opportunity to use her wits and wilderness knowledge (the means) to threaten suicide with the deadly nightlock berries, when the Game Keeper announces that instead of two winners, there can be only one. Risky? Hell yes, but her gamble pays off. Katniss and Peeta survive the games.
To Recap:
A character has strong agency when they:
1️⃣ Have a motive that’s personal and compelling.
2️⃣ Possess or acquire some kind of means (e.g., skills, knowledge, tools) to pursue it.
3️⃣ Encounter an opportunity to make a difficult decision to take action.
If one of these is missing, the character risks being passive.
❌ No motive → They don’t care what happens.
❌ No means → They can only wait to be saved.
❌ No opportunity → They’re sidelined from the story.
Final Takeaway: Give Your Character the Reins
Character agency is the rocket fuel behind narrative drive.
Without a clear motive, means, and real opportunities, your protagonist risks becoming a passenger in their own story.
Read: boring.
But when your character strives—even if they’re wrong, even if they fail—and when they decide to act in the face of conflicts, that’s where your story becomes engaging to your reader.
So as you shape your scenes as you write and revise your drafts, keep asking:
✍️ What does my character want externally right now, and why does it matter?
✍️ What will it cost them to pursue it?
✍️ What tools or traits can they use to help them achieve their goals?
✍️ What hard decision are they being forced to make right now?
