A story doesn’t really get moving until the plot changes the goal of the main character. Then they discover what they wanted wasn’t what they needed at all.
Imagine a story in which the protagonist starts out with a goal and then… gets exactly what they want. Even if that’s not what they need. That’s a terrible story. And it’s probably over by chapter three. Where’s the conflict, the character growth, the transformation?
That’s not how good stories work.
The golden path
Successful stories start with the protagonist pursuing their original goal. Then the events of the plot derail that. A ‘plot goal’ or need overrides what the protagonist wants for themselves. The character has to change course, pursue the new goal, and realize what they originally wanted isn’t what they really need.
For example…
In our favorite Pride & Prejudice, the title tells us straight out what what the main characters have to get over.
Elizabeth’s opening goal is avoid a loveless marriage. The plot goal, in best romance tradition, is to find true love. The bridge between one and the other is Elizabeth overcoming her prejudice against Darcy.
Meanwhile, Darcy’s pride also closes the door on true love. He is set on the path of duty, confined by his social status. I think Darcy gets a raw deal. He’s not that proud, he’s a quiet man boxed in by obligation. It takes a free spirit like Elizabeth to make him realize he can live however he dam’ well pleases. And so can his friend Bingley. So Darcy cleans up Wickham’s latest mess, lets Bingley make his own choice, defies his social class and chooses Elizabeth over a dynastic marriage.
Ruining the Game
In the Hunger Games, Katniss’ opening goal is to feed her family and keep them together. The plot brings the Reaping, so she steps up to save her sister Prin from the Games. Her next goal becomes survive the Games. In the final act, Katniss refuses to become fodder for the corrupt regime. Her goal becomes resistance and rebellion. She wants to break the game and stand up for the Districts.
Genre-agnostic
The romance genre follows this straight down the line, but you’ll find it in every other genre. In detective fiction, the crime is the setting. Solving the mystery is the plot, but not the detective’s only goal. There’s usually something else they have to face and overcome along the way, something that lasts beyond the closure of the case. In action-adventure, the hero’s journey returns our protagonist a person changed by events.
The fantasy Stardust is so on-the-nose with this its downright comical. Tristan goes from lovelorn shop-boy chasing the shallow and unworthy Victoria, to a bold adventurer in love with his shining star, Yvaine.
In a YA World
In my current YA project, Yari sets out to bring her father home. She has a defined mission. But from the start, the plot tries to kill her over and over; sell-swords, bad weather, the Snow Clan, the Warder at Black Tor. So for the entire novel, Yari’s goal is survival. But her ultimate need is to take down the Warder and free all of the Vanished. That wasn’t the original plan.
You can play ‘spot the plot goal’ in pretty much any story. See what the protagonist wants at the beginning, then watch the obstacles stack up until they re-evaluate their life choices and go with their new goal.