I mentioned last week that we'd be getting into Character Proactivity. Or "protaging" as they like to call it in Writing Excuses. This is yet another aspect of character development I desperately needed to work on. Most of my stories had my protagonist reacting more than acting. That's ok to a certain extent, but there needs to be a healthy balance. I've since learned to work on my character motivation. It serves the purpose of not only making the character more complex, but also making the story more interesting.
Rating: 4/5 (I'm still working on proactivity, but I'm getting there)
Homework: if your protagonist is really just reacting to the world around them, have them take the lead, find some motivation, and be proactive! Instead of mom finding her journal, have your character come out to her family! Instead of just getting dragged long on the adventure, have your character motivated to join because of something they want at the other end of the journey. You get the idea! Take the wheel!
Link: http://www.writingexcuses.com/2014/08/03/writing-excuses-9-32-adjusting-character-proactivity/