I've been working on a story for close to two years, and have (almost) everything flashed out- the world, the background, the characters and most scenes. I recently gave it to a friend to read, who loved everything but pointed out that my main character lacks an ultimate goal.

I'm struggeling to find it, but I want to avoid a Nick Carraway-esque passive bystander narrating the story, since the character's PoV forms and defines how we see the world.

Their abstract goal is to find a place in a politically and socially changing world, but this is not it. Everybody wants this in one way or another.

I tried the suggestions in this post. I know how she will act, depending on the situation. She has her flaws, and will iteratively overcome them, while paying some price for it. I put her in difficult situations. But she severely lacks motivation or goals. As a young adult, if asked what her future occupation would be, she would probably put down undecided. As an adult, her initial pursuits are decided by chance and absence of better options. She will slowly gain control over her life- but there is always this lack of why she does it, and why she is more than the sum of the people and events around her.

I've been working on a story for close to two years, and have (almost) everything fleshed out — the world, the background, the characters and most scenes. I recently gave it to a friend to read, who loved everything but pointed out that my main character lacks an ultimate goal.

I'm struggling to find it, but I want to avoid a Nick Carraway-esque passive bystander narrating the story, since the character's PoV forms and defines how we see the world.

Their abstract goal is to find a place in a politically and socially changing world, but this is not it. Everybody wants this in one way or another.

I tried the suggestions in How can I figure out my main character's overall goal?. I know how she will act, depending on the situation. She has her flaws, and will iteratively overcome them, while paying some price for it. I put her in difficult situations. But she severely lacks motivation or goals. As a young adult, if asked what her future occupation would be, she would probably put down undecided. As an adult, her initial pursuits are decided by chance and absence of better options. She will slowly gain control over her life — but there is always this lack of why she does it, and why she is more than the sum of the people and events around her.