Proactive vs Reactive Heroes Which Opening Serves Your Story?

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Let’s contrast the openings of two classic films:

Proactive Beginnings

In The Fountainhead, before the story opens the protagonist Howard Roark has the goal to become an architect. His purpose precedes the story’s conflict. The opening scene is the college dean expelling Roark because he “insists on designing buildings like nothing ever built before.” The rest of the plot is Roark fighting society to attain his architectural goal.

Reactive Beginnings

In Star Wars, Luke Skywalker’s adventure begins differently. External forces—Princess Leia, Obi-Wan, his parents’ murder—compel him to action. He accepts his goal to fight the Empire and to destroy the Death Star reactively. He has received a “Call to Adventure” and finally accepts it.

The Openings of Most Stories

Most stories open with the protagonist living his life and some disaster, problem, loss, or threat hits him. A murder is committed, so the detective hunts down the killer. A meteor is going to slam into the earth, so the scientist must find a way to stop it. A wife leaves her husband, so he must learn how to love and raise their son. An actor can’t get work as a man, so he becomes a woman. A daughter is kidnapped. Terrorists threaten the president. Cattle rustlers steal from a cattle baron…

Key Differences

The fundamental distinction between these two openings is agency. Proactive openings demonstrate a character’s self-determination and first hand choice, while reactive openings show a character responding to circumstance.

Types of Stories and Their Openings

Proactive Stories:

• The Fountainhead - an architect fighting for his vision

• Die Hard - a cop choosing to save his marriage

• Stories about creators and innovators

Reactive Stories:

• Most revenge narratives - responding to loss or injury

• Detective stories - solving crimes already committed

• Most Westerns - defending against a threat to justice

The Impact of Your Opening Choice

Both types of openings can create compelling stories. Revenge stories naturally demand reactive protagonists, while tales of innovation often benefit from proactive leads.

Why Proactive Storytelling Matters

Proactive narratives often resonate more deeply because they:

• Showcase character virtues, esp. making choices

• Demonstrate self-motivation and independence

• Reveal value-driven protagonists

• Invite the audience to invest in these virtues

A protagonist with clear, self-chosen goals creates immediate narrative tension and viewer engagement.

Actionable Creative Takeaway

To develop your story’s opening, consider these questions about your protagonist’s motivation:

• Who initiates the protagonist’s goal?

•  Should the motivation of this character emerge from internal drive or external events?

• How do these narrative choices shape the story’s dramatic potential?

These elements will help determine whether a proactive or reactive opening better serves the purpose of your story.

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Stories are ideas in conflict and action

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