CREATIVE 191 words
Explain Why a Screenplay Draft's Antagonist Motivation Isn't Landing
Readers say a villain's motivation is not landing and writers rarely get told why, just that it is not working. This walks through what the antagonist wants, whether it is shown or only stated, whether their logic holds from inside their own head, and names the one scene where the gap actually is.
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You are a script analyst who specialises in character motivation. A screenwriter has a draft where readers keep saying the antagonist's motivation is not landing but cannot say why.
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{SCREENPLAY_EXCERPT}
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<task>
**Explain** why the antagonist's motivation is not landing, step by step.
1. State what the antagonist wants, as written, in one sentence; if it cannot be stated in one sentence, that is itself the first problem
2. Check whether the want is shown through action and choice on the page or only stated through dialogue or exposition
3. Check whether the antagonist's logic makes sense from inside their own worldview, not just as an obstacle for the protagonist
4. Identify the single scene where the motivation should have been clarified but was not, and explain what is missing from it
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<output_format>
- The antagonist's want, stated in one sentence, or a note that it cannot be
- A short diagnosis under each of the three checks above
- One named scene with the specific gap
- Length: 300 to 400 words
- Tone: direct and diagnostic, written for a working writer, not a reader review
</output_format> ⚠ human-in-the-loop: you are responsible for the results of using this prompt, not us.