Writing a Saul to Paul Story

A writer recently asked:

I am writing a Saul-to-Paul story whereby my protagonist begins the story with one goal in mind (i.e., persecution of a particular people on behalf of a dictator), but at some point through the story, he is persuaded to switch sides and overthrow the dictator.

Should my storyform reflect my protagonist’s initial goal or his later goal?

My reply:

It is important to separate the Main Character’s journey of growth from the protagonist’s journey to achieve a goal, even if a single character is both Main Character and Protagonist.

What changes in a Saul to Paul story is the Main Character’s attitude as to what is right and what is wrong.

In this case, the goal might be to do what is right, and his idea of “right” is what changes, but his goal to do “right” does not.

Melanie
Storymind.com