On Writing : Character Development by Robert C Vandiver

It depends on the story line. The characters are there to propel the plot. What happens to them and how they react dictates the journey they make. The audience needs to be invested in the character enough to care about the outcome and the outcome has to fulfil that premise.

I wouldn't say the character manipulates the story. It's the story that manipulates the character. What you put them through dictates the plot and the outcome. You reveal what you need too, to keep the audience involved. You can reveal things to the audience you don't reveal to the character. You can't really reveal to the character without revealing to the audience. In some cases you can divert the reveal but the reveal needs to occur or the audience leaves unsatisfied. That's not to say you must always tie up the story. You just have to always ask yourself what does the audience now see and understand at this point in the story. If you leave them out of the loop too long they will walk out because when an audience asks itself too many questions it breaks the story experience. Reveals are plot points and important to allow the story to propel forward, but you can't keep the audience out of the loop. What your characters experience, so must the audience. Only in twisty occasions can you delay that however you must always hook the audience. This is my perspective of screenwriting. It may be different in plays but story is story. I would think in play what the audience sees and understands in each given moment is vital to the experience. I think the telling reveals what the character wants in most cases. Without it the audience has no understanding of the character. No empathy no engagement.

can be genre specific. An action film usually has an antagonist who drives the film along. But Jerry Maguire had no car chases, guns, heists or the like. Yet look at how that film moves forward purely on character - and not just one who is the obvious 'hero' but that film had three characters, each with their own arc, needs, failings, choices and reactions. I think what made that film so successful is we can all relate to each character because we all have a Jerry, Rod and Dorothy in us.

Getting of track there, sorry. But I think when starting to write a script you need to look at genre and also step back and think how am I going to drive this story? Will it be a tragedy? A crime? A desire? A failing? Will the driver be a person(s) or an event or goal?

It all depends on the story

It truly depends on the story line and what YOU are trying to advance. Use as many, or as little, as needed to get the story from point A to Z. My stories are basically police procedural novels, so my protagonist is the focal point, but he is often responding to what others bring to the story.

Satisfying is such a hard word, because no matter which route you choose, it'll be about how you earn it.

I have a script where the protagonist gets pulled along until he finally digs in his heels and takes control, which I felt satisfied people. Yet in another script, I can't seem to get my protagonist's triumph to be satisfying at all.

I think your question relies entirely on execution. Which do you usually find more satisfying in movies you've watched, and how did they achieve it?

That is a tricky question because it could probably work both ways depending on how you execute the story. Perhaps you could share more of the story so we could comment with more specificity. Thank you.

Agree with all the above comments.