HEAR HEAR!

People. Yes. This is a HIT on the nail when it comes to writing fantasy stories. Thought I'd share it with you. Props to Innermost from Nanowrimo:

Please, can you guys help me out, here? I've been trying to think of a solution to this question for months, and, since I have a small, insignificant brain, I've come up with nothing, and now it's a week 'til November...

Y'know what I mean. I'm getting mighty tired of reading about Evil Lord X, the mad dictator who wants to rule the world. Or Frightening Force X, which is going to destroy the world if it isn't stopped.

Why do the heroes in all of these stories always have to be reacting to something negative? They're always trying to foil someone else's evil plans.

Don't heroes ever plan anything for themselves? Start a small business? Build a nursery and have kids?

Proactive, yes, but these examples are not very quest-like. The thing that makes a quest worthy, I have read (from Noah Lukeman, I think), is how high the stakes are.

So, are there any high stakes quests that are proactive?

I try to think of them, but it always ends up like: "Mr. Hero must go collect the Seven Swords from across the treacherous land! Why does he need these swords? Well... to... defeat the Seven Evil Lords, of course! They plan the Deadly Plague!"