Convictions, Pre-gens, and Plot Hooks

Many players are bad at giving their PCs strong convictions and goals which leads to weak commitments to any particular adventure hook and a boring lack of drama. This is especially true in sandbox games where the PCs need to drive the plot and have the luxury of a GM willing to provide the opportunities to achieve those goals within the world. The solution to make your game more exciting is conviction and commitment. But where does that come from?

Motivated players that give their PCs convictions and commit to goals may be allowed the right to do so in a freeform, sandbox, or emergent story style of game.

Most players, especially novices need a little more guidance. The easiest is pre-generated characters. The GM can easily create these and by default they will fit the setting and being invested in the adventure because they were tailor made that way. You may find boundaries inspire player creativity. 

The middle ground is collaboration: GM and player both contribute to the creation of the character. The more freedom a player is given however, the stronger convictions they must have and the more the GM must be willing to customize the world to accommodate achieving those goals. If the adventure is decided, players are highly encouraged to tailor their character to that adventure. Otherwise the GM should prescribe the PC's goals for them. For best results, add drama.

The freedom to pursue absolutely anything at the macro level is considered the pinnacle of an RPG campaign. But for many tables this is not the goal, nor should it be. The goal is to get the PCs invested in the adventure being run and if that's already been decided, the game should start after they've taken the bait. Reduce the overwhelming nature of macro-decisions. Establish the stakes of the adventure and why the PCs are already invested. Then allow freedom in the micro: how they will attack the adventure itself given the established goals, and how they handle individual encounters within that context. Helpful players will lean into this whole-heartedly. Reluctant ones need to establish stronger convictions for their character, lose the freedom to decide, or simply don't go on the adventure because it's not something their character is interested in. They can have fun not playing the game.