On Characters’ Motivations?
Asked by: Michael Haver
Character motivation is the reason behind a character’s behaviors and actions in a given scene or throughout a story. Motivations are intrinsic needs: they might be external needs and relate to survival, but they might also be psychological or existential needs, such as love or professional achievement.
What are 5 details that can reveal a character’s motivation?
Your characters’ motivations can provide important insight into:
- Their values, morals and beliefs.
- Their hopes, dreams and fears.
- Their strengths and weaknesses.
- Events in their past that have influenced who they are today.
What are some good motives?
There are a few ways someone can demonstrate intrinsic motivation, but a few examples include:
- Going to the gym to lose weight.
- Improving your diet.
- Learning new skills.
- Playing games or sports for fun.
- Helping someone with no expectation of reward.
- Donating to or volunteering with a charity.
What is character motivation example?
For example, Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games is motivated to volunteer for her sister, because she wants to protect her (external) and because she could not live with herself if she did not (internal).
How do you find character motivation?
To determine this story-level motivation for each of your characters, consider the unmet need at the heart of their journey. How does this need inform your character’s story goal and their motivation to achieve it? For example… Sometimes what your character wants is not what they need to lead a happier life.
Can a character’s motivation change?
Some of your characters will change during the course of your story—let’s call them changers. Others—stayers—will not change significantly in personality or outlook, but their motivations may nonetheless change as the story progresses from situation to situation.
Why is it important to know a character’s traits and motivations?
Knowledge of character motivation—knowledge of who the character is and why he is that way—helps the writer add layers and depth, veracity and cohesion, to story. It gives truth to fiction. If Marlon values keeping his word, he will strive to keep it no matter what impediments stand against him.
What are some character goals?
Character goals are what drives a character to do something, and it can be a whole range of things. Anger, a desire to find love, find food, and so on. Motivations are the ‘why’ behind a goal, so say the goal is to find love, the motivation would answer ‘Why do they want to find love?’
How do you write a good character goal?
5 Tips for Creating Goals for Your Characters
- Establish goals at the beginning of the story. We should know relatively early on what your main character wants. …
- Establish inner conflict. …
- Establish a goal in each scene. …
- Establish what’s important. …
- Establish a timeline.