Tips on Character Motivations
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Motivations are key to understanding your characters, describing them effectively, and making them come alive for your readers. Here are a few of my tips on crafting those motivations and using them to enhance your story.Â
A characterâs base needs and desires come from somewhere, and their ultimate goal(s) donât pop out of thin air. If someone grew up in a family of poverty or neglect and your story revolves around the family theyâre beginning to build on their own, it would make sense that their experience having nothing would make them want to give their children everything, and be as affluent as possible so that their loved ones never struggle as they did. Motivations should have a direct connection to the bests and worsts of their life, because those are the moments that shape people and their expectations.
Make Them Understandable, If Not Reasonable
This goes especially for villains or morally grey characters. Just because a personâs motivations result in harsh actions or cruelty doesnât mean they came from a place of malicious intent or insanity. Some of the best characters and the ones that really stick out are the ones who make a little sense. Motivations that the reader can empathize with, especially in antagonists, can really enhance the impact of that character on the story, and the reader.Â
Motivations can be stated plainly within the text, but true ambition and priority typically live between the lines, popping out with every move they make in a new direction. One of my go-to tricks is thinking of it this way:
What do they want? (be open with this in the text)
What do they think they need? (be open with this in the text as well)
What do they really need? (Imply this sub-textually)
What are they willing to do to get what they want? (reveal gradually)
Furthermore, what has determined that boundary? (reveal at the end)
This is a good way to structure your character arc so that the reader isnât bombarded with fragments of information, some ultimately unnecessary, while still understanding the characterâs profile.Â
Their motivations should ultimately serve to further the plot in some way. The characters, setting, and world building should all complement each other and tie into the plot, and even if your story isnât character driven, itâs important that theyâre necessary to the plot, otherwise their motivations and development in general just isnât relevant. Your main characterâs motivations should either aid or inhibit the conflict resolution, and create an internal (and usually external) arc that develops parallel to the events of the story. They should all be tangled together and make sense as a whole, rather than pieces of a good story being smacked against each other.Â
Give Them a Resolution Within the Story
If a characterâs motivations donât reach some kind of crescendo or resolution within the story, that motivation probably isnât well suited to the plot youâre weaving. Everyone has a plethora of personal goals and aspirations to choose from, so if you get through your first draft and realize that one of your main charactersâ motivations make sense, but donât tie into the story, donât be afraid to change them. A lot of the time, their typical behavior wonât dramatically shift, but a few of the larger decisions will, as well as their reactions to certain points in the conflict. Shifting the focus motivation wonât change who they are, but it will impact the decisions they make in order to reach their goal.
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