What a Character. Exploring Character Motivation by L. A. Kelley

You may think science fiction or fantasy requires little more than flights of fancy, but no matter the genre, every story is character driven. Their decisions and actions steer the plot to a logical conclusion, and that requires the author to make a host of choices along the way. Why are character motivations so important? First, they reveal struggles. Every character has them whether they’re hero or villain. Sometimes they’re minor and at other times life-altering, but the eventual outcome must make sense for the character.

Motivation can define roles. Even if a character doesn’t take a physical journey, they often have a psychological one that effects their life. After all, if a person is exactly the same from beginning to the end of the book, what was the point of recording the journey to begin? Real people are changed by the choices they make. Fictional ones should be, too.

Motivation is also intrinsic to character growth and development. Even heroic characters must confront doubts, fears, and insecurities. How and why they face them and their subsequent actions makes the story believable. Everyone has a breaking point. How far would the heroine go to defeat the villain? How far can the villain press the hero before he snaps? Most importantly, what drives a character in the face of failure? What keeps them struggling to their feet and moving forward?

Types of Motivation

There are different types of motivation. They can come one at time or several at once. A character can even be unaware of their effects. Some of the more obvious are below.

Internal versus external

Pressures that motivate characters can come from different directions. Internal motivations are those that are psychological in nature. Did a person’s traumatic childhood event effects how he or she views the world? External factors are caused by things outside the character’s control. A big one can be war, a smaller one might be putting a person in the right place at the wrong time.

Set versus flexible

Some motivation are set. A starving person will search desperately for food. Other motivations may change over time. These can occur when new relationships develop with other characters or an individual experiences a sudden loss or gain. This can be personal, professional, or economic. A change in a career path or lifestyle can also redirect motivation. Sudden discoveries about persons, places, or things often cause drastic alteration in thinking. It makes perfect sense for a character to change motivations as long as the decisions they make are realistic and work within the context of the story.

Making Motivation Work for You

Stuck in a scene with that funny dead feeling that it just isn’t

working? Try using a chart like the one on the left with three points; character action, character motivation, and evidence from the text. Key in on the action and then determine the motivation. If you can’t find any evidence in the text that ties together action and motivation, then the scene isn’t logical and it’s time for a rewrite. For a list of list of fun motivations, check out the TV Tropes Motivation Index at https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MotivationIndex

Finally, listen to your characters. Sometimes the little buggers have a mind of their own and no matter what you plotted out they steering you in a particular direction. Even though you don’t want to go there, they are generally right.

L. A. Kelley writes science fiction and fantasy adventures with humor, romance, and a touch of sass. She is a character in her own right.