Like plot, character is such a broad topic, so we�ll be returning to it from time to time. This week we�ll concentrate on one small but probably the most important aspect of character�Motivation. What does your character want? What is stopping the character from getting it? How does the character handle the obstacles?
In her book, WRITING FICTION, Janet Burroway says about knowing what your characters want:
�It is true in fiction, in order to engage our attention and sympathy, the central character must want and want intensely. The thing that character wants need not be violent or spectacular. It is the intensity of the wanting that counts. She may only want to survive, but if so she must want enormously to survive, and there must be distinct cause to doubt she will succeed.�
Want can also be expressed as wish, need, or hope. It can take the form of a strong emotion, such as a mother being overprotective of her son. What makes the mother overprotective is the motive.
Motive is defined as: an emotion or desire or need that incites a person to act. Motive is what gives characters flesh and blood rather than being a mere description of hair color, dress, mannerisms, and occupation.
Let�s look at Cinderella. What does she want? She wants to marry the prince. What motivates her? She spends all day cooking and cleaning and getting abused by her step-family, so she wants to escape. Another example:
Isabel wants to get even with her past by distancing herself from her family. She thinks that in doing this she won�t go hungry, either psychologically or physically. What is her motivation? Her mother left her when she was 12, her father didn�t care about his daughters, and she often went hungry because he didn�t provide food for his family. This is what motivates Isabel to ultimately move away from home and buy a diner where she is surrounded by food and customers who love her on a daily basis.
Sometimes different characters� wants clash. That adds drama and conflict to a story. Isabel�s sister Hope wants to bring her family together. What is her motivation? The same reasons Isabel was motivated to leave home and put distance between herself and her family. Your characters� motivations can be the same while the wants are different. Just like real life people, different characters handle the same situation differently.
To understand more about motives and needs, probe your own life. Start with the most basic human need�love. We want (or need) love. What does needing love feel to you? How does it manifest in your actions and feelings? When you create your characters, ask them the same questions.
This exercise is in two parts. This first part is a warm up and does not have to be submitted to the list.
PART I
Probably the easiest way to find out your character�s wants is a character sketch.
In your notebook, fill in these details:
Character�s name:
Nickname:
Sex:
Age:
Hair:
Dress:
Body type:
Face (any outstanding features):
Education:
Vocation/Occupation:
Status and money:
Marital status:
Relationships:
Family ethnicity:
Diction, accent:
Habits, mannerisms:
Favorite places:
Possessions:
Recreation and hobbies:
Obsessions:
Religion/beliefs:
Politics:
Sexual History:
Ambitions:
Fears:
Character flaws:
Character strengths:
Pets:
Taste in books, music, etc.
Food preferences:
Astrological sign:
This might seem like a psychological profile, but doing this will help you ask the final and most important question:
Motive: What does the character want? (Make a list of the character�s wants.)
Ernest Hemingway said: �When writing a novel a writer should create living people, not characters. A character is a caricature.� You probably won�t use all the character sketch details in your story. But if you know the character inside out, down to what a typical breakfast of brand of toothpaste your character uses, you will project that in your story, thus, making the character real.
PART II
This part is to be submitted to the list in the usual format for exercises.
The exercise is to write a scene where your character faces an obstacle that gets in the way of what he/she wants. It is not essential to have the character obtain what his desires in this scene, unless or course, it occurs at the end of the story. Your stories should have at least several of these scenes. Choose one you�d like to work on, or start from scratch.
Have fun, get to know your character.
Happy writing!
