Writing Tools: Character Motivation

Motivation, often hailed as the “one” thing for a story—why is your character doing this? What do they want? It sounds straightforward, right? Well, it’s not entirely wrong but somewhat misdirected. Motivation is indeed the mightiest tool in your character arsenal. Without it, you end up with characters resembling robots, merely reacting to narrative inputs, and that’s a recipe for bad writing. Now, how do you sidestep this pitfall? Let me share my take.

Hello, Neophyte! Welcome back. Today, let’s dive into one of the most potent writing tools across various genres: Motivation. You might be thinking, “I know what motivation is; it’s self-explanatory.” True, but in our age of checkboxes in the fiction crafting process, it’s often reduced to just another item on the list. It’s treated like we’re all baking cookies. However, even though conventional wisdom suggests starting with prewriting, I feel compelled to address motivation first. Why? Because truly memorable narratives are character-driven, and for characters to leave a lasting impact, they must have genuine motivation.

So, what is motivation, you ask, Neophyte? For a character, it’s everything. It’s the driving force propelling them forward, a key factor that makes them relatable, and one of the reasons they appear human to our eyes. To make your characters feel genuinely human, you must handle this tool with care. If you treat it merely as a linear, scientific checklist item that many seem to consider it, you risk creating shallow characters lacking depth. Let’s explore this together.

Sure, if you’re crafting a simple, shallow story, go right ahead. I mean, I enjoy a good trashy story to help unwind the mind. But for anything beyond that, you need complexity. When viewed from this angle, Motivation becomes a Gordian knot, Neophyte. It’s so dependent on characters that there’s very little set in stone. Sure, there’s Maslow’s Pyramid, but that’s just a shallow scientific tool in this context. Feeling confused, Neophyte? Let me break it down.

Not all complex stories demand characters with intricate motivations, and not all simple stories call for characters with straightforward motivations. Your characters, well, they’re characters. While they’re influenced by what you’re writing, the genre, themes, and everything surrounding your work, they should feel like people. People aren’t single-minded in their motivations. Yes, if your story is about vanquishing the “Ultra-Mega-Super-Hyperbolic-Hydraulic-Evil-Ultra-Lord-of-Ultra-Evil-Ultra” (I added an extra “Ultra” just to be sure), then that’s the motivation and the sole purpose of the story. But it goes beyond that.

Take the manga “Skeleton Knight in Another World.” It’s one of the countless isekais (a genre mostly filled with bland characters becoming super-cool heroes in other dimensions) with a twist. For one, it doesn’t pretend to be anything more than fun. Its main character is overpowered, sure, but not invulnerable, and it maintains a light and cheerful tone throughout. Yet, it doesn’t stop the author from delving into some dark and twisted tropics and themes like slavery, racism, speciesism, and intolerance, all handled with respect. Moreover, these dark topics aren’t there for morbid reasons or to pad the content; they spring from very rational reasons tied to the characters’ ambitions. Understanding these nuances is crucial for creating well-rounded characters with believable motivations.

Do you get it, Neophyte? One thing doesn’t necessarily prevent the other. Conventional wisdom might suggest that a deep and complex drama shouldn’t have simple characters with simple motivations, or if it does, they should be relegated to background roles. But reality isn’t that cut and dry. Complex characters can indeed have simple motivations, and vice versa.

It goes beyond just that, Neophyte. What if the motivation is based on a lie? What if a character is deceived? Picture this: a simple motivation, like a mother trying to get her children out of a war zone. But that motivation will be tested because the mother is human, and humans are fallible. Or perhaps there’s a motivation based on a mistake—a simple error that triggers a quest and a mission. The character thinks they want something, but, plain and simple, they’re wrong. Or maybe they’re so convinced they’re right that they don’t see the flaws in their desire. It could even be someone else’s desire they’re living, a life someone else set for them, not chosen by themselves. So when they reach the theoretical peak of that path or face a breaking point, what’s going to happen? Will they break? Will they change? Will they be angry?

At the end of the day, Motivation is an expression of agency—the capacity or ability of an individual or entity to act independently and make choices. It’s the power to take meaningful actions, make decisions, and have an impact on one’s surroundings or circumstances. And, my friend, representing that complexity is no walk in the park. It’s a challenge we must navigate in the vast sea of storytelling possibilities.

So, as you can see, motivation is perhaps the most complex part of writing. And why is that? Well, if you’re quick on the uptake, Neophyte, you’ll have noticed that we’ve circled back to another topic I’ve mentioned before: change. In the vast expanse of storytelling, if your narrative spans a significant portion of a character’s life or is a series covering an extended period and multiple characters, always remember that motivations change as time changes, as people change.

Here’s my qualm with things like police serials: characters rarely change. Now, that’s perfectly fine for that niche. A serial is like a comfy blanket you put on for comfort, but what works for that niche doesn’t apply universally.

In conclusion, Motivation isn’t a one-size-fits-all tool in your toolbox. It’s something you’ll use according to what you need (and trust me, you’ll hear this phrase a lot in the future). What you need, what the story needs, what your audience expects—these are the factors that should guide your use of this powerful tool. Never limit yourself by convention, prevailing wisdom, or what many “successful” people are selling. They might be successful because you consume content about how to be successful. Instead, forge your own path, tailor your motivations to your unique storytelling journey, and let your characters evolve with the winds of change.

Until next time.