[Due to circumstances outside of the blogger's control - meaning that the computer went to shit via blue screens and other horrible computer type things - I was unable to post this yesterday. I apologize for missing a Monday, but we will be back to regular scheduling tomorrow. For now, please enjoy the WriYe Blogging Circle post on character motivation.]
So, this month's topic is about character motivation. Basically, we're talking about the whys of what your characters are doing. If you want to think about it in a very simple way, then I will tell it in a joke. Why did the chicken cross the road? The answer, to one of the most basic jokes in the universe, can either be "to get to the other side" or "to escape the aliens!" or whatever you want it to be. In doing so, you are giving the character, in this case the chicken, the motivation of going across that road because otherwise, why is the chicken crossing? Why not just stay on the side of the road that they're already on?
The same is true for characters. If there is no drive behind them, then why are they doing what they're doing? Take Hunger Games for example. Would Katniss have volunteered if it was anybody other than Prim? Nope. Would she have tried so hard to stay alive if she hadn't made the promise to Prim that she'd come home? Probably not. Same goes for Peeta. He would not have made the sacrifices for anybody but Katniss because he loves her. Love is a bit motivation and it's why you see a lot of it in novels. I'm not talking about romantic love either, but family love or love for your friends and so on.
My challenge to anyone who wants to comment is to take the most recent book that you've read and find the motivation for what the characters are doing. I'll be taking this challenge myself and my own comments will be in next Monday's post, possibly along with a book review. We'll see. First though, we have the questions from the blogging circle and we'll answer those quick.
What is the main motivation behind your characters?
We'll go with Mystery of the Dark for the moment and talk about them. Their main motivations differ so much, mostly because they're all different people, but also because they're at different stages of their lives. Like, while Kate's main motivation is to save people from vampires by killing all vampires, she's realizing that motivation might not be the best for her. She's going through a bit of a change in motivation and shoving her main to the back while she deals with all these little motivations. At the end of the first novel, she's going to have a different motivation to carry her through the rest of the series. What that's going to be... well, you'll have to read the book. I'm not giving away everything. Maybe her motivation will become survival at some point. Or maybe her motivation will change into something else.
Justinian, on the other hand, his main motivation is survival. He knows that the walls are closing in on him and he needs to do something. His motivation is simple because, right now, he feels he has everything else that he wants. He doesn't feel a need to change, even though someone (*cough*Kate*cough*) might want him to, and he might have a change within the series. Or he might not. Sometimes the most simple motivation is the best because, when it comes to survival, what will you do to make sure you live? Who would you step over or double cross just to make sure that, by the next day/night, you're still breathing and moving? Now, that's why he's interesting.
Where do you come up with that motivation?
It usually comes up in character creation. I usually have some inkling of the plot already, so I make the character to go around that plot. In my more fantasy type novels, the heroes get the job of saving the world because they don't want their world to die. That's just the base motivation that I give them. As the plot develops and I have a clearer vision of what I want the characters to do, the motivation changes as well. In another project I'm working on, Desiring an Umbrella, Amelia's motivation is finally becoming her own person and not what her parents think that she should be. I didn't have that motivation at first and didn't fully understand the why behind her until my plot outline was completely done. Then I noticed that "oh, she's getting away" and then it goes "from what?" and I see that she has conflicts with her parents. So, getting away from her parents to become her own person. Sometimes I get it right away and sometimes I don't.
Do you tend to use the same sort of motivation in every novel or do you tend to mix it up more?
I try to mix it up. I like to think that I am, but I might be dreaming. So, for now, I'm going to say that I mix it up. I know that Mystery of the Dark and Power of the Scions (YA epic/high fantasy novel) has the main female characters trying to understand their family backgrounds more, but I think that's more character background than motivation. Kate's motivation isn't to find her family. She knows who her mom is and she wants nothing to do with her vampire father since he wanted her mother to get an abortion. In Power of the Scions, the main female character's motivation is more of my base hero motivation with added in trying to figure out about who gave birth to her since she isn't pure dragon. So I guess it is different.
What if your favorite example of character motivation?
A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving has one of my favorite character motivations. That novel makes me cry every time I re-read it and I highly recommend it. It's narrated by a character called John and it goes through his life with his friendship with a boy named Owen Meany. Now, I'm not talking about John's motivation, because he's the narrator and he's not the favorite in the example. Poor John. Owen Meany's motivation, for everything he does, is that he is an instrument of God and he has this fate that he and he alone is supposed to fulfill. It is my favorite John Irving and one of the books that made me want to become an author. For that alone, you should read it.
Have a good Tuesday everyone!
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