Lesson 3
If the character's GOAL in a story is the WHAT, Motivation is "WHY."
It's the drive, the back-story, the character's impetus, and the incentive. If we provide strong
enough motivation, our readers will follow our characters anywhere, through anything. A
character can behave reprehensibly, in a way we would normally condemn, but if the motivation
is strong enough, we'll forgive the character.
Scarlet O'Hara was not a likeable girl. Her behavior was reprehensible, yet we all cheered her on.
Why? Motivation. Her daddy taught her to love the land/her home. She would save Tara no
matter what, and keep a roof over her family's heads. She stole her sister's beau to do it. We
cheered her on because we understood—and even more—we believed her motivation.
Within the motivation lives the lie the characters believe about themselves will become apparent.
The motivation is usually a symptom of the lie, an attempt to prove it false or give into it.
I usually have the story goal (my what if) prior to the motivation. Then I have to ask why the
character wants this? Why must she reach it? It has to be gripping to be believable.
What makes characters’ motivations genuinely gripping? It's life threatening. If they don't
reach their goal, their life, their career, marriage, etc. is over.
From award-winning author James Scott Bell in his workshop Quantum Story:
There are 3 types of death:
1. Physical death
2. Professional death: career, vocation, marriage, The last chance
3. Psychological death: feels like dying on the inside.
Psychological death is important to comedy, where the trivial is a matter of life and death.
In Gone With the Wind, Scarlet's goal is to save Tara. Why? What happens if she doesn't? What
do you think was her motivation?
1. Security (money, way of life, her past, the land provided for them)
2. Fear (of the unknown, of poverty, of starvation?) all real possibilities.
So, when your CI is complete, ask your character what's the worst thing that can happen to her?
Then write two things even worse. Remember ... happy people living in Happyland do not make
a good read.


Mixed motives make characters real.
Conflicting motives make characters complex.
The most gripping motives reveal to us a character’s innermost cores. We’re shaped by our hurts.
When a character’s hurts are unique and specific, then that which propels them on their
journey—motivates them—paradoxically becomes universal.
The deeper you dig into what drives your protagonist, the more readers will be able to connect.
Finding that deep core motivation is imperative for great characters.
I was so surprised when I finally got to the core motivation of one of my characters. Her core
motivation was self-actualization or selfishness. But she wasn't a selfish person! Her goal, a
restored marriage, while it seemed good for both, was actually for herself. To feel cherished. Too
often (especially in Christian fiction), our characters are too nice. I allowed this side of her
character to be seen but not as blatantly selfish, because she wasn't that way. Her selfishness
clashed with her genuine love of her husband and wanting the best for him.
Complicated? YES! And we want our characters to be complicated—deep—real. Poor Claire
confused herself!
Motivation is what makes us empathize with the character. So, use larger than life motivation. If
it's important enough, the character won't be able to back away from it when the conflict gets
rough.
We've explored the external motivation for the story goal. Now, let's look at their Internal
Motivation.
The Internal motivation should create emotion in our character. This can take longer to develop
and be woven into the fabric of the story one thread at a time. In the Wizard of Oz, Dorothy's
external goal was to get home; her motivation was Aunt Em was sick. Her Internal goal was to
find her heart's desire and a place of no trouble. Why? Because she's unhappy and trouble
followed her everywhere.
In The Fugitive, Richard Kimball's goal is to find the man who killed his wife. Why?
1. He wants to clear his name
2. He wants justice for his wife
3. Doesn't want to spend his life in jail.
These are all urgent and compelling. His INTERNAL motivations, which were hinted at but not
fully developed in the movie, also fed the external. He wants to free himself from the guilt.
WHY?
1. He's haunted by visions of his failure
2. He has nightmares and waking-mares that remind him of every detail of the killing.
3. He can never go forward until he puts the past behind him.
Coincidence can never replace motivation. Character choices will always involve the reader
more than coincidence. If we have too much coincidence in our work, we haven't laid a proper
foundation nor motivated the plot actions. We must develop the back-story motivation for our
characters.
So, remember MOTIVATION is the WHY. It's the drive, their impetus, and the incentive to
reach their goal. Make it complex and compelling and you'll have memorable characters your
readers will follow through anything.
Finally, dig even deeper for the Core Motivations. Some core motivations are:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Belong
Confidence
Fear
Needed
Power (can be related to sex)
Security
Self-actualization
Worth
Homework: What is your character's core motivation?