What is My Character's Motivation?

If you ask yourself only one question about your characters, let this one be it. Of course, this one question will lead you places, so think of it as the classic Lays Potato Chip question. You won't be able to stop at just one. The fun part about characters is not necessarily what they say or do. It is about why they do it.

People behave in strange ways. They pick up strange behaviors along life's rocky trails. Embodying your characters with quirky or interesting traits can be hard work, but it becomes easier as you build the bio for your character. The bio builds depth, but it also helps you create believable character motivation.

The motivation can be shallow or deep. That's your call. An example of a shallow character motivation would be the clueless parents of Richard Head who, understandably enough, hates his name and its abbreviation. Imagine the teasing poor 'Dick' must endure, day in and day out at school. How would this affect him? How would the teasing mold him? Resentment toward parents? Of course. Anger towards his classmates? Absolutely. You can build an entire character bio from this one 'shallow' factor.

But you don't want to create a shallow motivation, do you? No. You want to go deep. Very well. So, where do you go? The bookstore is a good place, but the internet is free. If you do a search for Adult Children of Alcoholics you will come up with a number of websites that discuss the characteristics of people who grow up with one or more alcoholic parents. Frankly, the kids of alcoholics are different. They develop a number of interesting characteristics as they grow up and these remain with them as adults. They like to please. They often blame themselves when things go wrong – even when it is not their fault. Most adult children of alcoholics do not even understand the reasons (or motivation) behind their behavior.

The same situation is true with people who grew up with a parent who was physically abusive. These children are literally molded in a particular fashion and these imprints follow, and affect, them all of their lives.

As you build your character bio, you can do a little research. It can range from minor motivational forces (growing up left-handed, as a red-head, or as a middle child) to the tragically complex, like the ones discussed above.

Homework assignment: Do a little research. How are those who have been adopted different from other children? How might this experience affect your character? What if your character was 'sent away' to boarding school at the age of eight? How might your character have been affected by this experience? What if your character's father was a thief? How would this affect your character's view of the world / relationships with family members?

Happy Writing!

Bob