Friday 15 April 2011

MOTIVATION - Arlee's A to Z - CHARACTERISATION

Characters should always act the way they do for a very good reason.

Why they do what they do should not be hidden in mystery and ambiguity because the reader needs to be able to understand, and to relate to the character. The reader should know everything the character knows about themselves.  

Motivation is what causes us to act. It involves the biological, emotional, social and thought processes which activate behaviour. In everyday usage, motivation is the reason characters think, feel, or act.

Motivation is made of three parts:
  • Activation - the decision to initiate a behaviour
  • Persistence - the continued effort toward a goal
  • Intensity. - the concentration that goes into pursuing a goal. 


A character with clearly defined motivations will attract the empathy of the reader. The more powerful and immediate that motivation, the more engaged the reader will be.

Lucas was angry. He sat at the foot of his unmade bed and drummed his heels against the carved, wooden frame. The glass of orange in his hand sloshed high like a breaker on the cliffs near home. When he raised the glass he licked at the cold rim. The orange tasted sickly sweet. He closed his eyes, threw back his head and downed the liquid in one swift movement. He banged his feet harder – faster – against his bed.

So far, all we know is what Lucas was doing.

Lucas was angry. He sat at the foot of his unmade bed and drummed his heels against the carved, wooden frame. This was the only way to prove to the Praeceptor, and to the Department for Specialist Education, that his magical abilities had not been forced. The glass of orange in his hand sloshed high like a breaker on the cliffs near home. He could cope with being excluded. His parents? They would spend at least five minutes finding him a different boarding school. But the punishment would destroy Rowland. Ruin his family. Hurt Nia. When he raised the glass he licked at the cold rim. Magic brewed within each droplet. The thick, orange liquid tasted sickly sweet. Cloying.Tacky and insistent, it clung to his lip. Lucas closed his eyes, threw back his head and downed the liquid in one swift movement. He banged his feet harder – faster – against his bed.

Explaining the motivation makes a huge difference to our understanding of what the character elects to do and why.

GET MOTIVATED ;) 

Which emotion are you feeling motivated by today?

macho, mad, magical, malcontented, malicious, manic, manipulated, marvellous, masochistic, masterful, maternal, mature, maudlin, meddlesome, meek, melancholic, mellow, menacing, mercenary, merciful, methodical, meticulous, mild, militant, mischievous, miserable, misunderstood, monstrous, moody, moralistic, morbid, moronic, morose, mortified, motherly, motivated, mournful, mutinous, mystified

6 comments:

  1. My mother once again provided me with a bill to pay. She had forgotten about it, something she is good at doing. The bill was for my grandmothers yearly grave maintenance. My mood? Morbid and mournful.

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  2. This is an awesome explanatory post. Motivation is always something I struggle with, especially to get the right balance.

    I'm feeling motivated, since it's almost the weekend, and I can finally get some writing done!

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  3. Hi Siv Maria
    That is sad. Ordinary bills add to everyday stress levels. This kind of bill adds extra-special misery. Grandmother's who can't be cherished and held can only be distantly appreciated. I hope your Mum appreciates you.

    Hi Tere
    Thank you :)
    I love (holiday) weekends too. At the moment they are the only days I can find time to do more than write Blog posts on. :)

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  4. Wonderful post, I love the way you explained motivation. Motivation is so important with writing.

    I'm a bit melancholic today, it's been a long week.

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  5. Very interesting I learned a lot.Thanks

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  6. Hi Claire
    I'm sorry you are feeling melancholic. I hope next week, for you, is shorter and much more invigorating.
    Thank you. I agree without understanding the character's motivation for any given action we, as readers, may not be able to empathise with them enough to carry on reading.

    Hi Kate
    I'm delighted you felt you learned from the post on Characters and Motivations.

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