Creating Fictional Characters—Part 7: Giving Characters Goals and Motivation
July 20, 2009 by Lillie
Table of contents for Creating Fictional Characters
- Creating Fictional Characters—Part 1: Characters Are Story People
- Creating Fictional Characters—Part 2: Finding and Creating Characters
- Creating Fictional Characters—Part 3: Revealing Characters and Point of View
- Creating Fictional Characters—Part 4: Fleshing Out Characters with Tags, Traits, and Relationships
- Creating Fictional Characters—Part 5: Developing Background and Traits Using a Character Chart, Bio, Diary, or Interview
- Creating Fictional Characters—Part 6: Putting the Right Words in Their Mouths
- Creating Fictional Characters—Part 7: Giving Characters Goals and Motivation
- Creating Fictional Characters—Part 8: Developing Characters throughout Your Story
Characters in your story must have reasons for their actions. In real life, we don’t know what people are thinking or why they do what they do, but in fiction, readers will accept the characters’ actions only if they believe the reasons for them. They ask “Why did he do that?,” and they expect an answer—from words and actions of the character at some point in the story.
Your main character(s) must have the desire for change. Characters who never change are boring. Fiction is all about change.
- Everybody wants to be happy.
- Characters want happiness, a sense of self-worth or self-importance.
- They want to avoid unhappiness and loss of self-esteem.
- The specific situations and possessions that constitute happiness or unhappiness may be very different for different characters, but they—like real people—want what makes them happy.
- Everyone is afraid of something.
- What is your character scared of?
- What will he or she do to overcome the fear?
The direction of change in fiction is the road to happiness.
- Characters tend to lead the kind of life they enjoy.
- They’re on a search for some combination of five things most people want:
- Adventure – new experiences, excitement, thrills
- Security – financial, physical, and emotional
- Recognition – fame, honor, being known
- Love – all kinds: romance, love of family, friendship
- Power – authority, control
Your characters must have goals. They must want some specific thing to be different in their lives. Goals are essential to test your character to demonstrate he’s worthy of the readers’ attention.
- There are two kinds of goals.
- The general goal is the character’s main overriding goal for the entire story: win the presidency, marry a rich man, solve the mystery.
- The immediate goal is a smaller goal that must be met on the way to the general goal: various steps in the campaign for president, meet and attract a rich suitor, gather evidence and consider suspects.
Your characters must have drive, the “give a hoot” factor, an inner pressure, the intensity of character’s desire to change.
- Characters have to care, to feel that their goal is important. If it’s not important to the character, it certainly won’t be important to the reader.
- Drive is the key ingredient of commitment, and the more committed your character is, the more readers care about him.
- In real life, people “drift,” but drifting is boring; driving is exciting. Characters may drift at first but as the story progresses, they must have something they care strongly about, whether they realize it or not.
- Give your character something to care about, consciously or unconsciously. Fit him with a goal suitable to the direction you’ve given him.
- Threaten that goal, that something he cares about. There’s no story if the protagonist reaches his goal easily. Characters must face conflict, obstacles to reaching their goal, throughout the story.
- Establish reasons for him not to quit, not to give up—reasons for him to keep fighting and ultimately attain his goal.
Your characters’ attitudes are important in their drive.
- Attitudes are consistent dispositions that your character is reluctant to relinquish, whether rational or not. Attitudes are products of conditioning.
- Each character has many attitudes about different aspects of life and the world. Together they form the dominant attitude.
- Attitudes change in different circumstances.
Characters need both goals and motivation.
- Goals are what characters want to do or achieve or acquire: get rich, become a doctor, have a large family.
- Motivation is WHY they want to do, achieve, or acquire it: he grew up poor and other kids made fun of his clothes, she saw her mother die at a young age, he was a lonely and unhappy only child.
- The character may not know why he does something. Rationalization is coming up with an excuse, a reason that is believable, whether or not it’s true. We do this in real life—we buy a car because it’s luxurious, but we rationalize that we bought it because it’s got a good safety record and is a good investment.
- Readers must be convinced that the character’s motivation would lead to his or her actions. If readers don’t believe the character’s actions fit with his motivation, they won’t care about what happens to the character. And when readers don’t care about the characters, they don’t care about the story.
How do you give your characters goals and motivation?
Once again, quite the post. I was a business major with little to no writing background, so this is all very new to me. It’s kind of hard to take it all in at once, but I know I will be referencing this whole series a ton in the following weeks…thanks again!
Tyler,
Thanks for leaving your name.
This is a lot of material—I realized how much when I converted my outline for the class I taught to blog posts. Be sure to look on my series page for other series on writing, as well.
Me too! I mean my experience has been only with technical writing, and I want to write a fiction book. This site is really helping me to starting thinking in terms of fiction and characters and motivations of characters and so much more. Thanks for such long detailed posts!
I Love (if you wrote Your Name @ I Love Writing, I could address you as a real person, and you would still get your keyword link),
You’re welcome. Good luck with your fiction writing.
wow this is a very large post. There’s a lot of information here to take in.. So much information, I have to read this more times to fully understand it..
C,
Though you can benefit from reading it several times, the best use is probably referring to it when you are actually trying to create characters.
Fear is a totally interesting thing to develop in your character because, like you said, everyone is afraid of something so it totally shapes who they are. It would only make sense that your character’s fears should do the same thing to their identity.
C,
Right—and we’re all afraid of something. What we’re afraid of and how afraid we are varies greatly, but everyone has some degree of fear of something.
Goals and motivation of the characters are really important. But what about a character without any goals or motivations? :> Or a character that’s not afraid of anything? Exploring that kind of possibilities should be interesting also…
Andrew,
You can’t have a character without goals and motivation, but the character may not always be conscious of them. The goal can be ambitious or not—someone’s goal could be avoiding work.
But they have to want something or they aren’t worth reading about. And people/characters may hide their fear so much they don’t even recognize it, but there is fear somewhere, even if deeply hidden. It doesn’t have to be physical fear—it can be fear of failure, fear of being alone, fear of being poor …
I always dreamed of being a fiction writer like my idols and people who write well, I just can’t figure it out. But your post enlightened me at some points, thanks for sharing!
.-= Chiropractor ´s last undefined ..If you register your site for free at =-.
Chiropractor (if you wrote Your Name @ Chiropractor, I could address you as a real person—instead of by the title of the person who caused me to have a stroke—and you would still get your keyword link),
Fiction writing takes a lot of time and practice before any of us figure it out.
This is something you positively cannot forget. Your readers will want to see themselves in your characters and it’s pretty difficult when they have no idea why the characters are doing what they’re doing.
Buty,
It’s interesting that we don’t always recognize why we ourselves do what we do, but we like to read about characters who always have a good reason for what they do.
Lillie,
In this series, you’ve put together a fabulous guide for creating rich, three-dimensional characters — one that I’m sure fiction writers will bookmark and return to again and again.
Very thorough exploration of a critical fiction topic!
Jeanne
Jeanne,
And there’s still one more installment to go.:-)
I’m covering a course that was six sessions (two hours each if I remember right) in eight posts. We had a lot of discussion and classroom activities during the live class—I gave assignments that we reviewed in class—so I didn’t realize each post would be so long.
They may be long, but each post is well-organized, scannable, and jam-packed with great information. Turning this course into a series of blog posts was a wonderful idea! Now others who weren’t able to attend the class can also benefit.
Thanks, Jeanne.
I used an outline to teach the class, so I used the outline as a basis for the posts.
I’ve also taught a class on How to Write Popular Fiction. I’m not sure if I’m going to run that as a single series or create several mini-series on the main topics: maybe 2 or 3 posts in a series on plot and conflict and 2 or 3 on show and tell, etc. rather than make one post for each topic in a longer series. It might be more manageable that way.
Great idea doing it that way, Lillie! That gave you a ready-made format, which only serves to make your job that much easier. I’m sure your fiction-writing readers will benefit just as much from your planned series (or mini-series) on writing popular fiction.
Jeanne,
I thought I was going to whip those posts out quickly since I had the outline … but they took a lot longer than I anticipated. If I ever teach a class again, I’ll create a more detailed outline.
Blog posts always seem to take longer than we expect, don’t they? A more detailed outline certainly couldn’t hurt, though!
Jeanne,
The outline worked great when I was teaching because all I needed was a reminder of what I wanted to say. But then for the post I had to actually say it.
Maybe next time you should record your lecture.
Jeanne,
Good idea. Then I would have to listen to/get past lots of discussion of the students’ assignments.
That’s one of the downsides — along with having to transcribe it.
But, as they say, “No pain, no gain!”
Right, Jeanne, but listening to myself for hours on end might be more pain than I can handle.
Jeanne,
You know my policy is to reply to every comment. I think you are just trying to see how long I will continue to respond to a specific thread. This could go on forever.
I usually reply to every comment on my blog too — as long as there’s something left to say. If, however, during a multiple-comment exchange with a particular commenter, I consider the conversation to be complete, I’ll sometimes refrain from responding to the reader’s final comment — in essence, allowing the reader to have the last word. (That said, if you have a perfect track record so far, don’t let me ruin it! Feel free to respond — or not!)
Jeanne,
I always have to have the last word.
Besides I’m a little OCD and don’t like posts to have an uneven number of comments. When I see that, I think I missed replying to a comment and click over to make sure.
I admire all authors who can make stories out of their imagination and can give the readers a complete picture of the characters and the details of the story. I can say that writing is a true talent. I don’t have the kind of interest like most writers have but I really like reading books that depicts a different world and pictures of characters. Like for example Rowling’s Harry Potter Series, Tolkien’s LOTR and the complete hit in this time, Meyer’s Twilight Saga. You see, all of those characters are from the other world and it is amazing that the authors were able to create a different world out from their imagination and make people’s thinking travel into that world. Thumbs up to all authors.
By the way Lillie, Thank you for sharing what you know about fictional writing.
Marcy,
Authors love readers who love their stories and characters.
GREAT post, Lillie! I’m bookmarking this. It’ll keep me on track as I write.
.-= Lori´s last blog ..But What About How Much You’re Worth? =-.
Lori,
Glad it’s helpful to you. I’m looking forward to hearing/reading/seeing news of your novel.
I’ve read all of the installments in your creating fictional characters series and this is my favorite so far. I’ve read so many novels in which I’ve asked myself “Why on earth would that character ever do that?!” Figuring out your character’s motivation is key.
.-= Spot@Travel Blog´s last blog ..The World’s Worst Travel Gear =-.
Spot,
I have had that experience of wondering why a character did something. I’ve even said, “He would never do that!”
Wow! Excellent article! You have introduced a great method to create fictional characters. Many thanks for your valuable share.
.-= akasse´s last blog ..Lederne =-.
akaase,
I’m glad you found the post useful.
This information is so helpful and detailed. Thank you for taking the time to write it all down!!
.-= Beatriz´s last blog ..I was hospitalized… =-.
Beatriz,
You’re welcome.
Hope you are doing better now and that you are enjoying the books you won.
great i got the answers of my why !i got some doubts cleared about the writing !some of the myths about writing got solved!thanks !
.-= Spanish property for sale´s last blog ..Spanish Property in Nerja Overview from Spanish Hot Properties July 2009 =-.
Spanish (if you wrote Your Name@Spanish Property for Sale, I could address you as a real person instead of real estate, and you would still get your keyword link),
Hope you can use the information in your writing or at least a better appreciation when you read.
I am really enjoying your series on creating fictional characters. But I would really love to write a non-fiction book but am not sure where to start. Would you ever consider doing some posts on getting started and research for non-ficiton?
tracy,
If readers are interested in the subject, I’ll be glad to do a series on researching and writing nonfiction.
Do you have some specific questions to help me decide what to write?
I have a topic I would like to write on. It is a story from Four Corners region at the turn of the century. Research ideas and just generally getting started would be really helpful.
tracy,
I’ll add researching and writing nonfiction to my editorial calendar. Thanks for the suggestion.
Turning this course into a series of posts was a good idea. Now others who weren’t able to attend the class can also benefit. Your charactecriteria look to be quite full. It`ll be of much use for me as a starting writer
Alex,
It was good to be able to use the material I had compiled for the class. I’m glad you found it useful.
You really put a lot of thought into your character when you write. This is a good thing – because the characters are really what binds the reader to the book and keeps them hooked!
Kelly,
Characters are critical in fiction.
“Your characters’ attitudes are important in their drive.”
This is a very helpful post for amateur writers like me who are trying hard to come up with fictional stories out of passion. Please continue to share some more. Thanks!
Payday (if you wrote Your Name @ Payday Loans, I could address you as a real person instead of a financial transaction, and you would still get your keyword link),
I’m glad the post was helpful to you. Good luck with your writing.
I am always thinking of new charactors. I base them on people I have met or seen. I think this is a good way of inspiring the imagination.
Tim,
Starting with a real person is a good way to begin. However, you probably don’t want to make the character a copy of the real person.
This is a very helpful post for amateur writers like me who are trying hard to come up with fictional stories. You can’t have a character without goals and motivation, but the character may not always be conscious of them. That was a great article you post.
Cherry,
You said it very well. I’m glad you found the post helpful.
Draw from the rich bounty of characters around you in the world. Perhaps you have a friend with a funny habit. Attribute that habit to a character in your story. Perhaps you always see a man walking down the sidewalk with an unusual gait. Describe his walk and give it to one of your characters. The best models for fictional characters are real, everyday people. Go to the mall or sit at a bus stop and take notes about the people you see their gestures, dialogue, physical descriptions. Combine the character traits of several family members and/or friends into one character. The possibilities are endless, but all around you. Be observant and use real people to bring your characters to life.
brittany,
Just be careful that you don’t make characters too much like a particular individual. Combine traits from several people and give those traits to characters that are very different in other ways. This was discussed in an earlier post in the series. This post is talking beyond the physical and emotional characteristics to goals and motivation.
Thanks for the idea about fiction.
It has differences from real life.
But, it also has similarities.
I love fiction and also I love my life though sometimes I can’t understand it.
jackie,
The difference between fiction and real life is that fiction has to make sense. Real life often doesn’t make sense. We can’t understand our own lives, but we need to understand our characters’ lives.
ehm.. Jackie as Lillie said: “We can’t understand our own lives, but we need to understand our characters’ lives.”
Frederik,
We would all like to understand and make sense of our own lives, but it’s not as easy to do as in fiction.
It looks like I’m a few years late dropping in, but I had to comment. This has been a very helpful article. I’m trying to brush up on creating sustainable conflicts, and to create interesting and believable goals for my characters. I like the simple approach you have here: the hero and heroine must desire change. Oh how I wish someone had told me that years ago! ^_^
I’m glad the post was helpful, Cora, and I hope the entire series was beneficial for you.
Great list. Where do you get all this information?
Very helpful when writing fiction.
Don,
I’ve learned from a lot of different people. I’ve been writing for nearly twenty years, and in that time, I’ve attended a lot of workshops, read a lot of books about writing, talked to a lot of writers, and learned from a lot of websites and blogs.