All week I told myself I’d clean the house, and all week I put off doing more than absolutely necessary to keep the place livable. At 6:00AM on Friday, I actually started cleaning. By 10:00AM I’d done 3 loads of laundry, scrubbed the bathrooms, cleaned the kitchen—including the oven and microwave—and vacuumed the floors.
Why did I finally do what I’d intended to do all week? I got motivated: my daughter said she was coming home for the weekend. I wanted everything to be perfect for her visit.
Motivation is what causes someone to take action, or behave in a certain way. Sometimes the motivation is intrinsic, coming from within. The person gets pleasure, or a sense of satisfaction, from completing a task or achieving a goal. At other times, the motivation may be extrinsic, which means something external induces the person to behave a certain way. Without motivation, there is little reason for people to take action, or to react to what others do.
In fiction, as well as in life, motives aren’t always clearly defined. There may be more than one motive involved, or a deeper one than what the person reveals to others. Figuring out a character’s motives may motivate readers to keep turning the pages, but if they can’t imagine the main characters behaving the way the author portrays them, they won’t relate to the story.
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What are some common motives for the way characters in your favorite genre behave? Does knowing the motivation behind their actions affect the way you relate to the “bad guys” in a story? What motivates you to read a particular book? What motivates you to write?
I’ve written only one novel and it is or may not be nearly finished. Everyone in it is motivated strongly by a situation and internally motivated as well, all connected with the situation.
On the housework not so much. It takes me three to five days to do what I decide should be done. This last time I needed to vacuum and mop, I finally motivated myself by deciding to move the furniture around. Whoa!
Carol Ann, moving the furniture around would require LOTS of motivation for me.
It’s hard to figure out when something is truly finished, isn’t it? My first novel was finished–now it isn’t. My second one definitely isn’t, but I’m feeling more motivated to work on it now that the weather is cool and gloomy.
No motivation, no story
There always has to be a motive behind what someone does whether they know what motivates them or not. Many times people have no clue what motivates them or even that they have been motivated. I’m sorta like that. I have no idea what motivates me to write except to say I have to. There are times I get passionate about an issue and it’s the passion the motivates me. Other times I just let whatever is inside flow out.
As to cleaning the house there is no better motivation than knowing visitors are coming.
Elizabeth, I agree. Sometimes knowing our own motives is harder than figuring out a character’s motive.
Unexpected visitors are always welcome, but I prefer having an hour or two’s notice to do a quick-clean.
Do you make house calls?
Ha! I might for LOTS of money. Cleaning isn’t one of my favorite things to do.
Hey Carol! I was wondering where you’d disappeared to. Glad to hear that you daughter visited this weekend. It must have been lovely for you. And you had a clean house which is always nice.
Motivation is essential in characterisation. Everyone needs to have some kind of reason for doing what they do otherwise the story wouldn’t make any sense.
Jai
Hi, Jai. The days have been slipping by without me noticing. I was surprised to see how long it had been since I posted, too. Now that the weather is too chilly to sit outside and read, I’ll probably get back to a more regular posting schedule.
Motivation is what makes things get done, whether it’s storytelling or housecleaning. My problem is being motivated to do the one at the expense of the other!
Motivation is what makes our characters tick, because without it there really isn’t a story at all. I think that is where some writers fail in creating a sellable book. They write thousands of words but in doing so simply wander through a whole book without really having a reason for it. (Sounds like the first book I wrote! Eeek!) What is it that the main characters wanted so badly and what were the obstacles to them getting it?
Thanks for a good post.
Carol, I ran into a similar problem with the first novel I started (and never finished). I think the theme was good, but the main character’s motivation was so weak that it couldn’t support the story. My new novel has characters with lots of motives for what they do—but I can’t get motivated to work on it!
The more time I have in my day the more challenging I find it to become motivated. I keep shoving things aside thinking I have plenty of time. Oddly enough, those time when I am busiest are the times when I seem to be able to settle down and write. I’m hoping to change this as I’ll have lots of free time in a few months to write to my hearts content. I want make the best use of that time.
Laura, I’m the same way. Time slips away without me noticing unless I have certain tasks that have to be accomplished. When I have to set priorities and get organized, I get much more done than if I’m free to work at a comfortable (non-productive) pace.
You’ve already shown you have enough self-discipline to write a book. You’ll probably be even more productive when you get that extra free time.
[...] I’m not interested in the subject matter and hit a rough patch, it’s tempting to quit. External motivations such as money or praise from others may help, but the internal satisfaction I get from doing [...]