Two Questions to Ask for Stronger Character Goals and Motivations

By Janice Hardy

Strong plots start with two deceptively simple questions.

The sheer number of plotting questions I get—both in person and online—is a good indication that plotting is something a lot of writers wrestle with. And it’s not always because they don’t understand story structure or scene dynamics.

You can write gorgeous prose and still wind up with a story that meanders, stalls, or lacks punch. That’s because the characters aren’t making active, motivated choices that drive the story. They’re just… doing things.

“Because that’s what has to happen next” isn’t a goal.

I’ve had countless brainstorming sessions with stuck writers (and been one myself), and over the years, I’ve noticed something. No matter how complex the plot, how high the stakes, or how elaborate the worldbuilding, the problem almost always comes down to one missing element: goals.

Decisions, Decisions: Creating Character Choices That Matter

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

A plot is just the series of choices a character makes in a story.

Making a decision is one of the most important things your characters will ever do. Not only does it drive the plot, it creates tension and unpredictability in the story. Readers turn the page to see what happens next, and decisions are all about the "next."

But there's a catch.

Readers have to care about the outcome of that choice.

“Should I have the eggs or the cereal?” is a choice, but no one is going to stay up late to see how that turns out. Because the other half of choosing is the fear that you're making the wrong choice.

(Here’s more with The Impossible Choice: A Surefire Way to Hook Your Readers)

Now, here's where it gets tricky.

7 Ways Your Characters Can Screw up Their Decisions

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

Making the wrong choice isn't good in life, but it's great for plotting a novel.

As people, we want to make the right choice, so it's only natural that those are the choices that first come to us as we write a scene. The problem there, is that "doing the right thing" doesn't usually cause the wonderful conflict we need to craft compelling stories. (But when it does it's writing gold.) 

Lifehack had a great post about how not to mess up your decisions. The writer in me instantly saw what a fantastic guide it was for crafting characters with bad decision-making skills, which of course makes for more interesting plots. Nobody likes a smarty pants who gets everything right all the time. We want characters with flaws, and issues, who make snap judgements and totally mess things up while trying to make things better.

You really don't want your characters to act like they've three weeks to consider their options just because you took that long to write the scene (and probably had input from fellow writers and friends, too). A decision made in the heat of the moment isn't the same as one made after weeks of considering.

And characters making "in the heat of the moment" decisions can make or break your plot.

Why Ask Why? Because Your Readers Will

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

Making readers wonder is a good thing—unless they have no clue why your characters are acting as they do, or your world makes no sense.

It’s easy to think plotting is all about the what—after all, the plot is what happens to your characters. But while the what is important to how the story unfolds, the why is what’s driving that story to unfold in the first place. What without why is just action with any motivation.

A strong plot will combine both the what and the why.

A weak novel often has characters who are acting only because plot says they need to—there’s no plausible reason for them to behave that way. And worse, none of their actions have consequences that force them to act again so the whole GMC plot cycle can continue. Your scenes get stuck and you aren’t sure why, they feel flat and it’s hard not to skim, and you probably have a nagging feeling the scene isn’t doing enough. You know what happens, but not why.

Goal and Motivation: What Does Your Story Character Want, and Why?

By Rayne Hall, @RayneHall

Part of the Focus on Short Fiction Series

JH: Goals and motivations drive every story, but they're critical in a short story. Rayne Hall discusses character wants and needs and how they keep readers hooked.

Today, I want to share a professional trick for hooking readers from the start and keeping them hooked until your story's ending.

Give your main character a goal and an urgent reason to pursue it. Perhaps she wants to or win a prize in the village flower show, rescue her daughter from the kidnappers, get her suitor to propose marriage or raise money for her business.

Make this as important as possible: she doesn't just want it, she needs it. (I'll use the female pronoun in this article, but of course the main character in your story can also be male.) Give her a compelling reason (or better, several) for needing to achieve this.

4 Ways to Develop Character Agency

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

Many novels fail because their protagonist lacks agency.

Early on in my writing career, I’d never heard the term “agency.” Then I started hearing it everywhere. I suspect I’d crossed a learning threshold and had begun reading more advanced blogs and books, and had stumbled into a higher level of writing advice than I had previously seen.

To paraphrase regular guest author, Rochelle Melander, I had leveled up as a writer.

These days, I hear folks talking about agency all the time, and the word has become part of my writing vocabulary. But I’d bet plenty of other writers still encounter it and have no idea what it is, or they get the general gist of it in context, but aren’t really sure what to do with it.

Imagine my shock when I realized I’d never once written about it here. 3,000 articles on this site, and not a single one on character agency.

Why Should Anyone Help Your Protagonist?

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

Before you let a character help your protagonist, ask them why they'd offer that help. Most times, they probably wouldn't.

Before I dive in today, as part of NaNoProMo, I'm guest posting over at BadRedhead Media, chatting about marketing, and asking the question: Will Your Novel Solve a Reader's Problem? I'm also giving away a hour of one-on-one time with me to ask/talk about whatever you writing or publishing topics you want.

I have a small pet peeve in fiction--characters who are always willing to drop everything and help the protagonist. I'm not referring to the best friends (that's kind of their job), but the random people your protagonist runs into who have no good reason to answer questions, or agree to turn their backs at the right moment, or even take any risks for a total stranger, yet they do so time and time again.

It's a plot thing, I get it. That's the way the plot needs to unfold and it's exhausting to have every single thing in an entire novel be a fight. There are times when things need to go the protagonist's way. From a plotting standpoint, it's easy to see how it happens--this is where the protagonist learns X and this character will tell her X.

What's My Motivation? Tips on Showing Character Motivations

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

Knowing what motivates a character to act not only makes for a great read, it also makes it easier to plot.

Understanding character motivations is a big part of plotting. Why your characters (especially your protagonist and antagonist) do the things they do determines how your plot unfolds, since they'll have reasons for choosing Option A over Option B.

Of course, showing those motivations without banging a reader over the head can be the hard part. Especially if the reasons aren't clear to the character.

While you don't have to know every single reason why your character does every little thing, if what they do affects the plot or story, it's a good idea to know why they did it. Otherwise, you might end up with a reactionary protagonist or a character who's just acting out plot, but doesn't really care about what happens. Those kinds of characters can leave a story feeling flat and lifeless.

The Core of Every Novel: The Big Want & The Big Fear

By Spencer Ellsworth, @spencimus

Part of The How They Do It Series

JH: As complicated as novels are, they really do come down to some very simple things. Spencer Ellsworth shares two of them.

Spencer Ellsworth has been writing since he learned how. He is the author of The Great Faerie Strike, a tale of the Otherworld’s first labor union, from Broken Eye Books. He is also the author of the space opera Starfire Trilogy from Tor, and many other short works. He lives in Bellingham, WA, with his wife and three children, works at a small tribal college, and would really like a war mammoth, please.

Website | Twitter | Goodreads

Take it away Spencer…

Goals-Motivations-Conflicts: The Engine That Keeps a Story Running

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

Without a strong GMC, your story engine can stall. 

With “What’s your story about?” being a common question for writers, it’s easy to think about our stories as being one conflict or idea. We pose a problem, and then the book is spent trying to solve that problem. We postulate an idea, and we go on to explore that idea. We introduce a character, and we live in that character’s life for a while.

While stories might be about one problem, the plot is actually made up of many pieces all building on each other toward a resolution. Just like words form sentences, sentences form paragraphs, and paragraphs form pages, which is turn create scenes that form chapters and chapters that form acts. Everything builds to create a larger construct.

At the end of it all, is a novel (or short story if you prefer).

3 Ways Moral Dilemmas Can Strengthen Your Novel

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

Moral ambiguity can bring a lot to a novel.

For me, writing is a bit of a psychological experiment. I love creating morally gray situations and seeing how my characters react to them. What they do, what lines they cross, how far they’re really willing to go to get what they want. It’s a wonderful way to learn who they are and tell a richer story.

When situations aren’t so back and white, it gives us more opportunities to explore our story’s themes and characters. We can push boundaries to make a point or illustrate an idea. We can raise tensions and provide the emotional depth that keep readers invested. Life is messy, so why not take advantage of that with the tales we tell?

Here are three ways moral dilemmas can benefit your novel:

The Ultimate Guide to Character Motivation (Part 2)

By Laurence MacNaughton, @LMacNaughton

Part of the How They Do It Series (Contributing Author)

Why do heroes and villains do what they do? In Part 1 of this article, we explored Greed, Revenge, and Acceptance, three of the most powerful motivations in literature. Now, let's find out how you can you can create fascinating characters driven by the need for Identity, Love, or Survival.

I is for Identity

Who am I? That question lies at the core of countless stories.

A character driven to establish their identity often begins the story in a negative place, and then has a moment of clarity that tells them why they need to fundamentally change who they are. This is a common motivation for characters just starting out in life who strive to become someone better. It also works for mature characters who have fallen from grace and need to redeem themselves.

The Impossible Choice: A Surefire Way to Hook Your Readers

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

The first job of any story is to hook its reader, but after that initial hook, the story can’t just slack off. It has to keep hooking, keep drawing readers in, and keep making them want to turn the page. An excellent tool for this job is the impossible choice.

A well-crafted story will have choices all the way through. Some will be small choices that subtly directly the plot or character arc, while others will have major repercussions on the story. It’s these choices and the reader’s interest in seeing how the tale unfolds that keeps them interested in the story.

But to really grab a reader, force your protagonist to make an impossible choice.

The Ultimate Guide to Character Motivation (Part 1)

By Laurence MacNaughton, @LMacNaughton

Part of the How They Do It Series (Contributing Author)

Do you know the real reasons why your characters do what they do? You should. Without a rock-solid motivation, your characters risk coming across as boring and flat. But if you can give your characters intriguing motivations, you can write a story that truly resonates with readers. That's because motivation is the engine that powers character-driven stories.

Plus, it's fun and easy to figure out what makes a character tick. In this two-part article, I'll show you how.

Are Your Characters Contradicting Themselves?

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

Back in June, I caught that nasty flu that was going around and spent a few miserable weeks napping and watching a lot of TV. One of my distractions of choice was the show, Bones. It had been a long time since I’d seen the first few seasons, and while it was fun to re-watch them, one thing did annoy me.

The character Temperance “Bones” Brennan is a world-class forensic anthropologist who is very literal-minded and repeatedly says she doesn’t like psychology and doesn’t do motive.

Yet…

She’s a bestselling author who writes mysteries.

Keeping Goals and Motivations Fresh

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

There's so much pressure on writers to find a fresh, original idea, that we often forget there are only so many plots to begin with. Depending on which theory you believe, that can be anywhere from two to thirty-six, though the classic number is seven. (Overcoming the Monster, Rags to Riches, The Quest, Voyage and Return, Comedy, Tragedy, and Rebirth)

No matter what story we write, our characters are going to want things that other characters have also wanted, and other writers have written about before. The general goals and motivations are not going to be fresh, because those themes are what makes a story universal and relatable. No matter who you are, you can relate to someone trying to find love of righting a past wrong.

Writing Characters Whose Loyalty is Uncertain

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

Q: I have a character in my current WIP who is a double agent, and I'm struggling to find ways to make the reader question which group she is truly loyal to without forcing the issue. Do you have any advice for how to write characters who don't stand clearly on one side of the line?

A: I have a WIP with an undercover spy, so I feel the pain here. It can be a challenge to write a character like this and still make her unpredictable (and likable, but that’s another issue).

The question didn’t specify if the double agent is a POV character or not, so let’s look at both.

Tough Luck: Let Your Characters Make Tough Choices

By Laura Lascarso, @lauralascarso 

Part of the How They Do It Series

Please help me welcome Laura Lascarso to the lecture hall today to chat with us about the value of giving your characters tough choices to make. Not only does this create more interesting characters, but stronger stories as well. (And let's face it, it's also just plain fun!)

Laura Lascarso’s debut novel COUNTING BACKWARDS won the 2012 Florida Book Award gold medal for Young Adult Literature. Her second YA novel, ANSWER ME, is currently out on submission to editors.

Website | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Indie Bound

Giveaway! Plus, one lucky commenter chosen at random can win their very own signed copy of COUNTING BACKWARDS. Winner chosen on June 10.  

Take it away Laura...

Are Your Characters Motivated?

By Gretchen McNeil

JH: Today we have YA author Gretchen McNeil here to help us--and our character--get motivated.

Gretchen is an opera singer, writer and clown. Her YA horror/paranormal POSSESS debuted with Balzer + Bray for HarperCollins in 2011. Her second novel, TEN – YA horror/suspense about ten teens trapped on a remote island with a serial killer – will be released September 18, 2012. Gretchen is a former coloratura soprano, the voice of Mary on G4's Code Monkeys and she currently sings with the LA-based circus troupe www.cirqueberzerk.com. Gretchen is also a founding member of the vlog group YARebels where she can be seen as "Monday."

Take it away Gretchen...

Why Am I Doing This Again? Plotting Through “What’s Next?” Part Two

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

Last week we talked about how to figure out where to go when you weren’t sure what happened next in your story. Today, let’s talk about plots where you’re not sure why your characters are doing what they’re doing.

If a lack of goals isn’t your problem, try looking at the motivations for those goals. Sometimes you know what you want to have happen in a plot, but the characters have no reason to do it, so you can’t figure out how to move forward. If you’re scratching you head as to the why, try asking yourself: