When it comes to a story, character motivation is an essential element for creating a dynamic plot. Motivation can drive characters to take action and make decisions that drive the story forward. Whether it is personal goals, family pressure, or societal expectations, characters must have a reason for responding and reacting to specific situations in the plot. It’s essential to know how character motivation affect a story’s plot so you can give your characters more depth and dimension in your new or existing story.
What is Character Motivation?
Motivation is a character’s drive to achieve a goal and satisfy a need. It is a powerful force that can lead characters to take action and make decisions that drive the story forward. Many factors can influence a character’s motivation. It could be a personal goal, family pressure, or societal expectations.
How Does Character Motivation Affect a Story’s Plot? Learn How
When characters have a compelling reason to do what they do, it creates an emotional connection with readers and impacts the plot. Motivation can impact a story’s plot in a few different ways. First, it can create rising action within the plot by creating obstacles and problems for a character to overcome. Without motivation, a character cannot respond to problems and obstacles.
Second, it can create a sense of urgency by pushing the plot forward. Rather than meandering with no purpose, motivated characters have a reason to make the plot move forward. Third, it can create a satisfying climax with action and tension. Characters with solid motivation are likelier to take action and make decisions that create a dramatic climax.
When Characters Don’t Have Proper Motivation
The plot can become stagnant and uninteresting when the characters don’t have proper motivation. An uninteresting plot doesn’t just bore readers; it makes it difficult for them to connect with the story. When characters are not motivated to drive the plot forward, the plot stops dead in its tracks.
Characters cannot take action or make choices that lead to the next plot point. If your plot seems to be lacking any drive, take a look at your characters’ motivations. Are they clear? Do they make sense? If not, you can try to revise them to make them stronger.
Give Your Characters a Reason to Act
When crafting your plot and characters, thinking about how their motivations will affect their actions and choices can be helpful.
By giving your characters a reason to act, you can ensure their motivations are apparent. For example, if you’re writing a plot about siblings who are trying to protect their little brother from a supernatural threat, their motivation could be that they want to keep him safe.
By giving each character a reason to act, you can ensure that each person has an appropriate response to the plot’s events. By giving each character a reason to act, you can ensure that each person has an appropriate response to the plot’s events.
Why Is Proper Character Motivation Important?
When characters have the proper motivation, they have a reason to be in the plot. Without motivation, characters become dead-weight in the plot. Moreover, when characters don’t have the proper motivation, it can leave readers feeling confused and frustrated. If readers can’t figure out why characters are making the choices they do, it can pull them out of the story.
If characters don’t have a clear and compelling motivation, it can be difficult for readers to relate to them. A reader might ask, “Why is this character in the plot?” If you want your plot to flow smoothly and for readers to become invested, you need to give your characters a clear and strong motivation.