Character Motivation Over Plot How?
The Heart of Character Motivation
Any story, be it a book, a movie, or a TV series, revolves around a character and his/her particular motive. A character headcanon generator motivation is what prompts it to act or make decisions. Its never just what they do — its always why they do it, which is the core of the story in every great story line.
Plot and the Machinery of Motivation
Conflicts arise from character motivation: Conflict, to the very genomic core, is the bedrock of story, and motivation is what launches that conflict. Be it to rescue a friend, fulfill a lifelong ambition, or battle some dire threat, these motivational forces direct the character toward obstacles and enemies. For instance, the motive for Harry's success in stopping Voldemort in J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" novels powers all of his actions in addition to propelling the story foward through all seven volumes.
Themes inform motivation: The motivation for a character is often tied in to the story's theme. In F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, Gatsby's desire to win Daisy's love is depicted in relation to the American Dream, which the novel also examines the discontents of. His motives are woven into the larger social and moral tapestry of the work, rendering his trek both a singular observation and a microcosm of the age.
Character evolution: Your characters motivations will impact character arcs so effective storytelling requires multi-dimensional motivations. In Breaking Bad, Walter White has an easily-digestible, largely sympathetic motivation to drive his transformation: he is a soon-to-be-dead high school chemistry teacher who resorts to cooking meth to provide for his family after he dies. Yet as the show goes on, his motivations morph more towards power and control, which changes his character and interactions.
Examples of Motivation in Action in Plot
For instance, let's say there is a thriller with the plot of the main character trying to discover who set them up for a murder they did not commit. Each choice to pursue leads, confront suspects, or team up with shady characters inch the plot towards its crest and climax
Adding Complexity and Empathy Through Goal
Satisfying the motivation of the audience: Audiences are attracted to characters with motivations that they can relate to. Someone who is fighting to protect their family, in need of redemption, or seeking independence plays on age-old experiences and emotions, allowing an easier bridge to be built with the audience.
Characters are More Interesting with More Complex Motivations: A complex motivation will do wonders for the depth and realistic personalities of your characters. The superhero who is compelled by guilt to help others, for example, will also struggle with wishing to lead a normal life, thereby enriching their heroics and personal sacrifices.
How to Develop Strong Character Motivations
Writers need to do the following when building a story:
Define your main character's inner motivations and outer motivations with clarity.
Make motivations clear through action and not just exposition.
Splits characters away from their expected motivations in reaction to what happens in the story
What Sometimes Blocks Our Storytelling Delivery
Put another way, character motivation is not just a facet of character development, but the machinery for plot mechanics. Flat Characters with no clear reason for being, and an on-request plot.onViewCreated.defaultProps.scrollHeight View comments Doing this marries up his reasons for emigrating to the immediate needs of the scene, the story at large and the theme/subject of the entire piece, and making a tighter and richer narrative.
For more discussions on how to give your characters motivations and what kind of effect can it have on the story, check all the resources regarding character and character development. This tool will allow you to delve more deeply into the psychology of your characters, making your writing and storytelling even richer.