Character Motivation

By Alyssa J. Montgomery

Debra Dixon's much cited writing bible, 'Goal, Motivation & Conflict' explains that the motivation is what compels the character to achieve his or her goal. (If you're a writer and don't have this book, I can tell you it's one of the most helpful how-to books I own.) On motivation, Dixon writes "Keep it simple. Keep it strong. Keep it focused." Motivation is also referred to as the Why of the story and can be a key element in helping the character be three dimensional and also have the reader empathise with him or her. For a reader to become engrossed in the plot, the motivation must be clear and should be compelling.

There are many different goals a character can have, and even those who share the same goal may have different motivations for doing so. If you're looking for different character motivations, check out the sites:

https://writershelpingwriters.net/character-motivation-

thesaurus/https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MotivationIndex

Newton said that an object will tend to remain at rest unless it's acted upon by an outside force. Perhaps it's an internal motivator or perhaps it's an external force, but there has to be something that motivates a character into action and to direct the choices that character makes.

Coming from a large and very loving family, I know that through my close bond with my parents and siblings, any one of us would be prepared to go to whatever extraordinary lengths possible to in order to help each other. I've used family motivations in a number of my books. In my medieval 'Knight of Her Heart' (published as Alyssa James) I have a heroine who's trying to save her sister's life and in 'Knight of Her Desire', a mother who's trying to protect her child. My hero in the former is motivated by revenge and in the latter, the hero is motivated by a sense of duty and conscience.

I tend to like motivations which involve family because I find them compelling and easy to relate to. Whether the character is motivated to do something to help a relative survive, get out of debt, achieve a career goal - I'm happier to read these types of motivating factors than a motivation centered around attaining a career goal or wealth or something material. That's not to say those stories aren't appealing to me - just that the family motivations appeal more.

 
In my latest contemporary release, 'Seduced by the Enemy' the heroine is motivated to become a part of her niece's life and to try to save her life. In each of these stories, the motivation was urgent and ensured the characters would meet the roadblocks and challenges I set for them to make it difficult for them to achieve their goals.

Obtaining Justice is my hero's motivation in 'The Irredeemable Prince' and it's such a strong motivation he doesn't mind attracting the scorn of a nation to do it.

Honouring a sense of duty and feeling a sense of guilt are motivating factors for both the hero and heroine in my novel, 'The Defiant Princess'. Their motivation drives them to their goal, despite their beliefs that this goal stands in the way of their own personal happiness. Now, while in this story the characters have the same goal and motivation, the conflict arises because they both want to achieve the goal in a different way.

Whatever the character's motivation is, it needs to be set in a way that the reader can relate to it - feeling the same sense of urgency and investment, struggling with the choices that need to be made but understanding and relating to those decisions.

How do I decide what my characters' motivations are? Like most authors I do an author interview that helps me to know each character's backstory. Who are they? What makes them tick? What's happened to them to make them the way they are? What do they most want? Why do they want it?
What's stopping them from getting it? How are they going to overcome the roadblock?

I'd love to hear from you.
Of the romances you enjoy reading, do you have a favourite motivational theme?
Have you ever read a romance where you have come across a really unusual motivation for the character - or one you simply can't relate to? 
If you're an author, do you gravitate more frequently to one type of character motivation than another?

Love to Love: Characters motivated to help others whether it's their friends or families.
Love to Laugh: At comical situations created by authors as the characters try to attain their goals.
Love to Learn: About what makes characters tick. Why do they want what they want?