How does character motivation affect a story’s plot?

How does character motivation affect a story’s plot?

We’ve chatted before about creating compelling character arcs; to boil it down, you essentially have to design a series of events that is challenging and compels characters to change. Specifically, you need to challenge your main character to change by designing a plot that is uniquely suited to helping them grow and complete their arc. But how does character motivation affect a story’s plot? Basically, how do you design events customized to help your main character(s) grow?

What is character motivation?

Character motivation, simply put, is what your character wants. Typically, a character wants one thing at the beginning of the story, and by the end they have been transformed into someone new, someone with new desires. 

Think about what it is that you want. I don’t mean small, day to day desires; I mean an overarching goal that pushes you forward. What are you striving for? For some people, it’s as simple as wanting a comfortable, happy life. For others, they might have their eyes on something specific; a specific career milestone, a relationship, starting a family. These are the types of goals that tend to be compelling on page. If you’re writing a rom-com, maybe your character wants to find love… or maybe they want to protect themselves from being vulnerable at all costs. If you’re writing a horror movie, maybe your character wants money to get themselves out of debt… which is why they signed up to spend a weekend in a supposedly haunted house.

What is your character’s false belief?

The most compelling characters have false beliefs, things that hold them back from accomplishing their goals, or that keep them from growing as a person. To go back to my rom com example, maybe your main character thinks that love can only lead to heartbreak, so she avoids not only dating but connecting with friends as well.

Once you’ve identified your character’s false belief, you need to dig into why they feel that way. Did they have a horrible breakup? Did their first love die? Did they watch their parents go through a nasty divorce? Think carefully about the ghosts from your character’s past that shape their false belief. 

Once you have your character’s motivation, false belief, and the root cause of that belief, it’s time to dig into how the plot is going to shape them.

How does character motivation affect a story’s plot?

As we’ve already covered, the best stories have plots that are tailor made to get your main character out of their comfort zone and force them to grow as a person. Going back to our rom-com example, now that you know a little bit more about your character, make a list of things that could force them to accept love into their life.

Here are some examples:

• Accidentally adopting a cat
• Having an experience where they need support (getting surgery, moving, getting fired, etc)
• Agreeing to go on a blind date to pacify a nosy friend
• Needing a partner for an event or project (like a tennis partner or someone to collaborate with at work)

Some of these can quite easily lead to romance (we all know how that blind date’s gonna go) while some are less obvious. Still, adopting a cat could very well be the catalyst for accepting love into your life; once they’re willing to give your heart to a little creature, who knows, maybe they start hanging around a cat cafe or volunteering at an animal shelter and meet a cutie there. Maybe their new animal companion makes them reflect on other things that they wish were in their life. 

Once you have a list of ideas, start thinking about how to make your main character as uncomfortable as possible. Discomfort is what facilitates growth, so make sure they’re going to be really unhappy with you. How can the plot events push them towards rock bottom? It’s only then that they will grow, adapt, and change.

You need to make sure that your character’s journey is so transformative that by the end they have a new motivation. This typically means that the character has moved away from what they want and has moved towards what they need. In our rom-com, the original want was safety, which they created by distancing themselves from others. One cat and a series of wacky adventures later, and maybe they’ve determined what they need is companionship; from friends, their pet, and a romantic partner.

How do I create a plot?

There’s really no wrong way to create a plot for your book, story, or screenplay. A lot of people swear by story beats like Blake Synder’s Save The Cat. I like to blend Synder’s conventional wisdom with some beat sheets of my own. I actually created an outline ebook that’s designed for storytellers, especially novelists and screenwriters, to quickly and efficiently create outlines for their projects. Here’s a link if you’re interested.

If you consume a lot of media, you’ll have an innate sense of story beats. Think about watching a movie; unless it’s structured in a really unusual way, it’s usually pretty possible to guess whereabouts in the story structure you are. We know, for example, when there are too many plot problems to wrap up in 20 minutes, or when it looks like characters are getting ready for the climax of the story, which comes near the end of the tale.

A combination of research and outlining resources should help you know what needs to happen when, and of course, now all of that will be supported by the character work you’ve already done.

Good luck, and happy writing!