Recently I read blog post by a blogger I follow where she pondered why women get involved with married men. She asked what the other person got out of the situation? Well, I thought of two or three off the top of my head, and just had to comment. That was over a week ago, and I’ve been thinking about motivation.
As writers we need to understand, well most of the time, the motivation behind a character’s actions. I don’t always have an immediate answer to the question of why the character is doing something, though I eventually find out. But what do I mean by ‘I eventually find out’?
Well, when I get into a zone, and I’m typing like mad to get the scene in my head onto the page, I can’t necessarily explain why they said X, or why they did Y. I often find the answer later. I feel like that is a common issue with pantsers. I know that that’s what they said. I know that’s how that character would react to whatever situation they’re in, but I couldn’t explain the why or the motivation to save my life.
It’s only later when I’m in the editing process, or maybe even a week or two later when I’m writing another scene that can put into words why they said X or did Y. It’s probably evidence of some horrid psychosis, but the characters usually tell me what’s happening, not the other way around. That’s ok though. Different writers have different ways of discovering their character’s motives. Volumes could be written on the subject.
If you’re having trouble figuring out why something just on ended up on page, look at it from a different angle. Remember sometimes we don’t know why we do things. I’ve been in the heat of the moment and been unable to discern why the fuck I just did X or said Y. Sometimes I swear my foot has a vacation home in my mouth.
Being able to think about people and what motivates them is a skill that I feel is absolutely essential for any writer. When I’m doing boring tasks at work my mind wanders to people and events. I sit there and ponder what could possibly have motivated someone to do what they did, good or bad. I sit there and think about their personality. I sit there and think of their life experiences that I’m aware of. I sit there and think about the situation they found themselves in and what other people’s action or words made them feel and how big a factor that was in their reaction. There are so many different angles to consider, and remember that no one on the face of the Earth ‘always’ or ‘never’s.
~Yvonne
Need something to read that will get you thinking and get your heart rate up? Try Frohman’s War: Battle of Hearts. Available in ebook on Amazon.com. Free for Kindle Unlimited users. Still not convinced? Read the first seven pages and decide from there.
Yvonne Krieg 