43 Character Motivations For Your Fictional Characters

To all the writers who haven't written in a while. May the right words come to you and may they actually get written down.

This is why you can't finish your book

How long have you been trying to finish that idea you had for a book? Why is it that you can never see the finish line?

There’s different reasons for different writers, but in most cases it comes down to one simple thing:

Overwhelm.

You look at your project and you WANT to work on it, but…

you need to research a topic first to write it well

you need to go back and work out a character’s backstory first

you should probably fix the consistency of this character’s voice, they changed so much since you started chapter 1

you probably want to plot this out more

a couple of these chapters here and there are just a mess… which you promised to deal with later

Basically…. you’ve got a HEAP of tasks and issues ahead of you that you have to work out, before you can call the piece complete. And it is SO much work. And it’s overwhelming.

It’s easier to say you’ll untangle it a little later, or when you’ve got a clearer head.

But allow me to let you in on a little secret…

Writing is always messy.

The only way writing gets less messy is if you write it out, and then you rewrite it. And then maybe rewrite it again.

But the only way to move forward is put all these current issues out of your mind, until you finish that first draft, no matter how much of a MESS it is.

It’ll be a smaller mess in the next rewrite.

activities, hobbies, and skills that nurture your femininity (pt. I)

cooking (+ points for scratch cooking or farm-to-table)

baking (+ points for scratch baking)

quilting

embroidery

crocheting

knitting

card-making

scrapbooking

flower arrangements

reading/book club

dancing

pilates

yoga

interior design/decor

painting

playing an instrument— piano, flute, harp, violin, etc.

organizing

jewelry making

homemade garment making

fashion design

how to write relatable characters

writing relatable characters may seem like an easy task, especially when you’re constructing your protagonist. but what if you want to make your antagonist likeable? what if you want people to hate your protagonist but still root for them? all of this and more requires that your characters be relatable. they need to feel real, so how do you do that? here’s how:

- flaws: this is probably obvious. everyone has flaws, so we should give our characters flaws, too. this applies even if your character is non-human; they cannot escape the personification that we as writers or readers project onto them. we are humans reading, so we expect to see human qualities everywhere we look. if you’re having trouble of identifying your character’s flaws, here are some prompts for ways to think about flaws beyond a list:

what skills do they lack? what do they struggle with?

can their strengths be turned against them as a weakness?

what makes them react emotionally or impulsively?

are they aware of their flaws? if so, do they want to improve them or change them?

- quirks: these are what make your character unique or special, and no, i don’t mean purple eyes or unique physical traits. i mean: what makes your character authentically themselves? what traits define them that few others have? some ways to think about this are:

how do they react when nervous? do they have a tell? similarly, how do they react on behalf of any emotion?

what skills do they have that hardly anyone else has?

what obscure thing are they obsessed with?

do they have a unique outlook on life compared to their peers?

- values: these come from life experiences: where we were raised, our family and friends, our community, religious affiliations, etc. i suggest identifying eight to ten values that define your character and then narrowing that list down to five values that mark their core or essence. think about how these values influence their choices, decisions, and ultimately, the plot of the novel. here are some more prompts to think about values:

how do they react when their values are challenged? are they one to speak up or do they sit back in the shadows?

what, if anything, will change or shatter their values?

are their actual values misaligned with their believed values?

- stakes: what is at risk for your character? what is motivating them? stakes don’t need to be over the top or life or death; they can be as simple as maintaining a relationship or reaching a goal. unless there’s an outside influence (ie. percy’s mother being kidnapped in The Lightning Thief), most stakes—especially those relatable—tie back to values. even those influenced by outside factors can tie back to values: the only reason percy is motivated to get his mother back is because he cares for her and she is the one person who has always advocated for him and cared for him. he values family and riordan uses his family to motivate him and incite the plot. generally, there will be one overarching stake for your character, but throughout your novel, there should be several smaller stakes. these may not service the plot but should elaborate on your character nonetheless. some ways to think about stakes include:

how can i use internal or external factors to create convincing, relatable stakes that tie back to basic values?

why does the overarching stake matter to my character? why do they care?

how can i raise the stakes or introduce new ones that are relevant to my character and illustrate them as a relatable being?

- connection: even if your character is an introvert, they will still be connected to someone, something, or even an idea. we, as humans, look to certain people, pets, objects, and ideas to maintain our sense of reality whether we realize it or not. if your character prides themselves in having no attachments, think about the ideas or themes that mark the cornerstones of their reality. most human beings strive for some form of connection, so here are more prompts for thinking about your characters and connection:

what does connection mean to my character? how do they show how they value their connections or relationships?

how does my character’s behavior change when around different connections?

what connections define my character and their reality? how will these connections influence my character and/or the plot?

how will removing or challenging a connection change, influence, or motivate my character?

a good rule of thumb is to treat a character as a human, not a plot device. there is a time or place in which a character must act as a plot device, but if you’re wanting your readers to be compelled by your narration and the characters within them, you should strive to write your characters as human (aka as relatable). one of the greatest pleasures i find in writing is when other’s identify themselves in my writing.

you’re not just here to tell a story, you’re here to connect with others through the illustration of your characters. let the reader navigate your prose as a detective, to search for and identify the evidence provided by you. that is to say, show us how these things manifest in your character. don’t tell us.

happy writing! hopefully this post gave you some ways to start thinking about how to show the relatability of your character. if you have any questions about implementing these tools or about writing characters, our ask box is always open.

may I present mr davinier

"I love her with every breath I breath"

Invest in your:

Appearance, education, energy, health, goals (yourself)

& watch how you flourish. ✨

I love that isekai manhwa authors just gave up. at this point they're not even trying lmao. also what happened to the good old hit by a truck

forgive me for all the things I did,

but mostly for the ones I did not

when he was all drugged up he still got a near perfect score on his test, but once suho becomes a no show at school he starts flunking. and historians will call them friends.....

did that w white hot kiss. there's books that are junk food material, bad for your vocabulary intake but entertaining, and then there's the trash.

Hey. You know that book you don't particularly like but are reading it anyway? This is your reminder to chuck that baby across the room. Close the tab. Return it to the library. Life is too short to torture yourself with less-than-mediocre fiction