Prose is a mixture of technique and artfulness. In my previous posts, I’ve felt confident enough to talk about aspects of the writing craft that are, in my view, technique oriented. Creating good characters, on the other hand, seems like an art form to me. Let’s see if I can take the fun out of it and get technical!
Each writer has her own way of building characters, but we all share the same goal of making those literary creations authentic and interesting. Where to start? First I want to consider the major components of a character. I’m no expert, so feel free to add your thoughts or tell me what I missed:
1. History
2. Motivation (Today’s topic. I knew it would come up!)
3. Dialog
4. Action
In regard to history or backstory, many writers create bios of each character, especially for stories with complex family trees, royal bloodlines, or a multi-generational timeline. Others are comfortable with a general sense of their characters’ pasts. When it comes to dialog and action, our literary creations must say and do things that are consistent with who they are.
Which brings us to motivation. We, as writers, should ask ourselves what our heroes, villains, and supporting cast members want to accomplish. Although bit players can be purely functional, our stars must have objectives. Why write a story about them if they have nothing to do?
But is an external objective enough on its own to make someone real or interesting? Think about yourself. I’m sure you have goals, but you also have the push and pull of your intrinsic nature, which sometimes helps you and other times holds you back. For example, I know I am motivated to control outcomes, and I don’t like surprises. I relax like a turtle does a back stroke: Very poorly. On the other hand, I’m empathetic and see value in other perspectives. If you put me in a zombie apocalypse story, I’ll be the guy telling all the knuckleheads to calm down so we can make a survival plan in a logical, collaborative manner. I have a goal – to survive the zombie onslaught – and an intrinsic nature, which is to impose order and control while still respecting others’ views.
Here’s my formula for character motivation:
External motivation (goal) + internal motivation (intrinsic nature)
Internally, each of us is a cauldron of motivations that are often invisible to others. However,when the stakes are high, our intrinsic natures come to the fore. Going back to the zombie scenario, I can’t be the controlling guy with the diplomatic personality in one scene and the hysterical guy who loses his temper every five minutes in the next. A more plausible dynamic is for me to be frozen by inaction when I’ve imposed my plan but the zombies manage to breach the fortress anyway, since (warning: theme coming) efforts to control outcomes in life are ultimately futile. As I’m being devoured by the undead, perhaps I can say, “You know, I learned a valuable lesson here about living in the moment!”
Motivation: Find lunch
Think about the people you know, dig below the surface, and imagine why they act the way they do. Have you ever met someone who puts people down to make up for her own lack of self-esteem? How about someone who tries too hard to please the boss because she needs validation as a human being and doesn’t know how to find it in herself? Combine those internal qualities, give the character an external goal (getting the heroine fired), and – voilà – you’ve got a secondary villain. The main villain is a serial killer hiding in the air ducts, by the way.
Here is a tiny sampling of intrinsic motivations that can be combined with others and, when coupled with an external goal, make one’s literary offspring more authentic:
Wanting to win at all costs and dreading failure. This character often makes the people around him miserable with all his ups and downs, and the world is all about him.
Striving to win approval and craving attention. This person may seek praise from authority figures and try to make others feel guilty. Passive aggressiveness, in other words.
Seeking variety and distraction. This character can get lost in what he’s doing and let people down who were counting on him.
Avoiding social interaction. No one knows what’s really going on behind her nerd glasses!
Assuming all people see things the way you do. He buys his wife a football. She wanted Sex and the City: Season 1 on DVD.
Trying to get everything done yesterday. She’s so wired, she makes the people around her tired just looking at her.
A character is bland if all he has is an external goal. He needs dimensions. The next time our hero and his sidekick go on a quest to retrieve a magic sword, let’s make the hero a controlling, pushy type with no concern for others’ feelings, and depict the sidekick as an unassertive people-pleaser who gets walked on. The sidekick shouldn’t exist simply to help the hero find the sword. Give her a reason to overcome her anxieties and stand up for herself… even better if doing so is integral to the plot. While we’re at it, let’s teach the hero a humbling lesson in empathy as he looks for that stupid sword.
On second thought, don’t make the sword stupid. People won’t want to read that.
****************************
Eric the Gray 
February 20th, 2013 at 7:43 pm
Excellent post. Motivation is so important to shaping characters. That is one nasty zombie
February 20th, 2013 at 11:12 pm
I swear I had a character motivation post lined up before I read yours the other day!
😉
(the wink means you can’t get mad)
Every time I need a zombie for this blog, which is more often than you’d think, I borrow one from The Walking Dead. You really can’t get better zombies.
February 27th, 2013 at 9:42 am
I prefer making my own zombies, right home, in the kitchen – so much better than store bought varieties.
I use a great Martha Stewart recipe – go easy on the chicory, thoguh (I think she’s a little too heavy-handed)
February 27th, 2013 at 10:07 am
I should try that. I bought Zombie Seeds online from one of those country-store catalog places, but I was very disappointed. They promised the zombies would be at least 5 feet tall, but most of them were more like 2 to 3 feet tall and couldn’t stand up on their own.
Eh, maybe it’s the red-clay soil we’ve got around here. It’s rubbish for gardening.
February 27th, 2013 at 10:23 am
Red clay soil? No wonder you had difficulties! You want something with a more sandy base.
But yes I’ve been stung by catalogues before – the Batman grew up to be a grape vine – makes a nice pinot noir, but it doesn’t fight crime. And don’t get me started on what I now call the rolling stones fiasco – literally covered in moss.
February 27th, 2013 at 12:25 pm
HAHAHA! You win.
February 20th, 2013 at 9:02 pm
Great thoughts about character motivation. I’m sure I’ll refer back to this post while writing.
February 20th, 2013 at 11:14 pm
That’s quite flattering. I know I’ve learned a lot about writing from your blog. In fact, your “what if” post helped me shape the concept for my current project.
Thanks for the kind words.
February 20th, 2013 at 9:05 pm
“You know, I learned a valuable lesson here about living in the moment!”
Good tips! 😀
February 20th, 2013 at 11:15 pm
Too bad it took me getting eaten by zombies to finally start listening to you!
February 20th, 2013 at 9:20 pm
This being the first time I have stumbled upon your blog, you may have covered what I am about to say already – so, in the event you have, please accept by apologies.
When I first started writing I would write huge character bios – I would detail their history, and write lists of their likes and dislikes – even ones that could have possible bearing on the story. I think I did this because I was a little afraid of making characters, because I wasn’t quite sure how to do it properly. Armed with all this overcompensating information I moved into writing the story – and found I knew absolutely nothing about the parts of the character that matters most.
Relationships.
A novel is about a cast of characters interacting with each other and the world – yes, even in the most plot driven of stories. I soon stopped creating ‘characters’, and started creating ‘relationships.’ For every character, I developed and fleshed their relationship with each other character – the nuances of how they talk to each other, how they react to each other. Characters had differing opinions on this or that, like or dislike each other, and so on. When it came to putting these ‘characters’ into practice on the page, I found I had a much stronger idea of how to write them – a much stronger idea of how they interact, and a much stronger idea of what they say. In short, through building the relationships between characters, I, by inference, built the character.
Since making that discovery, I have completely stopped building characters and focused on building their relationships.
February 20th, 2013 at 11:21 pm
That’s a excellent approach I’ve never thought about. I really like your comment about creating characters through inference. I think my fiction works best when it writes itself (meaning I don’t think and just let my fingers push the keys). I’m sure that works when it comes to letting the character’s happen based on their interactions with each other as well.
Thanks for the comment and the insight.
February 21st, 2013 at 12:12 am
That state of ‘flow’, as it is called, is a brilliant feeling. Unfortunately, it doesn’t happen near as often as I would like.
February 21st, 2013 at 9:02 am
So many distractions in modern life. It’s hard to get into “the zone” when I have 20 things happening at once. I imagine the same goes for you and the rest of us.
February 27th, 2013 at 10:00 pm
So, This post of yours inspired me to write my own on Characters. I’m not really sure how to send any kind of PM on wordpress, so i hope it is okay I post it here. Feel free to delete this post afterwards, i essentially just wanted you – who inspired it – to know.
February 27th, 2013 at 11:05 pm
By all means, link away. As soon as I catch up with all these comments, I’ll swing by and check it out!
February 27th, 2013 at 1:19 pm
There is a case for not analysing too much, Barry Cryer, the great comedy writer. said ‘Analysing comedy is like dissecting a frog, nobody laughs and the frog dies’
February 27th, 2013 at 11:08 pm
Good (and funny) thought. I hope I’m at the level in which I write first and think about it after.
You’re so right about over-analyzing. It’s easy to suck the creativity out of it.
February 28th, 2013 at 12:33 am
Very impressed by your diligence in replying to the comments in a salient manner particularly with so many followers. At 62 this is a whole new game for me, debut author, debut blogger, debut Kindle publisher as something to do in my retirement. Enjoying the experience, I’ll be back.
February 28th, 2013 at 6:00 pm
Thanks for visiting. I’ve yet to become a debut author, though I do have two manuscripts collecting dust under my bed.
February 21st, 2013 at 1:07 am
I like this emphasis on relationships. It reminds me of a really useful quote I once read in a writing how-to book:
“The story’s plot is the synthesis of its individual characters’ plots.”
Every character is the hero of his/her own story, even if that’s not the story you’re currently telling. As you said, it’s the collision of all these different (and in some cases, incompatible) goals and motivations each character has that colours these relationships.
February 26th, 2013 at 6:52 pm
This is similar to how I build characters. When starting my latest draft, I spent a few days going through a list of each major character and writing 1. their backstory, 2. Their relationship and opinion of all the other major characters and 3. What they wanted over the course of the story.
It has been a great resource, and, I believe, made a stronger story.
February 27th, 2013 at 11:12 pm
I like your idea of writing early drafts without knowing too much about the characters. Just let them tell you who they are and then fill in the details. It sounds like a good method.
I hope I adequately captured your approach with that explanation.
February 21st, 2013 at 12:59 am
Characters are like jacked up version of real people: their motivations are clear and their actions and attitudes (or intrinsic natures, to use your term) are unwaveringly consistent and foreseeable in a way that real people almost never are. I like your focus on intrinsic nature, though, for it does play an important role. Two characters could both want the very same thing equally badly, but go about it in two completely different ways in accordance with the differing natures.
February 21st, 2013 at 9:11 am
If literary characters were as flaky and inconsistent as we are in real life, readers would have a hard time latching on to them, wouldn’t they?
Still, I have a hard tiame getting into characters who have this one-dimensional drive to fulfill their character destiny and don’t give any hint as to whether they are shy, outgoing, assertive, creative, impulsive, etc.
February 21st, 2013 at 10:53 am
I totally agree; there’s more than one way to be driven, and anything goes so long as it’s consistent for the character and makes sense within the specific plot.
February 21st, 2013 at 7:29 am
I’ve never had the balls to offer any advice on writing, other than take hold of a pen and paper (or electronic equivalent) and begin to write. Once upon a time is always a good opener.
If I can steal advice from wherever then I reckon it can only enhance and enrich my own work.
Donaldson created a masterpiece in his character, Thomas Covenant.
One of the few literary characters I have consistently wanted to laud on one page then throttle on the next and I’ll bet this sentiment was shared by millions who read Donaldson’s ‘Chronicles’ novels.
I prefer my characters to be uncomplicated.
Eat, drink get laid, go someplace, get laid again if they are lucky, find treasure and come home again. Easy,peasy and no problems with angst to deal with and no readers wondering if such and such a character is based on the author. 😉
February 21st, 2013 at 10:00 am
In my latest story, the handsomest, tallest, bravest, most compassionate, most intelligent character is based on the author. It’s a true story about the time I went to Mars and compared myself favorably to rocks.
I have the balls to offer advice on writing for two reasons:
1. I figure that no one is going to remember what I write two days later, anyway. If they think my advice is worthless, they’ll forget it all the sooner. If it helps someone, great. I learn things from other bloggers all the time, even if they aren’t “accomplished” from a publishing standpoint.
2. Criticism doesn’t hurt my feelings. If someone thinks I don’t know what I’m talking about, they are free to say so in the comments. They may be correct, too.
Actually, you gave some pretty good writing advice the other day. Something about not shouting profanity into the next room when you don’t know who’s in there.
😉
February 21st, 2013 at 3:00 pm
Smile…well, I try to be parsimonious in dishing out ‘advice’, mostly cos I know Jack s***. However, I do know that less advice brings fewer retorts along the lines of , “I must put a comma there? The HELL you say! It’s a semi-colon or nothing, wise arse.”
February 21st, 2013 at 6:21 pm
I think I like the abuse. I wasn’t beaten enough as a child.
February 21st, 2013 at 8:50 am
This is a very informative post, Eric. “A character is bland if all he has is an external goal. He needs dimensions.” I’ve read many books where the characters were like a plain, unsalted rice cake. I try to make my characters active, rather than reactive. I try not to just make terrible things happen that cause them to react. I have them make decisions and act, doing things that put them into messes and then show the struggle to get out of the mess.
February 21st, 2013 at 10:04 am
I know what you mean. In some novels and stories, it’s as if the character never existed prior to page one. Surely he picked up some trait or interest or belief before the giant robots attacked.
February 22nd, 2013 at 12:05 am
A very helpful post, Eric. I agree it’s very important for us to ‘meet’ our story characters before the writing begins. Like real people, they have their way of thinking and behavior. Outside that, I think a stupid sword is the prize lol.
February 22nd, 2013 at 10:11 am
If anybody can turn a stupid sword into a good story, it’s you!
February 22nd, 2013 at 5:44 pm
Hiya Eric – You’ve got a great discussion going on, woohoo! Honestly, I’ve read great characters and I’ve read crappy ones but the best ones are the ones that have struggles that I can relate to. One of the many reasons Harry Potter was successful is because he felt as if he never fit in – who doesn’t resonate with that?
February 22nd, 2013 at 6:19 pm
That’s a great thought. You’re one of the very first writers I ever encountered on WordPress, and you still come up with terrific insights every time.
February 23rd, 2013 at 2:31 pm
You are way too nice to me. One of these days I’ll get my act together and finish that darn book I’m writing.
February 23rd, 2013 at 2:41 pm
You have a pretty good excuse for being delayed. Or is it two little excuses running around the house?
February 24th, 2013 at 1:41 pm
Would you believe it’s three? One in first grade, one in preschool, and one toddler. I have to choose most days, write or sleep. Hate to admit that sleep wins.
February 23rd, 2013 at 2:57 pm
Oh my! Thank you for such a heart-warming remark. Doubt is still my biggest challenge.
February 26th, 2013 at 5:36 pm
When we become positive of our brilliance, we are in trouble.
😉
February 26th, 2013 at 3:43 pm
I love this post! Great opening for discussion.
February 26th, 2013 at 5:38 pm
Thank you. I’n fascinated how we all have different approaches to the various aspects of writing, and none is better than another.
February 26th, 2013 at 3:43 pm
Good advice! Thanks so much for sharing.
February 26th, 2013 at 5:39 pm
Thank you. We all help each other by talking about our personal writing processes.
February 26th, 2013 at 11:22 pm
Very true.
February 26th, 2013 at 4:30 pm
I clicked “Like” because that zombie made me jump out of my skin. Then I read the post, which is awesome. Motivation is so tough to get right, to get believable. You offer some great advice. Thanks for scaring the daylights out of me.
February 26th, 2013 at 5:41 pm
Good old Walking Dead. The last word on what zombies look like.
Thanks for reading and I’m happy if you are able to stir a bit of my writing advice into your work. I know I’ve picked up a lot of great advice from other WordPress bloggers.
February 26th, 2013 at 5:03 pm
I needed to read this! I’m in the process of trying to develop characters for my story and I have to say I’m a little overwhelmed.
February 26th, 2013 at 5:46 pm
I figure I can just throw everything at the page in my first draft and fine-tune the characters in revision. At least I hope. My current project has far more characters than I’m used to writing, so I worry about the same person showing up twice with different names. I have to careful to avoid POV drift and really stick to the main few.
Thanks for commenting!
February 26th, 2013 at 5:18 pm
Great tips! I always wonder if I develop and motivate my characters enough! I was mainly intrigued as to the purpose of the zombie image in the post… lunch is always good motivation, so good in fact it’s made me hungry.
February 26th, 2013 at 5:46 pm
Hey, you type pretty well for a zombie!
February 26th, 2013 at 5:25 pm
I really like your blog and would love you to guest post on my, http://www.5thingstodotoday.com site. All you have to do is write five suggestions along with a link back to your site. Please check out the blog and see the sort of things people have written about.
February 26th, 2013 at 5:47 pm
Ok. I will check it out. Thanks!
February 26th, 2013 at 5:33 pm
I immediately flashed on my own serial killer character as I was reading this post, his goals in hunting the mafia and why he’s doing it, both internally and externally, along with the complex character history he has. Thanks for a great read.
February 26th, 2013 at 5:49 pm
I don’t want to assume your killer is a villain, but i think it’s great that you want to give him such depth. Too many villains read like caricatures who are evil just because they are.
Thanks for stopping by and good luck with your project.
February 26th, 2013 at 6:27 pm
thanks, and surprisingly he’s sort of a dark anti-hero, like Batman meets Jason Voorhees meets some of the better villains in the Alex Cross books. I call him the Snake.
February 26th, 2013 at 7:13 pm
Sounds cool. I hope I get to read it someday!
February 26th, 2013 at 9:51 pm
I hope someday everybody who wants to gets to read it! That’s why I’m starting the second draft at the end of the week.
February 26th, 2013 at 6:26 pm
I like the way you split up motivation. The direction and the reason for the direction. Without the reason, the goal is shallow.
February 26th, 2013 at 7:15 pm
I don’t know if my execution is 100% successful, but I hope at least to create characters who aren’t doing things simply because I told them to.
Thanks for the comment and the thought.
February 26th, 2013 at 7:12 pm
Magnificent advice. Thank you for being my sidekick in a quest to overcome literary struggles
February 26th, 2013 at 7:16 pm
Do I get to wear a mask and a cape? If so, count me in!
February 26th, 2013 at 8:06 pm
Great article and interesting blog. This article is perfectly timed, since I have been looking back on my own manuscript and working on adding depth to the characters. The first time around I was just writing by the seat of my pants as you called it in another post, but now I am looking back and evaluating each character, their principle traits and motivations. Thanks for the advice and I look forward to reading more.
February 26th, 2013 at 10:25 pm
Thanks for the comment. I’m glad there is such a thing as second, third, and fourth drafts, and so on. Sometimes it takes that many passes before I realize a certain character would never say the words I gave her.
February 26th, 2013 at 8:15 pm
Excellent post. I’ve been thinking a lot about motivations lately, especially readdressing characters I’ve written. I think people in general need to understand that you cannot have a character totally motivated by only ONE factor. Even the bad guys. Unless it’s a total farce, or it’s a Marvel comics supervillain, no one walks into toddler playgroup at the age of three and says “I am motivated by evil. I desire nothing but world domination.”
I also like the idea of not creating characters that do something because “you told them to” (from an above comment.) I love it when characters take me by surprise and I let it go the direction it needs, and you can definitely tell when a person is steering a character in the direction they want them to be for the reasons they’ve made up…and this to me is where it comes up feeling contrived and puppeted. Thanks for the great post!
February 26th, 2013 at 10:32 pm
I think I said this in response to a prior comment, but I totally agree that villains must have depth. My favorite bad guys are the ones who make a good point. They might go about achieving their goals in a bad way, but sometimes their objective isn’t necessarily bad.
February 26th, 2013 at 8:39 pm
Fell for the “cool” button stunt. Touché, salesman.
Excellent post though. Glad I fell for it.
February 26th, 2013 at 10:35 pm
Oh, come on. You were already cool! In fact, some of it rubbed off on the cool button.
Thanks!
😉
February 26th, 2013 at 8:46 pm
Reblogged this on From Slacker To Scribe and commented:
Should use those four steps for every character I write, because going into their complete biography and backstory is awfully frightening! I know I don’t need to include it in the story or get that far into characters, but the little things about writing can be so damn daunting! Thank you for this post 😀
February 26th, 2013 at 10:36 pm
Thanks for reblogging, DeDe. I think we all need to find the right balance of character prep and actually writing. I don’t want to “half-ass” their motivations, but I don’t want to stick them in a box, either.
February 27th, 2013 at 1:28 am
So very true…
February 26th, 2013 at 8:58 pm
Just found your blog Mr. Baker. Looks like a found a good article to start with, what with all the discussion. I’ve found that I tend to create a main character first, with a narrow focus (like a personality quirk or a strange job or whatnot), then I throw a situation at them and see what happens. Often I get away from that situation entirely, but the time I spend writing about it shapes the character, usually leads to the larger story, and develops motivations organically based on where things are going. But if I don’t find that motivation, things tend to dead-end.
February 26th, 2013 at 10:39 pm
I think my approach is similar. I have to see how they respond to a situation and then go back and flesh that out with subsequent drafts.
Thanks for the thought!
February 26th, 2013 at 9:05 pm
I’m struggling with developing compelling characters, so this post is quite timely for me. Some good thoughts here about motivation, and I think I’ll put your formula to use as I begin to be more deliberate in planning my stories.
February 26th, 2013 at 10:42 pm
I’m glad if something I’ve picked up along the way is helpful to you. I think you can start out with some basic personality traits like shyness, being short-tempered, or being intolerant, and see how that plays out in the scenario you’ve created for them. If characters start out as perfect humans or as blanks, there’s nowhere for them to go, development-wise.
Thanks for the comment!
February 26th, 2013 at 9:29 pm
Man, WordPress rocks. The original poster is like the neon sign outside the bar that draws you into the real party: the comments section. The ultimate twenty minute cure for writer’s block is perusing the musings.
I second the relationships tactic. I spend an inordinate amount of time just watching my characters interact with one other in my head before I ever touch a keyboard. It’s like the silent version of the Blutooth Invisible Conversation phenomenon you witness on the street, but no fees.
For occasional fun and practice, I insert a real-time event from my life or the news into their world and see what they do with it. After awhile, they become so familiar that I trust them to direct the story. They really do write themselves.
February 26th, 2013 at 10:46 pm
I love an awesome analogy, and that analogy was awesome.
That relationship concept, as mentioned above and by you, is a great approach. I’ve never thought that way, but I’ll give it a shot a some point, if I can do it organically.
Sometimes a secondary character will define once I have the main character and think, “Who is mostly to antagonize this person?”
February 26th, 2013 at 11:15 pm
“Who is mostly to antagonize this person?”
Oooo, good one.
February 26th, 2013 at 11:19 pm
Sorry, I meant “most likely.” Thanks for getting what I intended, not what i actually wrote.
😉
February 26th, 2013 at 10:12 pm
This is a great breakdown of character building. Motivation is the first thing I consider when forming a character. Depending on what type they are results in the decision to, or to not, make a bio. I may highlight certain events in their life and let the rest be filled by natural interaction.
A particularly curious sort of character to watch this happen with are those who have amnesia at the beginning of the story. They don’t tell you their history. You have to walk with them to discover who they really are and why they do what they do. At times, it can be like another person living inside your head. Their situation and reaction to that situation can also lead to that character deciding which route the story goes in order to get to a decided outcome.
I try to let them live within boundaries, but sometimes they break them and at other times they tell me what is best for moving forward (often this works better than the original plan).
February 26th, 2013 at 10:50 pm
I’m an advocate for flexibility. I like how you don’t say, ‘I always do X” or “I never do Y.” It sounds as if you are willing to adapt your methods based on the needs of the situation.
I think good writers have to be open-minded dictators.
February 26th, 2013 at 11:06 pm
To always restrict to one method is very much a prison. I have the same manner with plotter/pantser. To an extent, I’m both because for some things it works and others it doesn’t.
February 26th, 2013 at 11:21 pm
Well said!
February 26th, 2013 at 10:13 pm
I’m a fan of role-playing games, and I’ve often thought of using character sheets to develop my characters — but have avoided the practice until now. My tactic before was to let the story and characters develop “organically” as I wrote, but it’s become clear to me that this is a poor strategy for crafting a story. Tonight I am creating a template based off of The Window rpg character sheet, and I thought I’d share a link to that game’s website because it presents some excellent techniques and questions to ask while building characters. This is a section called “Tips and Tricks”, but you can use the menus to explore further: http://www.mimgames.com/window/characters/tips.html
February 26th, 2013 at 10:52 pm
Thanks for the link. I said it above somewhere, but it’s cool that we all find our own writing methods. No one way is wrong if it works for you.
February 26th, 2013 at 10:15 pm
Aristotle’s Poetics (or at least the condensed version that I read) said that character is the soul of any comic work, which really puts me up a creek when it comes to writing a comic strip. So much to say, yet so little space to write dialog! I’ve always though the history bit was important too. http://pezcita.wordpress.com/2012/09/07/the-peace-offering/
February 26th, 2013 at 10:56 pm
My hat is off to you for doing comic strips. I’ve tried it once or twice and just didn’t have whatever it takes.
Most things are harder to do than they look. From my perspective, comic strips fit that description well. You need good characters, the ability to tell a story in few words and with limited space, artistic skill, and comic timing.
Keep up the good work!
February 26th, 2013 at 10:28 pm
Great tips on character development, I will be referring back to this post.
February 26th, 2013 at 10:56 pm
Thanks! I’m glad if I was able to give you a new idea to add to your mix.
February 27th, 2013 at 12:00 am
You know, a great example of character motivation can be seen in, dun dun dun, the show Lost. The flashbacks give you reasonings behind why the characters act the way they do in the situtation of being on a magical island with a weird smoke monster that travels through time. This just popped into my head when I was reading about your intrinsic motivations. I am the type of character that hopes to just be a zombie when the zombie apocalypse happens. So. My character motivation would be eating brains with no frontal lobe action to have intrinsic motivations.
February 27th, 2013 at 8:35 am
Yes, a great example. Many of the characters on that show were seeking some form of redemption, which is a winner as a motivator if it’s handled correctly.
Don’t be a zombie! They’re not much fun at a party. You are welcome at my fortress when the time comes.
February 27th, 2013 at 8:57 am
I do have a copy of the Zombie Survival Guide…
February 28th, 2013 at 6:01 pm
Any sane person would!
😉
February 27th, 2013 at 12:36 am
This is an excellent post, sir. Kudos.
February 27th, 2013 at 8:36 am
Thanks for reading!
February 27th, 2013 at 1:28 am
Helpful article! The main criticism that I always get is that none of my characters are worth investing in. They always seem to be either one or two dimensional figures that are destined to die at some point.
February 27th, 2013 at 8:42 am
What kind of fiction do you write? If you do sci-fi or fantasy, I think there’s a greater risk of having characters there to serve the concept. Good characters are ones that can be removed from one genre and be placed in another and still work as characters.
Thanks for the comment!
February 27th, 2013 at 8:42 pm
Good point. I write speculative fiction, which is the umbrella term for fantasy/horror/sci-fi. I’ll keep this in mind for my next project. Thanks for the tip.
February 27th, 2013 at 9:04 pm
That’s an interesting point, Eric. My favored genre is fantasy, and my love for it stems from the settings that these stories are told in, rather than the characters that populate those settings. My own struggles with character development and storytelling are similar to what A.R. describes and very much related to your insight that characters “serve the concept”. In my writing, I consistently use my characters as tools to reveal the setting to the reader, which makes my writing quite different from a traditional narrative story with a strong plot. Rather than excuse my writing style with my love of place/setting, I realize that I need to work to create compelling stories within those settings that people will want to read. While my primary motivation in writing remains world-building over character development, in order to be published and read, I have to work on presenting compelling characters confronting problems within the worlds I create.
This is a bit of me thinking out loud, so disregard the ramble if it seems self-indulgent; however, if anyone reading this can relate, please respond… I would love to connect with others who have a similarly problematic approach to writing stories that people will want to read.
February 27th, 2013 at 11:20 pm
Ramble away!
I think, even in a fantastic world (and my hat is off to you for being able to create worlds), I still think the readers needs to connect with the character. Compare the old Star Wars movies to the newer ones. Despite the outlandish setting, we can feel Luke Skywalker’s plight. Who hasn’t taken a look around at their day-to-day environment and not yearned for something more exciting and meaningful? Meanwhile, I’ve never served on a Jedi Council or hired clones to fight a war against robots and bug monsters. so I’ll just sit back and watch the pretty lights in that case.
February 28th, 2013 at 9:27 am
Exactly. While I may be endlessly delighted by the fact that the planet has 8 moons and that different types of magic are related to each moon, not many people want to read a picaresque description of the night sky on a certain evening and a discussion of the arcane energies available for use. This could be important information for the writer, depending on the story being told, but its too static, belongs in the background. For a story I need not only the moon information and the details of a city, but a young woman trying to escape the prejudices of her native town, only to arrive in the city in time for a seasonal influx of destructive mana that brings crazed warlock serial killers down from ruins and into the city to harvest organs.
February 28th, 2013 at 6:02 pm
I like it so far!
February 27th, 2013 at 4:47 am
It’s remarkably difficult to create believeable characters – and to then render all the layered complexity of that human condition down to the single linear thread that is writing. Motivation, it seems to me, is an excellent way of winnowing the mix. Cool post – thanks for sharing.
February 27th, 2013 at 8:45 am
the challenge for me is how much information to provide. I try to tell as much about the character through dialog and action (and reaction and interaction) as possible, but I’ve had some beta readers tell me I need a bit more detail.
It’s a tough balance for sure!
February 27th, 2013 at 5:00 am
Reblogged this on ein Löffel des Zuckers ♥ and commented:
this is good reference 😀
February 27th, 2013 at 8:43 am
Thanks for reblogging. I’ll check it out!
February 27th, 2013 at 6:14 am
If you want to be a writer for tv/film learn from the master Rod Serling.
Watch the Rod Serling videos, I posted at dailymotion, there are 16
http://www.dailymotion.com/painter_landscapes#video=xmrgjg
February 27th, 2013 at 8:50 am
Thanks for posting the link and talking up Rod Serling. I’m a fan too.
I have a request, though: If you are going to leave responses to comments on someone else’s blog, please be more courteous and supportive. Feel free to leave a comment diagreeing with something I’ve said in my post, but I prefer to do the responding to readers.
Thanks again!
February 27th, 2013 at 1:43 pm
I’ll create my own blog about.
You were lucky that i bothered to write here at all and now will never do so again.
February 27th, 2013 at 8:39 am
[…] via Writing Motivated Characters. […]
February 27th, 2013 at 10:46 am
Is someone who is “striving to win approval and craving attention’ automatically a passive aggressive person? I don’t get that connection. Since I somewhat fall in that category and don’t see myself as passive-aggressive, I had to ask 😛
February 27th, 2013 at 12:34 pm
Haha. Sorry, that was rather vague. It is my professional experience that some people (not all) seeking attenion and approval often try to make others look lazy by going to ridiculous lengths to please the boss.
I’ll try to clarify my point better in the future. Thanks!
February 27th, 2013 at 8:08 pm
It’s good for me to examine my motives. Congrats on the Freshly Pressed, it’s well-deserved.
February 27th, 2013 at 10:54 pm
Thanks, and thank you for the comment!
February 27th, 2013 at 11:29 am
There is at least five words that i didnt understand but it was a wondeful post. Thank you very much for sharing this. You have an odd humor and that is very interesting. It was fun reading this post and the last line made me laugh.
February 27th, 2013 at 12:35 pm
Thanks for reading and commenting! If you didn’t understand some of the words, it’s entirely possible I used them incorrectly.
February 28th, 2013 at 11:10 am
Its just that you have a great array of vocabulary. Really something i could learn from!
February 27th, 2013 at 11:41 am
I think you hit the nail on the head when you mentioned “dimensions”. Strong characters need to be multifaceted. Background/history, strengths, weaknesses, motivations, are all cards that play into a character’s personality and make them who they are.
Great post!
February 27th, 2013 at 12:38 pm
Thanks! The trickiest thing to balance is giving the character weaknesses without making him weak. I like to write characters who are borderline unlikable at first but grow on you, though I’m not sure I always get it right.
February 27th, 2013 at 12:17 pm
[…] Writing Motivated Characters. […]
February 27th, 2013 at 1:29 pm
I’m a novice to the writing world, and terrible at fiction (non-fic is my thing) but I found this so fascinating, insightful and helpful. Thanks for taking the time to write this out and share it!
February 27th, 2013 at 2:23 pm
Thanks! You’re probably better than you think at fiction.
February 27th, 2013 at 7:29 pm
Excellent post! I’ve always enjoyed writing but am constantly learning new technique and developing my skills. This post definitely gave me some insight. Thank you so much!
February 27th, 2013 at 10:56 pm
I’m happy if my post was helpful to you. I know I’ve learned so much about writing from other folks on WordPress. It’s a great community for writers.
February 27th, 2013 at 7:47 pm
Reblogged this on RolePlayWriter and commented:
Intrinsic nature is one of the most overlooked aspect of creating characters. It’s amazing how many people know what their characters want to accomplish without having a clue about what drives them to do so.
February 27th, 2013 at 11:01 pm
Thanks for reblogging and for commenting.
I think it’s just a development step we all have to go through. It’s like filming a movie: You can point the camera at the actors while they act, or you can block out your shots, get good close-ups, change angles for dramatic impact, etc. all while maintaining pace and proper screen direction. It takes time and practice.
March 1st, 2013 at 8:44 am
Thanks and I agree, up to a point. There are certain “mechanics” to creating characters that can be taught and digging deeper into their motivation is one of them. The art, to me, lies in bringing them to life. I’ve created amazing, high quality characters that have fallen flat when added to a story and flat characters intended just as filler or fodder (not even secondary characters) who have become so real they’ve taken stories over. But I’m a firm believer in the adage “You have to know what the rules are before you can break them” and motivation, especially intrinsic nature is one of those “rules” few seem to know these days.
March 2nd, 2013 at 12:23 am
Your latter comment seems especially true of the suspense/thriller genre. There are an awful lot of serial killers running around out there who just do it because the writer said so.
February 27th, 2013 at 9:50 pm
[…] a week ago blogger ‘ericjbaker’ posted an article called ‘Writing Motivated Characters,’ on his blog, found by clicking the name. It is a good read, and I recommend you go take a look […]
February 27th, 2013 at 11:04 pm
this is interesting..
February 27th, 2013 at 11:22 pm
Thanks. If you mean interesting as a compliment. Or even if you don’t, thanks for taking the time to comment!
February 28th, 2013 at 2:56 am
I loved this post. It digs down into our bedrock of creating characters and helps people see why we must make them lovable or the opposite.
I recently read a book that talked of how writers have this need to make their characters ‘perfect’. In that they act like a bad guy should, or a good guy should. But in real life, we change our minds on a dime, and make whip-snap decisions. I took from that to try and create some characters that are very random in their actions. The reader can still tell who is good and bad, but they drift closer to grey and act very human.
Thank you a bunch for sending this out there.
February 28th, 2013 at 8:36 am
Thanks for reading and for the great thought. Too many characters in books and movies seem so single-minded of purpose. It’s boring. I prefer villains and heroes who are more alike than makes either of them comfortable.
February 28th, 2013 at 9:24 am
Yes!! You get it!
February 28th, 2013 at 2:57 am
Reblogged this on Grizz-Tion and commented:
Excellent post on a writer’s motivation behind their characters.
February 28th, 2013 at 8:37 am
Many thanks!
February 28th, 2013 at 3:24 am
Reblogged this on mclellantierra.
February 28th, 2013 at 8:37 am
Thanks so much!
February 28th, 2013 at 11:00 am
Great post, nominating you for a Versatile Blogger Award, keep up the good work 🙂
February 28th, 2013 at 6:03 pm
Thank you, sir!
February 28th, 2013 at 12:07 pm
[…] 2. https://ericjohnbaker.wordpress.com/2013/02/20/writing-motivated-characters/ […]
February 28th, 2013 at 7:38 pm
I don’t care what anyone says: Character is way more important than plot, or even setting. i would watch a movie with no plot in a white room if the character was intriguing enough.
February 28th, 2013 at 11:22 pm
Interesting. I’ve seen a few responses to this piece on other blogs today and the opinions run from one end to the other when it comes to character vs. plot. I’m not sure where I stand. I suppose if one aspect is amazing, it can compensate for a shortcoming in the other.
Love your screen name, by the way!
March 1st, 2013 at 12:20 am
haha, thank you. They’re vicious creatures, they are though.
March 1st, 2013 at 5:54 am
Really enjoyed reading this. I’m currently adapting a story for a short film and it’s always nice for people to acknowledge the effort and depth of persona which you have to go to before you even begin to flesh out the plot.
March 1st, 2013 at 8:48 am
Sounds cool. Is this something you’re making for a film festival, for film class, or something you intend to post online?
(I’m sure there are other destinations for short films, but I only have a minute to write this comment)
Adapting a written story for a visual medium might make for an interesting dscussion.
March 1st, 2013 at 10:53 am
It is going towards my studies but I have had some interest from a friend who makes short films so may make it to a film festival. If not I will probably look to post it online and see what sort of response it gets.
March 1st, 2013 at 11:28 am
Please come back and let us know if you post it online. I made a couple of short films in college but never pursued it (mostly from lack of time and funds), but I’m interested in hearing about what you had to do to adapt it.
March 1st, 2013 at 10:58 am
Thanks for this. I haven’t the time right now to read all of the comments, but this was interesting. I would like to write fiction, so its always good to get advice. I like your formula. Anyway, what i really wanted to say was have a look at this book, Brilliant NLP: Manage Your Emotions, Think Clearly and Enjoy Life. There are some nice little sections in there that describe personality traits. Before anyone flames me, I am not advocating NLP here, I am merely pointing out some interesting content in this book that is pertinent to your formula for motivated characters.
March 1st, 2013 at 11:55 am
Thanks for the suggestion. I’ve read some good books on thinking, reasoning mistakes, emotion vs. logic, and so on, and I agree that they can be helpful for understanding human nature. And, by extension, character motivation.
Good luck on your fiction writing endeavors.
March 1st, 2013 at 12:16 pm
This is very insightful. Thanks for sharing your tips about character motivation. I have a great time reading your post at the same time loving it. So true that understanding every characters and learn how to motivate them help every writing to be interesting! This is worth the read. Wonderful post!
March 1st, 2013 at 12:33 pm
Thank you for the kind words and for the comment!
March 1st, 2013 at 11:10 pm
You’re most welcome. Congratulation for being in FP!
March 1st, 2013 at 1:23 pm
Well said. I like to think of a character like I’m cooking. Without something to savor (such as motivation) there would be no flavor to the dish, and the diners are sure to be disappointed.
March 1st, 2013 at 2:58 pm
That’s a great analogy! Would it be too gaudy to extend the metaphor and say the frying pan is conflict?
March 1st, 2013 at 8:03 pm
This is really well articulated – It’s surprising actually how many writers can’t either instinctively or logically get this right!
March 2nd, 2013 at 12:31 am
Thank you. Perhaps because it’s harder to teach than some of the more mechanical aspects of writing? I think empathy might have something to do with it as well. An empathetic person can relate to others without necessarily agreeing with what they do or what they believe. If you can’t see other perspectives, it’s probably difficult to depict characters as having varying viewpoints.
March 1st, 2013 at 11:27 pm
Such fresh ideas, thanks for sharing. My mind is at standstill for new creations, how do you collect inspiration?
March 2nd, 2013 at 12:38 am
Sometimes I think about other interests outside of writing and then ask myself how I can turn it into a story. Other times I imagine conversations between two lovers or strangers see what ideas my mind throws out. Often it’s just a word or phrase that appears in my head that intrigues me.
A blogger friend once suggested pulling a random novel from the shelf, copying the first full sentence on page 90, and then the first full sentence on page 40 (the page numbers don’t matter; it’s the concept) and then writing a story that connects them.
March 2nd, 2013 at 8:18 am
Thanks for an insightful post, Eric. “Sitting on an embarrassing secret” would be one for your list. I’m new around here so I appreciate coming across something I can use. Best to you.
March 2nd, 2013 at 11:25 am
That is a good suggestion. Taking a character who is already got something on his mind and then placing him in a higher-stakes situation where that knowledge may be important.
Thanks for the insight. I’ve gotten enough ideas from suggestions in these comments to make a second post on the subject.
March 2nd, 2013 at 9:54 am
Very well written and very true! The part about getting eaten was very funny, but not too much and that makes it even better 🙂
March 2nd, 2013 at 11:26 am
Thanks! I try to stick a bit of humor in here and there to make it fun. I’m an entertainer at heart.
March 2nd, 2013 at 1:57 pm
Excellent article, well written! This is really where I’m weakest with my own prose, so anything helps out – and you did, perfectly. Almost died upon hearing your last words, by the way.
Cheers!
March 2nd, 2013 at 6:05 pm
Thanks! I hope you almost died because it was funny, not because your novel is about a stupid sword and I ruined your confidence. I know very little about swords, and a stupid one might be just what readers are clamoring for.
😉
March 3rd, 2013 at 6:18 pm
Sometimes we are inspired from the people in our life to create a cool monster
March 3rd, 2013 at 10:45 pm
Hmmm. The question is, do you let the person read it?
March 3rd, 2013 at 8:13 pm
Thanks for this. I’ve got a passive aggressive character in the pipe and it’s good to see he’s legit!
March 3rd, 2013 at 10:47 pm
I like that type as a villain, because you can’t always tell he’s a bad guy at first.
March 4th, 2013 at 12:20 am
I feel that the intrisic mortivators are changing slightly with time and the effect is more or less monotonous and the external mortivtors are more effective and more entusiastic. When the iron is beaten and beaten, it get sharper and sharper.
March 4th, 2013 at 1:37 pm
“When the iron is beaten and beaten, it get sharper and sharper.”
I like that. It reminds me of my rewriting process.
Thanks for the comment!
March 4th, 2013 at 2:55 am
this is brilliant stuff. often a writer friend of mine has told me the rule of ‘show, don’t tell’ but i’ve hardly found success in implementing it. the motivation theme is another way of bringing a 3D aspect to the cardboard hero. thank you for the fab tips. congrats on being freshly pressed.
March 4th, 2013 at 11:29 am
Thanks for the kind words! I believe “showing” becomes easier when the character’s responses are emotion-driven rather than task-driven. Describing physical action can be tedious when we don’t know why the character is going through those motions.
March 4th, 2013 at 11:22 am
I think it would be pretty hilarious to have a stupid sword.
Oh! A PHEASANT IN MY GARDEN (It’s true!)
A lot of excellent points. When I prepare for the editing proces of my current project I’ll go through each character and recognize external and internal goals!
March 4th, 2013 at 11:31 am
I’m really starting to warm to the idea of a stupid sword. I hope someone takes up the challenge.
Now that I’ve written all this about motivation, I have to make sure I do the same thing in my own fiction. Talking about it is easier than doing sometimes.
March 4th, 2013 at 12:03 pm
Good stuff sir, will you or have you posted anything on dialogue? That’s the one part I tend to struggle with when writing a screenplay. But great post, sir!
March 4th, 2013 at 1:38 pm
Thank you. I’m working my way up to a dialog discussion, but I have to settle on an angle first.
March 4th, 2013 at 1:40 pm
Awesome, I look forward to reading it. Feel free to check my blog out as well if you like.
Have an inspiring day.
Josh
March 4th, 2013 at 1:54 pm
Awesome, I look forward to reading it. Feel free to check out my blog too if you want.
Josh
March 4th, 2013 at 4:35 pm
As a film student I am always looking to see how I can make my characters more dynamic. To break it down to motive and actions is a good way to do so. I personally have never done the bio of the characters before I start writing the script but i have heard that is a very effective way of doing things. Very good article I will refer to this page for my next character development.
March 4th, 2013 at 5:39 pm
The other dimension you have to work with is what the actor brings to the part. Film making has that collaborative element missing from fiction writing (until you find an editor and publisher, but that’s still different).
If any of your film projects end up online, please come back and let us know! I’d like to check it out.
March 5th, 2013 at 7:34 am
Brilliant post. I really, really want to read about the stupid sword, though.
March 5th, 2013 at 5:00 pm
I’m going to have to write a “stupid sword” story, aren’t I?
Thanks for the comment!
March 5th, 2013 at 5:31 pm
There is no such thing as a stupid question there is only a stupid answer! Charles M Schuz in Peanuts. Linus ‘It is easier to light a single candle than it is to curse the darkness’ Lucy ‘Stupid darkness!’. There has to be a stupid sword somewhere in that analogy. ‘I was stuck in that stone for centuries, I know I got it wrong but you have to forgive me. Remember my age, I wasn’t to know what an asswipe is!’
March 5th, 2013 at 11:04 pm
I wonder what Forrest Gump has to say about it.
March 5th, 2013 at 11:26 am
Enjoyed the blog.Thanks for sharing it.
March 5th, 2013 at 5:00 pm
Thank you for dropping by to read it.
March 5th, 2013 at 7:51 pm
You did take the fun out of it….. But you did provide a good starting point. I particularly like the equation
March 5th, 2013 at 11:02 pm
They don’t call me “No Fun Baker” for nothing.
Sadly, I’m not making that up. I’m going for the cantankerous writer image.
March 9th, 2013 at 9:21 am
where to start … certainly not with a capital W but that’s me, making my own rules; my own way. Loved this post – stumbled upon it as I was reading the Freshly Pressed page. Ironically – the combination of character building verses humanity in daily life struck me as quite funny. I read your prose about “building dimensions” and couldn’t help but think of those in my own life you just described.
Writing is an art, and we draw from life and I thought this post was brilliant enough (as a struggling writer) to share on FB and reblog on my page!
Thanks! I really needed that!
March 9th, 2013 at 12:06 pm
Thanks! Or “thanks,” if you prefer lower case. Hey, it works for kd lang. Who am I to argue with someone who has a pitch-perfect voice?
I, too, am a struggling writer. So, from one to another, I glad if something I said on the subject of writing was helpful to one of my brothers or sisters.
Thanks for reblogging!
March 9th, 2013 at 9:22 am
Reblogged this on How To Make It Look Easy and Still Have Time for Lipstick and commented:
brilliant!
March 27th, 2013 at 12:24 pm
Thanks! Sorry I missed the comment. They were coming in fast and furious that day.
March 9th, 2013 at 2:02 pm
[…] Writing Motivated Characters. […]
March 9th, 2013 at 2:04 pm
Reblogged this on Indie Authors and Books and commented:
Writing Motivated Characters by Eric John Baker
March 27th, 2013 at 12:25 pm
What I said to the previous reblogger: Sorry for my delay in responding. I had a coupl eof posts in a row that ended up with more comments than I expected and a few got lost.
Thanks so much for sharing the message David!
March 9th, 2013 at 2:05 pm
[…] Reblogged from ericjohnbaker: […]
March 17th, 2013 at 10:11 pm
[…] Writing Motivated Characters (ericjohnbaker.wordpress.com) […]
March 19th, 2013 at 1:55 pm
Reblogged this on chatrandom.
March 27th, 2013 at 12:27 pm
Sorry about my failure to reply sooner. I’m beating around the excuse that I was not prepared to handle the volume of comments this piece drew. Hopefully you will accept it.
Thank you so much for sharing the message with others.
March 27th, 2013 at 6:45 am
Love your Blog and i love this Post! Motivation is Key when writing a new novel or book and creating characters. I Am a new Writer and i am just now discovering how important motivation actually is in all aspects of writing! I Appreciate your work and thanks so much for sharing this so other writers especially new ones like me can learn a thing or two! ~I Liked and Followed/subscribed to your blog , you certainly deserve much more for your hard work and for helping new and aspiring writers like myself!
March 27th, 2013 at 12:29 pm
Thanks so much for the kind words. I’ve found the writers on WordPress to be incredibly supportive of me, so I hope to pay it forward.
Best of luck with all your writing endeavors!
June 9th, 2013 at 4:21 am
[…] recognized Eric’s Blog, named “Clawing at the Keys,” spotlighting it on their prestigious “Freshly pressed,” list of notable […]
August 10th, 2013 at 1:26 pm
Nice to be here people, I am something of a zombie enthusiast.
I don’t usually write posts but I ended up looking over this blog post and I absolutely enjoyed it. It has got some very excellent tips for me to digest. I have to mention, I’ve truly been lonesome just
lately due to the fact my best friend is no longer around.
Browsing the net provides me with a bit of piece of mind though.
I would personally love to give thanks to you for doing this incredible web
write-up which can help spread the message dealing with zombies even more!
I really was curious as to if you provide an e-mail list in
order to routinely keep up-dated at this website.
February 19th, 2014 at 1:09 pm
Reblogged this on The Literary Element.
April 13th, 2014 at 10:50 am
[…] Eric John Baker gave a simple but effective formula: external motivation (goal) + internal motivation (intrinsic nature). This gives you recognizable characters that can be built on as the movie progresses. Great performances can also elevate archetypal characters. Nebraska is a very simple film but it has a amusing characters. Drive is an art house film that requires a long attention span, but its an interesting character study. […]
April 13th, 2014 at 10:55 am
[…] Eric John Baker gave a simple but effective formula: external motivation (goal) + internal motivation (intrinsic nature). This gives you recognizable characters that can be built on as the movie progresses. Great performances can also elevate archetypal characters. Nebraska is a very simple film but it has a amusing characters. Drive is an art house film that requires a long attention span, but its an interesting character study. […]
April 13th, 2018 at 4:40 pm
Perfectly started supplementary project:
http://paul.blogs.telrock.org
May 17th, 2018 at 10:55 am
Stared unusual concoct:
http://caroline.post1.telrock.org