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Many things drive the plot in fantasy worlds, some originate from the worlds themselves, others from events that transpired long before the story began. Each one of them affects the plot in various ways, some have more impact than others. Many events that occur throughout the course of the tale are the cause of character motivation.
Character motivation is one of the most important tools of storytelling. Without it, your audience will not understand why a particular character makes a decision that impacts the story in both good and bad ways. It’s up to you, the creator, to present it in a way that both makes sense for the character himself and have your viewers understand why he does the things he does.
Not surprisingly, the motivation of a character influences the relationships he has with the others, whether they knew each other before the beginning of the story or the ones he meets as the plot progresses. Exploring these dynamics enables the audience to learn more about them and how they view one another for better or worse.
The plot of the story itself progresses and is affected by a number of factors. When it comes to character motivation, it is one of its key drivers since the rationale for the decisions one makes will impact it in both expected and unexpected ways, making for compelling storytelling in that your viewers will be naturally curious to see what happens next.
This is article number fifteen in The Sunlit Hearth series. For more, take a gander at our blog page where we have a number of sterling articles just waiting to be read!
There are many elements of storytelling and the best creators utilize many of, if not all, them to make a tale that enthralls people for decades to come. One of them, character motivation, is among the most important for it has an outsized impact on both the plot itself and his relationship with the others. Many creators use this to showcase the reasons why characters make the choices they do from beginning to end.
As a storytelling device, character motivation is the rationale behind the decisions he makes throughout the tale. An obvious example of this is the protagonist who desires to save the world from evil. Maybe someone he knew perished at the hands of the forces of darkness and he uses that to fuel his efforts to stop them from prevailing so that nobody else will experience that same loss.
Why is this so important? Just as in the real world, characters don’t make decisions arbitrarily. Rather, varying reasons in their mind cause them to do what they do, even if it doesn’t make sense to other people. These decisions are the final result of a period of debating whether to do it or not.
Character motivation is influenced by both external and internal drivers. With the former, it’s typically other characters, the environment itself, like a city or river, or an object such as money. In the latter, it’s how he perceives the world, other characters, the things he believes in and his moral values.
Motivation is not confined to one aspect or the other but is instead a mixture of the two. For example, suppose a character desires to be wealthy so that he can be part of the highbrow society that dominates the community. He decides to do whatever it takes so that he can fulfill his dream, even doing things that go against what he believes in since in his heart, he thinks that the ends justify the means. What he fails to realize is that each choice he makes here comes with a cost and eventually he will no longer be who he was once.
Like in the real world, character relationships are dynamic, meaning they go up and down for a myriad of reasons. Sometimes they come to an end whether it be abrupt or a slow dissolution whereas other times they become ever stronger due for whatever reason. A key component in these changes stem from their motivation which pushes them to interact with other people in different ways.
Many creators smartly utilize character motivation to showcase the fluidity of these relationships to craft riveting plot lines that keep the audience engaged. You see in across all media but it is more pronounced in those known for their drama such as soap operas where the vast majority of storylines are character-driven. In these scenarios, characters have their own agenda and endeavor to take actions to ensure that they meet their goals, regardless of the cost.
Motivation for a character regarding his relationship with another character is best understood in how he views him. For example, should he have a pleasant friendship with someone, he is more likely to be supportive and want the best for him and push him in the best way to be the best version of himself. On the other hand, for those that have a nebulous relationship, their interactions are likely to be confrontational and filled with animosity as they attempt to undermine each other.
Character motivation occurs at all points in the story, even starting right out of the gate when the audience is slowly introduced to the cast of characters that will play a prominent role in the plot. Viewers soon learn how they view each other, both the ones they already know and the ones they eventually will meet, which means it won’t be long before they see what they’re trying to do to them as exemplified the reasons for their behavior towards them.
Characters change throughout the course of the plot. Alliances are created and broken, friendships are strengthened or come to a shuddering end, or a rivalry is escalated or are put aside for the greater good. Many of these monumental character decisions are dictated by the motives behind them which shape the plot in various ways.
The plot itself isn’t just impacted by the world it takes place in. A medley of other factors affect it too, character motivation included. In fact, it is the latter that can truly alter it in both astonishing and expected ways and steer it in a wholly new direction, for better or worse. Creators recognize this and use it to their advantage to highlight how the latter is upended by the actions of the former in scintillating fashion.
Each of the major characters that appear in the tale have their own agenda. Some are friendly, desiring to make the world a better place, whereas others harbor sinister intentions. Thus, their motives determine the actions they take at key moments in the plot.
Take Saruman the White from LOTR for example. At first, he is presented as a wise person who has long studied the enemy in order to understand him and Gandalf seeks out his counsel. Before long, he realizes that he is no longer the same person he once knew and has turned traitor. Saruman had fallen long before that fateful encounter with Gandalf in Isengard and revealed his true intentions when he felt the moment was right. His betrayal causes a chain of events that reverberates through the plot, leading to events such as the Battle of Helm’s Deep and his downfall.
When crafting a story, character motivation is used by creators in a number of ways. Some are obvious whereas others are far more subtle. For instance, suppose someone is planning to betray his allies. He will conceal his intentions by pretending that everything is the same as to not draw suspicion. He works to undermine his former allies without attracting attention to himself and every action he takes here is strategic and purposeful.
If used correctly, motivation can serve as a turning point in the plot, forever altering it. There are countless examples of how it impacts the plot in ways where the world can never be the same as it was before. As a creator, it’s up to you to use character motivation to tell a masterful tale that transcends time.
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