Motivate Me!

So you have this character. You filled out the application, maybe even got them into a couple threads. You have a basic idea: maybe they’re a ditzy blonde, a social awkward nerd, a conniving information dealer. You might even have a lifelong goal. But try as you may, you’re having problems getting inside their heads.

Characters are wants. Characters have desires, goals and dreams that motivate them and push them forward. And there’s a lot more to motivating a character than figuring out a lifelong dream. Below are four basic motivators to help you get behind your characters.

1. Career/Selfish
This is probably the easiest motivator to determine, so we’ll start here. This is your character’s personal goals, be they lifelong or immediate. Do they want to climb to the top of the corporate ladder or climb Mt Everest? Become a successful singer or open a successful restaurant? What does your character want for themselves out of life?

Don’t confuse selfish goals with being selfish. If Betty Sue wants more than anything to be a professional artist and is actively working on achieving that goal, it doesn’t mean she’s being a selfish person. Now, if Betty Sue is willing to sabotage other people, blackmail and all other sorts of underhanded schemes to get her way, that’s another story. Which leads me to my next part:

How motivated am I?
Betty Sue and Bobby Joe might have the same goal, but whereas Bobby Joe might be content to just daydream about achieving it, Betty Sue might be willing to do anything, and I mean anything to get her way. Betty Sue and Bobby Joe represent the opposite ends of the motivational spectrum, even though they have the same goal.

When making motivations for characters, it’s important to think about not just what a character wants, but what they will do to get it. Here’s a handy-dandy scale to help you visualize:

Career/Selfish Goal: put your goal(s) here
Motivation:
(Wistful dreamer) 1--2--3--4--5--6--7--8--9--10 (Ruthless Climber)

2. Romance/Sex
Ah, everyone’s favorite motivator. True Love. But romance/sex isn’t all about true love. Just ask James Bond. This category is about your character’s wants to be wanted, their need to be loved physically and emotionally. What does your character want out a relationship? Physical intimacy? Emotional comfort? Do they just need to be needed or be around other people?
You can also use this category to think about your character’s non-sexual relationship desires (i.e. friendships)

How motivated am I?
Someone with no sex drive at all is asexual. While this does happen in adults, remember that most people have some sort of drive and will fall in between asexual and James Bond. And while the one true love hunt is very romantic, not every character is going to be ready to settle down with one person for the rest of their life.

Romance/Sex Goal: put your goal(s) here
Motivation:
(Completely Asexual) 1--2--3--4--5--6--7--8--9--10 (#1 Lover)

3. Mission/Duty
Everyone is affiliated. School, city, country, company, clubs, political alignments, religious groups, the list goes on and on. And all those outside affiliations play a part in your character. Different groups will effect different pulls and expectations on a character.

An easy way to think about mission/duty is if your character is in the army or a similar faction/group. They will have certain duties and orders given to them that they are expected to follow. But expected duties can also be as basic as being expected to vote conservative if you are a member of the Republican Party or not violating federal/national laws. If you are a student, you are expected to get good grades (or at least do your homework).

How motivated am I?
Think about where your character fits into the overall world of the board. What is expected of someone of their faction, social class, occupation, affiliations, etc? Now think about how loyal your character is to those expectations.

Like everything else, too much in any direction can be bad. A true patriot might look good on paper, but that kind of attitude is what drove children and parents to turn in their own family to governments. True patriots will do anything for their cause. On the flipside, someone with no loyalty to anyone but themselves can be equally scary.

Mission/Duty Goal: put your goal(s) here
Motivation:
(True Anarchist) 1--2--3--4--5--6--7--8--9--10 (True Patriot)


4. Quirks
Not a motivation in the traditional sense, but still important. What set characters with the same motivations apart are the little things. Maybe your government assassin has a fascination with origami. They have a twitch, a nervous habit, a collection of toy penguins. They have a secret musical obsession. The possibilities are endless and just as important to your character as all the big motivations of their life. Don’t neglect this part of characterization. Some of the best characters are memorable because of the little quirks.

Quirks can also influence how characters behave and act on achieving their other goals in life.

How [s]motivated[/s] quirky am I?
Like everything else, there are different levels. Someone with very few quirks and mannerism, is, well, boring. But someone who’s so far out there can be a little much to handle, especially if you make all your characters quirk-heavy and eccentric. The trick is balance. Quirky characters are a lot of fun, but be careful of making someone so quirky that they’re hard for you and other players to understand.

Quirks: List quirks/mannerisms here
Quirkiness:
(Boring) 1--2--3--4--5--6--7--8--9--10 (All kinds of crazy)

5. Putting it all together
To recap: characters have a variety of wants that motivate their little virtual lives. Exploring these desires can help you as a writer to better get inside your character's heads.

I've put all the above chart information into one form to use. Simply fill out blank places and highlight which number corresponds to your character. As people have different interpretations for what should be what on the number scale, I leave deciding the difference between 5 and 6 to you. The important thing is that you know where your character falls.

Character Name:
Age:
Occupation:

Career/Selfish Goal: put your goal(s) here
Motivation:
(Wistful dreamer) 1--2--3--4--5--6--7--8--9--10 (Ruthless Climber)

Romance/Sex Goal: put your goal(s) here
Motivation:
(Completely Asexual) 1--2--3--4--5--6--7--8--9--10 (#1 Lover)

Mission/Duty Goal:put your goal(s) here
Motivation:
(True Anarchist) 1--2--3--4--5--6--7--8--9--10 (True Patriot)

Quirks: List quirks/mannerisms here
Quirkiness:
(Boring) 1--2--3--4--5--6--7--8--9--10 (All kinds of crazy)

Code:

[b]Character Name:[/b]
[b]Age:[/b]
[b]Occupation:[/b]

[b]Career/Selfish Goal:[/b] [i]put your goal(s) here[/i]
[b]Motivation:[/b]
(Wistful dreamer) [b]1--2--3--4--5--6--7--8--9--10[/b] (Ruthless Climber)

[b]Romance/Sex Goal:[/b] [i]put your goal(s) here[/i]
[b]Motivation:[/b]
(Completely Asexual) [b]1--2--3--4--5--6--7--8--9--10[/b] (#1 Lover)

[b]Mission/Duty Goal:[/b][i]put your goal(s) here[/i]
[b]Motivation:[/b]
(True Anarchist) [b]1--2--3--4--5--6--7--8--9--10[/b] (True Patriot)

[b]Quirks:[/b] [i]List quirks/mannerisms here[/i]
[b]Quirkiness:[/b]
(Boring) [b]1--2--3--4--5--6--7--8--9--10[/b] (All kinds of crazy)

Author's note: the original 1-10 scale for the above motivations was first written by James V. Smith Jr. in A Fiction Writer's Brainstormer, which were altered and adapted into an RP guide by me. All the above words are my own, but orginal idea credit goes to James V. Smith Jr.