Monday, September 21, 2015

Motivational Monday


CHARACTERS AT EVERY LEVEL OF THE STORY
WANT SOMETHING - 
LOVE, REVENGE, CAKE, WHATEVER - 
AND WHEN WE MEET THEM WE'D BETTER 
SOON KNOW WHAT THAT THING IS.
ESPECIALLY IF IT'S CAKE.
WE CAN ALL GET BEHIND A CHARACTER 
WHO WILL KILL FOR CAKE.
I'D KILL FOR CAKE.
WOULDN'T YOU?
(Chuck Wendig)

Are your characters utterly and totally motivated? 

Are you?

Have great week, everyone!

34 comments:

  1. Motivated characters is the one thing I do well.
    I'd kill for a new guitar.

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    1. Maybe you need to write a character who does kill for a new guitar.... :)

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  2. Me, yes. Though I'm more motivated by lifestyle than food. :)

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  3. Yes! Cake, cake, cake!!!! This was awesome :D

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  4. I totally get this! Especially since sometimes my MC does want cake...

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    1. For me, it's not so much my characters as it is the author/me who wants cake. :)

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  5. Me likey cake! Not sure if I'd kill for it, though. Depends on what kind of cake.

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    1. I hear you. I like carrot cake, but I wouldn't kill for it. Unless it was the last cake on earth....

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  6. Good advice - if there's a scene where they don't want something, it might be worth skipping.

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    1. It really does give a different perspective for when we're writing a scene, the character in the scene, etc.

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  7. My motivation comes and goes. My characters'? Never. Although some do get a little sidetracked and have to be led back, kicking and screaming.

    Have a great week, Madeline!

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    1. Hmm, maybe someone needs to lead us back, kicking and screaming. :)

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  8. Maybe, if it's butter cake with chocolate frosting....or a Texas chocolate sheet cake.....

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  9. That's an awesome quote! I need to post it by my desk. Aren't we all a little motivated by cake? :)

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  10. I'd like to think so. I try to give each character a relationship with the rest. It's the interaction (and cake) that keeps things zipping along. :-)

    Anna from Elements of Writing

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    1. Good point about the interactions keeping things moving along.

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  11. A little less motivated each day. Need. Sleep!

    I've had stories I had to shut down because there was no character arc. I think every good story evolves around a character arc.

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    1. And here I thought you were going to talk about CHEESE-cake. :)

      I'm learning more and more about how important motivation is for our characters and their arcs.

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  12. I hope so! That is something I do ask myself when I'm writing. I want my characters to feel real and behave like a normal/possibly crazed person would.

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    1. I'm pretty sure my characters and I fall under the category of "possibly crazed." :)

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  13. I'm totally motivated to get some cake now! :) I had a good writing day, though. No cake involved.

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    1. Hmm, no cake involved? A day without cake is like a day without sunshine....

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  14. Ah yes, that masterful question of "what do you want?" I try to remember to ask that of all my characters.

    Me, I wouldn't kill for cake, unless maybe cheesecake...

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    1. It's definitely an excellent question, one to ask all our characters - the good guys and the bad guys - and to ask ourselves now and then. :)

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  15. Last weekend at a conference, I listened to an editor start to outline the very "goal, motivation, and conflict" theory of writing that I learned about when I was writing romance 20 years ago! She didn't call it that, and she TOTALLY left out motivation. She just said, "Your character should want something and something should be getting in her way." But you have to have a strong WHY. Why do they want it? Motivation is everything!

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    1. It definitely needs to be a strong and powerful why - otherwise, the character would just shrug his or her shoulders and go "eh." If it's important to the characters, it will (should) become important to the readers.

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  16. I would definitely kill for cake. I really hope my characters do come across as motivated and real. Have a lovely weekend.

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