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Q&A

Posts tagged motivation

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Q&A Can a fight scene, component-wise, be too complex and complicated?

Okay, there is some preliminary information for you to be able to answer this question: There is a sword of great power, a McGuffin, and a destined one who wields it. The destined one has two compa...

5 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by A. Kvåle‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by Amadeus‭

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Q&A Antagonist motivation help [closed]

My (A)ntagonist (or antagonizing force) in my novel causes a nuclear disaster in a remote nuclear facility. I've decided on certain circumstantial plot points, such as the post-disaster coping of t...

1 answer  ·  posted 10y ago by Alec McLeod‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A Fleshing out the character motivation from the plot

I decided to give a try to the snowflake method. The idea is that you gradually expand the story from a blurb into a full draft. This question stems from the character-characterization step, but it...

2 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by _X_‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A Still struggling with character desire, positive vs. negative, hooking readers

Apologies for the difficulties I've been having, and leaning for help here. Every step seems to be its own stumbling block. Question: All else being equal, is a positive desire/goal/motivation (of...

3 answers  ·  posted 6y ago by DPT‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A How to communicate character desire?

As mentioned elsewhere, it has been a stumbling block for my readers to understand what drives my characters. I had thought I had communicated character desires through showing, and action, but it ...

5 answers  ·  posted 6y ago by DPT‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A Writing a love interest for my hero

If I'm going to face down a dragon, Mob boss, evil corporation, or a demon from the 7 circles of hell or dystopian dictator, etc, it's not going to be to rescue my buddy Herbert, or cousin Jimmy. T...

5 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by Ric Fuentez‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A Does it really serve a main character to give them one driving want?

I often feel that we fall into a trap of believing that we must provide a driving goal for a main character at the outset. And yet, as I look at compelling fiction, main characters do not have the ...

4 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by DPT‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A How to make a grieving father less vengeful and see reason?

I have a character who, maddened by the suicide of his son, chooses to destroy the company the young man worked for, holding them responsible. He is a successful businessman who told his two child...

4 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by Rasdashan‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A On Characters' Motivations

I'm currently writing a sort of serious superhero thriller. The main character finds out his father is a kingpin and drug lord. At the beginning of the story the main character, who has been living...

2 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by Daniel‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A In a first-person web novel, how to make the reader aware of a motivator the POV is unaware of?

In my novel, the MC (and POV character) spares an enemy. He spared the enemy because he empathized/identified himself with them, but he was not aware of it. Later on he will understand his feelings...

3 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by Mindwin‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A Why do readers enjoy reading about "bad" or evil characters?

I've changed a secondary character into a murderer, and it changes everything. This change also opposes my core philosophies, that life and art should strive to reach something higher - not somethi...

4 answers  ·  posted 6y ago by DPT‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A How important is payoff?

I'm developing a story with the following basic plot: At the start, my main character's motivating question is "Where is my brother?" As the story progresses, other problems and motivations get i...

2 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by PlutoThePlanet‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A What meta-properties should a character have in general? [closed]

What are the properties a generic main character from a character-driven/psychological novel should have? E.g. relations, motives, personality, knowledge.

3 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by Marina Miyaoka‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A Unfair Motivation for a Judge to Dislike an Accused [closed]

I have a scene where a character is applying to be released from prison pending trial. I want an arbitrary / unfair reason for the judge to dislike him. It has to be something that is not justified...

2 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by Poul‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A How do I make my character be a part of something without it seeming forced?

I'm writing a Star Wars fanfiction because I wanted to practice my writing on something I love, and I decided to make a character named Alexander Ray Rullero. He's not the main character, as in he ...

0 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by Frostco1‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A How to make the villain's motives understandable if his logic is flawed?

In a story I'm writing, the villain has his motives for his attitudes. However, he is very mentally disturbed, which makes the logic of his motives be kind of illogic to other people (including the...

0 answers  ·  posted 6y ago by Yuuza‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A Building character trust

My main characters finally met. Officially... They still don't know who the others are, and are from different cultural backgrounds, too different for the others to seem normal. Although they ar...

2 answers  ·  posted 6y ago by shieldedtulip‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A I have a weak motivation for a god character! How Do I Make It a Stronger Motivation?

Okay, so I have a weak motivation for a god character whose son (whom he tried to prevent his birth) seems like he is an apt tool to be used for a plot that will only be brought into fruition about...

1 answer  ·  posted 7y ago by Dany Will‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A Would it be possible to create a character without substantial motivation?

The character I describe is in fact reflective of somebody I know in real life--a kind of nihilist who finds all pursuits and goals "hollow and ridiculous", as the person says. This inevitably impl...

2 answers  ·  posted 7y ago by user289661‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A How can I make believable motivations for antagonists?

I am writing a book. However, I can't quite wrap my head around making my character do bad things, while still making their actions and/or motivations for their actions believable. Here is an exa...

3 answers  ·  posted 9y ago by Keychain1‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A How can I create my own deadline?

I'm very responsible when I'm writing a tech book or article under contract. I have a deadline, my editor is expecting my work, and I turn it in on time. Sometimes I put it off a bit, but I pride m...

0 answers  ·  posted 13y ago by Lynn Beighley‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭