What does your character want? This is an important question to answer because it determines what your protagonist hopes to achieve by the story’s end. If the goal, or outer motivation, is written well, readers will identify fairly quickly what the overall story goal’s going to be and they’ll know what to root for. But how do you know what outer motivation to choose?
If you read enough books, you’ll see the same goals being used for different characters in new scenarios. This thesaurus explores common outer motivations so you can see your options and what those goals might look like on a deeper level.
Goal (Outer Motivation): Escaping a Killer
Forms This Might Take: Escaping…
- a serial killer
- a hit man
- a criminal intent on tying up loose ends (after a home invasion, a sexual assault, a kidnapping, etc.)
- a stalker…
Human Need Driving the Goal (Inner Motivation): Safety and Security
Methods for Achieving This Goal:
- hiding in a place of concealment
- hiding in public where the character is invisible by sheer numbers
- attempting a blitz attack (attacking, then running away)
- utilizing inherent skills to evade capture or go on the offensive (hunting or tracking, computer hacking to gain information, survivalist training to go off grid or lure the enemy into an environment where the character has the upper hand, etc.)…
Possible Sacrifices or Costs Associated With This Goal:
- the character draining their financial resources
- having to give up their job or career to go into hiding
- being viewed as a victim by loved ones or society in general
- being injured physically or psychologically…
Roadblocks Which Could Prevent This Goal from Being Achieved:
- police who dismiss the threat
- the character being unable to leave the country (because they lack proper paperwork, have a criminal record, etc.)
- feeling unable to go to the police because the character has a warrant for their arrest, is living illegally in the country, or has loved ones who will be at risk if the character seeks help…
Talents & Skills That Will Help the Character Achieve This Goal: Sharpshooting, Archery, High Pain Tolerance, Self-Defense…
Possible Fallout For the Protagonist if This Goal Is Not Met: Capture and/or death
Clichés to Avoid: Discovering the killer is the very person the character trusted for help…
We hope you’ve found this sample useful. To access the complete entry and our full range of thesauruses, head over to One Stop for Writers.
What does your character want, and how far will they go to achieve it?
On the surface, the protagonist’s goal seems to be the most important, but the inner motivation driving your character toward this goal (despite pain, suffering, fear, setbacks, and sacrifice) is what really draws readers in. Understanding the four cornerstones of character arc and how they frame a story is paramount for today’s writers. To help with this, we have integrated this Character Motivation Thesaurus into our online library at One Stop For Writers.
Each entry has been enhanced to provide even more information about your character’s motivation and is cross-referenced with our other thesauruses for easy searchability. We’ve also included a must-see tutorial on Character Motivation.
Interested in seeing these expanded entries? Head on over and take advantage of our FREE TRIAL!
Angela is a writing coach, international speaker, and bestselling author who loves to travel, teach, empower writers, and pay-it-forward. She also is a founder of One Stop For Writers, a portal to powerful, innovative tools to help writers elevate their storytelling.
Another great article! Thank you.