Successful stories require many things, but one of the most important is a clear goal for your character.
Readers should know relatively early in the story what that goal is going to be. For authors to convey this, they need to have a clear understanding of what the character wants (outer motivation), and why they want it (inner motivation). This thesaurus can help you brainstorm possible outer motivations for your character and show you what might factor into the story for each.
Recommended Reading: What Is a Character Motivation Thesaurus?
Motivation Entries (Samples)
Looking for inspiration on possible motivations and story goals for your character? Check out the following samples.
Achieving Spiritual Enlightenment
Avoiding Financial Ruin
Beating an Illness or Diagnosis
Being Appreciated by Family
Being a Leader
Being the Best at Something
Caring for an Aging Parent
Carrying on a Legacy
Catching the Bad Guy or Girl
Dealing with a Mental Condition
Discovering One’s True Self
Entering & Winning a Competition
Escaping a Dangerous, Unwanted Life Escaping a Killer
Escaping a Widespread Disaster
Escaping Certain Death
Escaping Confinement
Escaping Homelessness
Escaping Invaders
Finding Friendship
Finding a Lifelong Partner
Gaining Fulfillment by Giving Back
Having a Child
Helping a Loved One Who’s Hurting Themselves
Obtaining Shelter from the Elements
Overcoming Abuse & Learning to Trust
Overcoming Addiction
Protecting One’s Home or Property
Pursuing Justice
Realizing a Dream
Reconciling with an Estranged Family Member
Rescuing a Loved One from a Captor
Restoring a Name or Reputation
Righting a Deep Wrong
Seeking One’s Biological Roots
Stopping an Event from Happening
Trying Again Despite a Past Failure
Ready to change the writing game?
There are always more motivations to explore, which is why we’ve tripled the number of entries in this collection at One Stop For Writers. The Character Motivation Thesaurus is part of the largest Show-Don’t-Tell THESAURUS Database available anywhere.
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3 Comments. Leave new
Will this be published as a book?
We haven’t decided yet (right now we’re getting ready to publish the Fear Thesaurus), but it is possible this could be the next one we tackle. 🙂 For now though, you can find it as part of the One Stop for Writers Thesaurus database: https://onestopforwriters.com/thesaurus
Your blog is educating. Although I note your target audience appears to be writers, It helps to give better understanding to human nature. Motives behind our behaviours.