Motivational drivers

Definition

Motivational drivers are the underlying reasons or forces that influence a character's actions, decisions, and overall behavior. These drivers stem from a character's personal history, desires, fears, and circumstances, shaping their choices and reactions throughout a story. Understanding motivational drivers is essential for creating authentic characters who resonate with audiences and propel the narrative forward.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. Motivational drivers can be categorized into intrinsic and extrinsic factors, with intrinsic being internal desires like personal growth, and extrinsic being external rewards like fame or wealth.
2. A character's backstory plays a crucial role in shaping their motivational drivers, as past experiences often dictate their current desires and fears.
3. Understanding a character's motivational drivers helps in establishing relatable and believable character traits, making them more engaging for the audience.
4. Motivational drivers can evolve throughout the story as characters face challenges and obstacles, leading to dynamic character development.
5. Identifying a character’s primary motivational driver is key to crafting meaningful conflicts that test their resolve and push the plot forward.

Review Questions

• How do motivational drivers influence character development throughout a story?
  • Motivational drivers are essential for character development as they determine how characters react to situations and challenges. By understanding these drivers, writers can create layered characters whose decisions make sense within the context of their backstories. For instance, a character motivated by fear of failure may take different actions than one driven by a desire for approval. This difference in motivations leads to unique growth arcs and more compelling narratives.
• Evaluate the impact of a character's backstory on their motivational drivers and decision-making process.
  • A character's backstory significantly impacts their motivational drivers, shaping their values, fears, and aspirations. For example, a character who experienced loss may be driven by a desire for connection or fear of abandonment. These motivational drivers directly influence their choices, leading to specific reactions in various situations. By understanding this relationship, writers can craft deeper stories where characters' decisions resonate with audiences due to their grounding in well-developed histories.
• Synthesize how multiple characters’ motivational drivers can create complex dynamics within the story's conflict.
  • When multiple characters have distinct motivational drivers, it creates rich complexity in the story's conflicts. For example, if one character is driven by ambition while another is motivated by loyalty, their conflicting goals can lead to tension and intrigue. This interplay of motivations can manifest in various ways—betrayals, alliances, or unexpected resolutions—that enhance the narrative depth. The clash of different motivations not only propels the plot but also fosters character growth as they confront each other's beliefs and desires.

Related terms

Character Arc: The transformation or journey a character undergoes throughout a story, often influenced by their motivational drivers.

Conflict: A struggle between opposing forces that drives the narrative; often rooted in a character's motivational drivers.

Goals: Specific objectives or outcomes that characters strive to achieve, heavily influenced by their motivational drivers.