motivation

How to Clearly Outline Characters’ Motivations and Goals

by
How to Clearly Outline Characters' Motivations and Goals

When contrasting plot-driven and character-driven stories, I talk a lot about characters’ goals and motivations, and for good reason.

Goals are the focus of a plot-driven story. The reader wants to know how the characters get from point A to their ultimate goal, point Z. While the plot may wind through some twists and turns, the characters’ motivations tend to stay constant throughout.

Character-driven stories place a much greater emphasis on motivations. The what of a character’s actions is less important than the why, because in this kind of story plans often change as new information is revealed. As characters grow as individuals and adapt, their motivations often change as well.

There is a common misconception that goals and motivations are one and the same. After all, in daily life, we tend to use these words interchangeably.

They are not interchangeable in fiction writing.

As you plot your next work, it is important to know your characters’ motivations, goals, and the difference between them. That’s what will bring your characters, and ultimately your story, to life.

Read more

How to Use Internal Conflict to Your Advantage When Writing a Character-Driven Story

by
How to Use Internal Conflict to Your Advantage When Writing a Character-Driven Story

Earlier, we tackled the definition of a plot-driven novel and covered how to approach writing a plot-driven story of your own. If you missed it, don’t worry; you can find that post right here.

While plot-driven stories call for a lot of work on the front end—plotting, after all, is in the very name—character-driven stories require some work up front, too. Luckily for you pantsers, it’s easier to get away with minimal outlining when it comes to this type of novel.

It’s important to understand the basic elements of plot- and character-driven stories as a writer. Understanding these definitions will change how you approach your outlining and drafting process. This will cut down on the amount of revising you have to do and improve your writing in the long run.

In short, learning this stuff teaches you how to write faster and better, and that’s what’s really going to make your writing soar. 

Read more

The Easiest Way to Start Writing Your Plot-Driven Story

by
The Easiest Way to Start Writing Your Plot-Driven Story

In general, there are two main types of writers: plotters and pantsers.

I’m definitely an advocate for plotting your novel. If you do the legwork on the front end, you’ll be more organized later—you essentially give yourself a road map when you’re drafting. I’ve already written about balancing action and reaction scenes within your story, but today we’re going to look at the big picture: the overall narrative arc of your book.

When it comes to plot-driven novels, there is very little leeway; you need to know where your story is headed. You need to know how to put this kind of story together so you can build your story arc from the ground up. That’s where this guide comes in.

Read more

8 Tried-and-True Methods to Find Your Motivation to Write

by
8 Tried-and-True Methods to Find Your Motivation to Write

Tell me if this sounds familiar:

You look down at your to-do list and see the next item on it—revise next two chapters of draft. It’s a manageable goal—a downright small goal, frankly—and you know it, but you feel… stuck. You can’t quite force yourself to sit down at your computer and get it done, especially not when watching the next episode of your favorite show is so much easier and so much more fun. Sure, drafting was exciting, but revisions just suck. Before you know it, three hours have gone by and you haven’t accomplished anything. Then five hours. Then seven. Then—oh look, it’s dinnertime. Oh, well, surely tomorrow will be a more productive day.

No? Just me? Well, I’m going to talk about it anyway.

Motivation is a slippery thing, showing up at the most inconvenient times—for me, it’s around 1am—and flitting away as suddenly as it arrives. Almost any kind of work can be done without feeling motivated; in fact, work should be done without motivation, given the latter’s elusive and inconsistent nature. However, I’ve come to realize that I tend to do my best work when I’m feeling inspired and motivated to write, and there are a few specific things I do to keep my head in the game and make sure I’m giving my current project my all. Hopefully, you will be able to apply these steps the next time you find yourself “left in a Lurch,” as Dr. Seuss would say.

Read more