Motive

If you want your characters to seem real and believable, a motive is always good to give them.  It is something that will drive them through the story and to their ultimate goal, whatever that may be.

For example, there's Harry Potter.  His destiny is to save the wizarding world by destroying the evil Voldemort.  Anyone who's read the last book knows how he achieves that.  Motive is the 'why'.  What motivates him to risk his own life to defeat Voldemort?  Why didn't he just run away with his muggle family and leave everything as it was?  Why does it have to be his problem?

Well, first of all, Voldemort killed his parents.  That's a big motive right there.  Another is that everyone knows what Harry is supposed to do and expects him to do so.  That's peer pressure to the extreme.  Not to mention the fact that Voldemort wants him dead and comes after him with all of his creepy Death Eaters.  That kind of thing is a bit hard to ignore.  So Harry's motive could be considered part fate, part defense, and part revenge.  He realizes that he has to defeat Voldemort in order to avenge his parents, to save his friends, and to protect the whole of the wizarding world.  When you add the 'why' to the story, Harry Potter seems a lot more realistic, doesn't he?  He's definitely not a comic book superhero who just goes and defeats the bad guys and gives no clue as to why he's taken on the responsibility.

I spent quite awhile yesterday coming up with motives for two of the antagonists in my own book.  The main reason Claudius is altering events in Wade's life is so that he can avoid disappearing due to the premature death of one of his ancestors.  Wade betrays his friends because he believes them to be siding with Claudius whom Wade hates for his interference.  The last thing I want my readers to think is why are the characters doing what they're doing.  That question will be answered.

I sure hope this helped anyone who is reading this and happy Fourth of July.

~Catherine