I want to talk about character motivation, but probably not in the way you’d expect.

Yes, there is the whole “Goal, Motivation, Conflict” thing. I actually have a whole workshop on conflict, stakes, and tension, which are all intertwined with goals and motivations, but that’s not my focus for this.

My focus/frustration for this month is that you need to know WHY your character does something. In fact, you need to know why they do EVERYTHING.

Raise your hand if you answer unknown numbers on your personal cell phone.

I don’t mean when you are job searching or trying to sell the treadmill in your garage. I mean, just on an average day, do you ever answer your cellphone without looking to see who is calling? If you do look and it shows UNKNOWN CALLER or a number you don’t recognize, do you answer?

My phone doesn’t even ring if you aren’t in my contacts. You get sent straight to voicemail. (Sorry about that time the nurses were trying to call me to let me know my husband’s procedure was done and I could come get him….Oops!)

Why am I ranting about unknown callers? I’ve seen a rash of characters in books answering their phones either without checking the ID or despite the fact they don’t know the number.

Their only motivation is that the author needed them to answer that call.

And that, my friend, is not enough.

If my character is in danger. Let’s say it is a guy who is being threatened or stalked or is hiding from some really bad people; he’s not going to just answer the phone without checking.

He’s also not going to just throw his door open without looking. WHO DOES THAT?

I’m a super extrovert, and I don’t even answer my door without looking to see who is on the other side. Have these people not watched ANY true crime documentaries?

That’s all related to character motivation. They need motivation for the big stuff, like why are they investigating this murder when they aren’t law enforcement? Or why do they agree to this fake marriage? But they also need motivation for the little things.

Sometimes, authors try to skirt around this.

“I don’t know why I answered without looking to see who was calling.”

“For reasons I wasn’t sure of, I went into the coffee shop and asked the barista if they were hiring.”

“Steve couldn’t say why he followed Jane down the hall.”

Humans rarely do anything without a reason. They may not admit to the true reason to themselves, but they have some explanation for their actions.

This speaks to character agency as well as deep point of view. Do you know your character well enough to define their motivation (or what they believe to be their motivation) for even the little things?

Does this bother anyone else, or is it just an editor's pet peeve?

Do you need actionable strategies for using Deep POV?

Check out Deep POV: Refining Your Character's Lens!

Happy Writing!