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108 Part II: Realising That Character Is Everything
Try this exercise to help you understand the power of motivation:
1. Write a piece in which your character goes for an aimless walk.
2. Write a piece in which your character is walking to a meeting.
You probably find that the second piece is much more interesting, although
sometimes the sheer boredom of writing the first forces you to invent plot
developments that may surprise you!
Of course, people can also be perverse and seem to want the very opposite
of what’s good for them – the father of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud
(1856–1939), even decided that people have a ‘death wish’, to explain their
often perverse behaviour. Sometimes, people find getting what they want is
terrifying, because then they have no more excuses for not feeling happy or
fulfilled, and nothing more to aim for. Surprisingly, people often get within
reach of achieving their lifelong goal and then mess it up.
In the following exercise, examine a character’s unexpected dilemma, creating
emotions and responses that surprise the person herself:
1. Write a scene in which your character is about to get what she
wants, but does something to prevent this happening just before she
succeeds.
2. Write a scene in which your character does get what she wants, only
to discover that it’s not what she desired after all.
Looking at different areas
of your character’s life
Everyone’s life has many different aspects. A character normally has a family
life, friends and social groups, as well as a working life.
This exercise will help you to look at all the different areas of your character’s
life:
1. Divide a page into four quarters: Label these ‘family’, ‘friends’, ‘hobbies’
and ‘work’. Put as many people as you can in each box.
2. In the family box, include all your character’s family: Parents,
grandparents, brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, cousins. A great
approach is to carry out the family tree exercise in Chapter 3 first.