Understanding Motivation

Inspired by the American 2024 presidential election, a look at how to write believable characters.

The morning after Election Day, the sun was shining in Michigan. I hadn’t slept much or well. My husband arrived home close to 2 a.m. from volunteering at vote counting in Detroit and slunk into bed without words. There were none. We felt despair and shock.

But the next morning, we lingered in bed talking, watching the rays of the cool sun out our open window and breathing in the autumn air. “I guess as long as we’re together, it doesn’t matter who holds office,” I said, and he agreed. I’m not going to wax poetic about how I voted or what my fears were, and this is not a political newsletter, but I’m getting to a point that relates to writing and publishing, so stay with me.

That day, like in 2016, I contemplated how and why I’d seen things so differently than so many Americans who voted differently from me. I simply wanted to understand. Because I believe we won’t succeed as a country if we’re always othering and pointing fingers and blaming whole swaths of people and spewing anger and hatred just because someone votes differently. I needed to understand.

So I posted on Facebook, which some might say is suicidal, but I was clear in my desire to have an intellectual conversation aimed at understanding people who believed very differently from me. Many people have commented and most have gotten the gist of what I was trying to do. Some pontificated and finger-pointed and said a lot of “them” and “they” and I shut it down because that wasn’t the point. Nor was it useful.

I’ve been fascinated by what I’ve learned.

In addition to the public commenters, many people texted and messaged privately saying they didn’t want to post, but they wanted to share their feelings. A few were nervous that I’d shout them down, shut them out, unfriend them, but I didn’t and I won’t. I was honestly curious.

I’m not both-sidesing, and I’m not engaging with platforms or policies or character debates. I am only listening to understand what motivated so many people to vote Donald Trump in for another presidential term.

And it occurred to me that there is a lesson here for writing. Because motivation is essential when creating believable characters.

Why do people do what they do? How do their minds work? What events or beliefs from their childhoods or backgrounds propel them to take action?

When I write a novel, I spend a month plotting it out. Planning major plot points. Writing character sketches. Understanding the story arc.

But I don’t usually address character motivation.

A few weeks ago, in New Orleans for my daughter’s 21st birthday, I was telling her and her boyfriend about the story arc for my next novel, which will come out in May 2025. I explained the storyline, the plot points, the intrigue. And my daughter asked about the main character’s motivation for making certain life choices which propel the storyline.

I think I honestly hadn’t considered the MC’s motivation. It was a great question, and I assured Eliana that I will indeed explore that. Because it’ll make for a stronger story and a deeper character.

My MC is in a 20-year relationship with a man who is controlling, and she doesn’t see it until he dies suddenly. She even follows him to a commune, which is more like a cult. So why did she do that?

Well you’ll have to read the book to find out LOL, but I now know her motivations and I believe the story is better for it.

Motivation is nuanced and important and hard to understand. Sometimes it’s unconscious!

I mean, have you ever considered WHY you’ve done things? Good and bad? If not, now’s a good time and if you can uncover your own motivations, then maybe you can channel that into your characters and write even better stories.

Psychologists define motivation as the desire to act in service of a goal. It's the crucial element in setting and attaining our objectives.

With regard to the recent election, I wanted to understand what goals, what objectives, voters were aiming for. Did they even know? Many were voting more against one candidate than for another. But some were in fact voting in favor of what they perceived as the hopeful outcomes that candidate would bring to our country.

Regardless of how we voted, we all do it for very personal reasons. Voting patterns say something about this nation and its values. And we have to reckon with that even if we don’t like it. Even if it surprises and dismays us.

In times of crisis or despair or anguish, writing a character who champions good over evil, who inhabits a world better than the one we face today, can be a great solace. I’ve certainly been bolstered by spending time over the past week with words, both others and my own. Reading and writing have grounded me. I hope these activities have done the same for you.

It might even be helpful to write a story version of this time. Maybe we could see it from a distance and understand it better, or feel a little less devastated. Or write a better outcome.

The sun is still shining outside my window. I have love in my life, and I’m focusing on that and also offering my love to those I encounter. I’m looking for that spark of humanity in the eyes of others. It helps me stay standing.

Sending love to you all. We will get through this, just as we’ve gotten through everything else. Write the stories that make change. Stories that inspire. Stories that start conversations and reveal hard truths.

Write stories that help us understand why we do what we do.

Share your words in meaningful ways. And connect with good people. These are lifelines.

Come See Me!

This week, I have three speaking engagements, and I’d love to see you at one of them. Tomorrow, I am speaking virtually via Qesher at 3 p.m. ET. Details and registration here.

Tomorrow, I am speaking to a private book club and then Thursday, I’ll be in Windsor, Ontario, at the Jewish book fair here, 7 p.m.

And next week, I’ll be in Greensboro, North Carolina, speaking on Tuesday at 1 p.m. at Temple Emanuel. If you’re in North Carolina, come see me!

If you are part of a book club, I’d love to speak to your group about my novels, WOMAN OF VALOR and CAVE OF SECRETS. Also, in January, I’ll be releasing a collection of essays and in May 2025, my next novel, I LOVE YOU, CHARLIE TANNER, will launch. If you’d like info on any of these books, or details about how I speak to groups, let me know. I also offer volume discounts for buying books directly from me for your group. The audiobooks for all of these will launch in 2025 as well.

Thanks for reading the Rebel Author Newsletter. I am grateful for you, and hope you find value in these words. If you do, please consider supporting a working writer by becoming a paid subscriber. You can also share this newsletter with others who might find it interesting, via the links below.

Love to you all! Lynne