CHARACTER MOTIVATION THESAURUS

STOPPING AN EVENT FROM HAPPENING



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HELPFUL TIP:

To understand why your character is driven toward a certain goal, get to know their positive and negative traits, as well as any significant emotional wounds that might be motivating them. Then you can explore the various kinds of conflict that could block them as they move toward their goal.
FORMS THIS MIGHT TAKE:
Stopping a bomb detonation
Foiling an assassination attempt
Preventing the killing of a captive
Stopping someone from killing himself
Defusing a war before it begins
Keeping someone from revealing national secrets or plans to one's enemies
Preventing the exploitation or execution of a people group
Stopping a serial killer from striking again
Preventing an apocalyptic event with catastrophic results (an asteroid strike, a super storm, a deadly virus, etc.)
Foiling an attempted bank robbery
Stopping intruders from pillaging one's home or killing one's family
Keeping an evil wizard from rising to power
Keeping a race of aliens or vampires from taking over Earth
Stopping a gargantuan shark from eating more humans
Preventing an estranged and unhinged father from abducting his son
Stopping a deadly curse from coming true

HUMAN NEED DRIVING THE GOAL (INNER MOTIVATION):
There are five basic human needs that, when missing from a character's life, could motivate them to pursue this goal. The following needs are all possibilities, but only one of them should be the primary driver for any given character. For more information on the relationship between human needs and outer motivations, please see​ this ​Character Motivation tutorial.

Self-Actualization: If a character was part of a prophesy and stopping an event from happening was their destiny, this desire to fufill their life's meaning could drive them to achieve the goal.
Esteem and Recognition: When a character has failed in an important duty or dropped the ball and negatively impacted others, they would seek a way to erase this mistake or do something to make up for it. Trying to stop a harmful event before it could affect others could restore their self-worth and prove that they are capable, responsible, and worthy of esteem.
Love and Belonging: If a character loved someone and that person was about to do something that would put them forever out of reach, they would do anything in their power to keep that from happening.
Safety and Security: Danger is often unexpected and comes in all shapes and forms. If a character or their loved ones were threatened by an event, they would do everything they could to stop it. 
Physiological Needs: Death is the ultimate event people wish to avoid. If the character's life was in the balance and they could do something to prevent it, their survival instinct would kick in.

HOW THE CHARACTER MAY PREPARE FOR THIS GOAL:
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POSSIBLE SACRIFICES OR COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS GOAL:
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ROADBLOCKS WHICH COULD PREVENT THIS GOAL FROM BEING ACHIEVED:
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TALENTS & SKILLS THAT WILL HELP THE CHARACTER ACHIEVE THIS GOAL:
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WHAT'S AT STAKE IF THIS GOAL ISN'T MET?
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CLICHÉS TO AVOID:
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