CHARACTER MOTIVATION THESAURUS

SOLVING A PROBLEM (KIDLIT)



Never struggle with Show-and-Tell again. Activate your free trial or subscribe to view the Character Motivation Thesaurus in its entirety, or visit the Table of Contents to explore unlocked entries.

CHOOSE MY PLAN

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:
Fixing a damaged friendship
Deciding what's right in a given situation
Buying an expensive item, such as a car, gaming system, or Mother's Day gift
Waiting for an exciting event, such as Christmas, a birthday, or a sleepover
Winning a school council election
Overcoming a fear
Coming to grips with a disability or illness
Dealing with a bully
Landing one's dream job
Learning to get along with a sibling
Overcoming a roadblock (writer's block, stage fright, etc.) to a desired goal
Finding one's birth parents
Solving a mystery (finding a murderer, debunking a local myth, figuring out what's making the kids at school sick, etc.)
Becoming valedictorian
Getting into the college of one's choice
Solving a cultural or societal problem (caring for the homeless, providing tutoring for low-income students, etc.)
Convincing one's parents that a formerly denied freedom should be granted, such as getting a driver license or dating

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: This need would be impacted if the problem's solution would help the character feel more fully actualized, such as them solving a problem impacting society or inventing a product in an area of their passion.
Esteem and Recognition: The character's esteem may be at risk if the problem is one that lowers his opinion of himself or other people's opinion of him. This could be the case if the character is failing at school or struggling with a sport or artistic endeavor, for instance.
Love and Belonging: A problem that exists with a parent, sibling, friend, or love interest could cause them to feel a void in the love and belonging department, pushing them to find a solution in order to fill that need.
Safety and Security: This could become an issue if the problem needing a solution is a safety issue, such as an untrained pet that constantly escapes the house and runs into the road.

HOW THE CHARACTER MAY PREPARE FOR THIS GOAL:
...

POSSIBLE SACRIFICES OR COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS GOAL:
...

ROADBLOCKS WHICH COULD PREVENT THIS GOAL FROM BEING ACHIEVED:
...

TALENTS & SKILLS THAT WILL HELP THE CHARACTER ACHIEVE THIS GOAL:
...

WHAT'S AT STAKE IF THIS GOAL ISN'T MET?
...