Authors talk a lot about motivation, often speaking in general terms. In a writing group, if a fellow member is stuck, we will ask them what their characters want most and what they’re willing to do to obtain it.
That question is a good place to start, but it is only the surface layer of the pond.
- Motivation is sometimes defined as the overall quest.
- Motives are more intimate, secrets held closely by the characters.
I like to use a watershed scene from the book The Fellowship of the Ring, as an example of this. If you have only seen the movie, you haven’t seen the real story as Tolkien himself told it. Let’s look at the Council of Elrond.
This scene is the only one where most of the characters are gathered in one place. They are there to decide who will mount the quest to destroy the One Ring. The scene is set in Rivendell, Elrond’s remote mountain citadel.
Each character attending the council has arrived there on a separate errand. Each has different hopes for what will ultimately come from the meeting. Despite their various agendas, each is ultimately concerned with the Ring of Power. Each wants to protect their people from Sauron’s depredations if he were to regain possession of it.
This scene serves several functions:
Information/Revelation: The Council of Elrond conveys information to both the protagonists and readers.
It is a conversation scene, driven by the fact that each person in the meeting has knowledge the others need. Conversations are good when they deploy necessary information. Remember, plot points are driven by the characters who have critical knowledge.
The fact that some characters are working with limited information creates tension. At the Council of Elrond, many things are discussed, and the whole story of the One Ring is explained, with each character offering a new piece of the puzzle. The reader and the characters receive the information simultaneously at this point in the novel.
Every person in the Fellowship is motivated by the need to keep the One Ring from falling into Sauron’s hands. This is the acknowledged reason for their accompanying Frodo and is the core plot point around which the story unfolds.
Yet, everyone attending the council has an unspoken agenda that will affect Frodo’s mission. Ultimately, those secret motives are the undoing of some and the making of others.
Samwise is a loyal friend who refuses to leave Frodo’s side. Fear that Frodo will need him forces him to insist on being included.
Pippin and Merry have similar but different reasons—they don’t want to be left out if Frodo and Sam are going on an adventure. Their motives are simple at the outset but become more complicated as their stories diverge and unfold.
Boromir desires the Ring for what he believes is a noble purpose and intends to take it to Minas Tirith. He knows the power of the Ring and believes that if he possesses it, Gondor will return to its former glory and be safe forever. He will rule the world with a just hand.
Thus, Boromir’s true motive is a quest for personal power. His agenda kicks into place at Amon Hen.
The Council of Elrond serves several functions:
Information/Revelation: The Council of Elrond conveys information to both the protagonists and readers. It is a conversation scene, driven by the fact that each person in the meeting has knowledge the others need. Plot points are propelled by the characters who have critical knowledge. Again, limited information creates tension.
Interracial bigotry emerges, and a confrontation ensues. At the Council of Elrond, long-simmering racial tensions between Gimli the Dwarf and Legolas the Elf surface. Each is confrontational by nature, and it’s doubtful whether they will agree to work together.
Sometimes, a verbal confrontation gives the reader the context needed to understand why the action occurred. The conversation and reaction give the scene context, which is critical. A scene that is all action can be confusing if it has no context.
Other conflicts are explored, and heated exchanges occur between Aragorn and Boromir.
Pacing: We have action/confrontation in this vignette, followed by conversation and the characters’ reactions.
Negotiation: What concessions will be required to achieve the final goal? These concessions must be negotiated.
First, Tom Bombadil is mentioned as one who could safely take the Ring to Mordor as it has no power over him. Gandalf feels he would simply lose the Ring or give it away because Tom lives in his own reality and doesn’t see Sauron as a problem.
Bilbo volunteers, but he is too old and frail. Others offer, but none are accepted as good candidates for the job of ring-bearer for one reason or another.
Each justification Gandalf and Elrond offer for why these characters are wrong for the job deploys a tidbit of information the reader needs.
Turning Point: After much discussion, revelations, and bitter arguments, Frodo declares that he will go to Mordor and dispose of the Ring, giving up his chance to live his remaining life in the comfort and safety of Rivendell. Sam emerges from his hiding place and demands to be allowed to accompany Frodo. This is the turning point of the story.
The movie portrays this scene differently, with Pip and Merry hiding in the shadows. Also, in the book, the decision about who will accompany Frodo, other than Sam, is not made for several days, while the movie shortens it to one day.
The fundamental laws of physics, the rules that govern the universe, are in force here: Everything in that chapter happens for a reason. There is always a causative factor.
- Without a cause, there is no effect.
- Cause is motivation.
- Effect becomes cause, which becomes motivation.
- Motivation is a chain reaction of cause and effect, which becomes the story.
And it’s all traceable back to the character’s desire to do or have something.
Characters that feel too shallow sometimes lack sufficient personal motivations. The reader can’t see why they would buy into the larger quest.
If we have supplied each character with a secret backstory, those hinted-at motives can sometimes push the story into newer, more original waters.
And, isn’t that what we readers are looking for? We read because we are searching for a story that feels new, one that offers us a fresh view of the world through the characters’ eyes.
Credits and Attributions:
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings, Theatrical release poster, New Line Cinema, © 2001, all rights reserved. Wikipedia contributors, “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Lord_of_the_Rings:_The_Fellowship_of_the_Ring&oldid=1186704895 (accessed December 3, 2023). Fair Use.
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