The Why???

I don't write a word until I've pinpointed motivation for a given character, even a minor one, because it's loads more important to me than any world building. It's usually as simple as a word: freedom, respect, affection, attention. Figure out what your character wants on the macro level and it becomes easier to figure out what they want on the micro level, and easier to write individual scenes. When I can imagine my characters walking around doing things in my every day life, I know I've succeeded, and can go ahead and start writing.

For me, the character stalling you're talking about usually happens because I'm trying to make my characters do something that isn't realistic for them.

Of course, this also means that my characters get away from me, sometimes, and do things I didn't explicitly plan for, but I'd rather have realistic characters than a perfectly plotted book. YMMV!

Well, in real life, the "why" for me is either "because I want to" or "because I need to."

So that tends to be how it is with my characters.

I always start out with a why, but sometimes the story gets away from me, and I need to find the new why to fit. When that happens, I just think about my characters and what's going on in their lives, or invent new plot events to drive people in one direction or another, and it usually comes together.

The WHAT is my problem.

Funny how it's so different for everyone. I have absolutely no problem at all with characters, settings, motivation. I just can't plot to save my (or my character's) life.

Smish

For me, the what generally defines the why; if I have a volcano going off, I don't have to think too hard to figure out why my characters are running.

It's just getting the believable whats that kill me.

I have a problem with the "what". I can't start a novel unless I feel a connection with the characters, and then I start plotting. I may have a general idea of where the book is going, but I usually get to a certain point and stop because I have no clue what's happening. Then my characters lead the way.

The Who (ha!) is always my biggest problem. I get the plot first, and then they why, and then the who. Maybe this is why I have problems with plot driven novels.

piano_island said:

What are you tricks and tips for finding your character's motivation? How to you figure out the why?

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Personally, I just think up the worst possible situation I could throw them into, and then the motivation becomes clear (i.e., character just witnessed a gang hit, now character has to escape scary gang members, etc).

egoodlett said:

Personally, I just think up the worst possible situation I could throw them into, and then the motivation becomes clear (i.e., character just witnessed a gang hit, now character has to escape scary gang members, etc).

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This is really helpful. I'm at the brink of starting my WIP, but like the original poster, I can't decide the why. I know my who, I know my where (these are the easiest things for me) I kinda know my what - just can't get that elusive why down. There's clues in the others...I just haven't found them yet. But the above clarifies things a bit further.

The worst thing I can imagine happening to my YA dancer is being kicked out of dance school or suffering career-ending injury. This brings her home (to my setting), but it doesn't bridge her to the other two characters that are vital to the story.

*sigh*

Maybe you have the wrong characters? I tend to come up with characters who are going to do what the plot requires they are the kind of people who will do their best to fight for their friends or try to avoid trouble or who will respond to pressure by fighting back or not - depending.
They develop as I write and that development will affect the plot - changing it or at least modifying it but their why is embedded in the whatt of the story and I work on them within the story not outside it.
I am wary of advice that focuses on developing character away from plot - the two are always related for me. My current story is about a warrior seeress who fulfills a promise to a dying friend because she needs a purpose to her life and she has nothing else to do: that character trait and motivation is intirisic to the story and the details of her character develop around those essentials.
If your characters don't want to generate a story being too interested in watching TV and hanging out either put them under such huge pressure that they change or get new characters : )