THIN MOTIVES

by Steven Steinbock

Last week I got to talking with you about character motivation. Knowing that this would be a busy week, I’d planned on sending the Criminal Brief Managing Editor a fun but fluffy column about words. But fluff and light will have to wait. The subject of motivation has remained with me. You could even say that I’m motivated to write more about it.

We all need our mojo, man.

Who said that?

Me. Mikey.

Mikey? From last week? I thought I was finished with you. You’re story is already written. I’ve gone on to other things.

I’ve been meaning to talk to you about that, dude.

Excuse me?

Like, when you started that story, it was all about me. But if you look at it now, you’d never have known.

That’s true. The seed – the image that triggered the whole story – was an action that could only have been done by a character like you. That’s why I created you.

’Preciate it, man.

No problem. You remained the POV character throughout the story. And that is still how it stands. The story is seen through your eyes, but the instant you called Paul for help, I realized that the story was all about him and the way he works. He took over as the protagonist.

Come on. You except me to believe that you didn’t plan it that way all along?

It’s true, Mikey. I didn’t know who Paul was until you introduced me to him. Then he just sort of took over.

Damn. Self-defeat has always been my strong suit. But dude, that’s water under the bridge. Let’s talk about the Oscars. Man, didn’t “Avatar” get shafted?

I don’t think so. “Avatar” was a beautifully designed movie, and it well deserved the visual effects, art direction and cinematography Oscars. It was a technical and visual masterpiece. But as a story it was dumb as nails.

Dude, you wound me.

Sorry. I enjoyed the movie. Very much. But as far as intelligent writing goes, it’s right up there with Jar Jar Binks. Now, Mikey, if you’ll excuse me, you’ve given me a great segue back to the topic of motivation, but you’ve taken most of my time.

Last week, in a comment to my column JLW said:

Character motivation is an essential part of story-telling, but one of the characteristics of a good short story is that only those character elements essential to the plot need to be exposited. Thus character motivation need only be explored in direct regard to the events depicted; all else is irrelevant. This is why “backstory” is so deadly to a good tale.

In other words, a character’s reason for doing what he does, and the driving force that keeps him going, are crucial for a story. Without motive, readers won’t care about the story, nor will they believe that the characters care. But it’s very easy for a writer to slap paper-thin motives on characters. This kind of motive is just a tag by another name. Character tags are unique characteristics. They help us distinguish one character from another. They are often quirky characteristics like a penchant for quoting Ovid, drinking single-malt Scotch, or collecting butterflies. Any one of these traits might be part of a fully rounded character, and in the hands of a Rex Stout or an Agatha Christie they result in unforgettable characters. But when an author imposes them on a character, rather than letting the character try them on herself, they are just paper tags on a cardboard cutout.

The motives of the characters in “Avatar” – like those of “Star Wars I: The Phantom Menace” – were forced, phony, clichéd, and embarrassing. The lead character (Jake, the paraplegic ex-marine driven motivated by the desire to fly and to complete his brother’s job) was almost believable. The character played by Signourney Weaver made so many character flip-flops that it was impossible to tell what drove her from minute to minute. If Sigourney’s role was cardboard, then the role of Colonel Quaritch (played by Stephen Lang) was toilet-paper thin. To call it a comic-book caricature of a military man would unfairly malign comic books. His overblown GI Joe persona would work fine on a farce or a sit-com, but I don’t think that was James Cameron’s intention. Had a penny been spent on serious writing for every thousand dollars spent on special effects, “Avatar,” like “The Phantom Menace,” would have been as intelligent as they were spectacular. That’s just my two cents.

MURDER IN THE CITY OF ANGELS

Late in the game I decided to hoof it out West for the Left Coast Crime Convention which is being held in Los Angeles this year. By the time you read this, I’ll be in LA hobnobbing with James Lincoln Warren and Melodie Johnson Howe. If you happen to be there as well, be sure to say hi.

I’ll be back next week. And unless I’m subjected to another interruption by the fictional Mikey, I hope to explore when it’s okay to stretch credibility of plot and character motives