406 To Do or Not to Do: Why is my character acting this way? Why now? An in-depth look at character motivation (ENGLISH)

“You carry those groceries into the study, Freddy, honey, because…” is part of a quote from the play NOISES OFF by Michael Frayn, and accounts a moment when in the tech run before opening night, one of the actors dares to ask the director what the motivation is for him to carry a bundle of groceries into the study. Jitters abound and the director is losing it. He gives Freddy a motivation that is trumped up nonsense and then, when pushed, explodes and gives him the real motivation which, as far as he’s concerned, is that it’s after midnight and the show opens tonight and, basically, this is way too late to be talking about motivation! My sub title is “the motivation of the moment, the tipping point,” and the director, at least, has reached his! Having married an actress, motivation is something I’m keenly aware of in my own writing and yet it surprises me how little it is talked about in the world of literary fiction. Like actors, our characters must operate out of believable impulses and provocations. Motivation grows out of cause and effect: Your character reacts and it is critical that they react in a way that is “in character.” Motivation should be manifest in anything they say or do, based on their needs. How do we go about outfitting our “cast” with fitting motivation? We will watch the scene and delve into the world of the stage, quoting from such notable theatrical minds as Uta Hagen, Konstantin Stanislavski, and Joseph Chakin and finding in their remarks a number of exercises. According to my old HANDBOOK TO LITERATURE, “The chief difference between amateurish, puerile fiction and great works of imaginative power lies in this very question of motivation.” I rest my case.

Instructor

Tim Wynne-Jones