I have been contemplating character purpose lately.As a key part of characterisation, most people would agree that a character needs to have some desire that propels them - a driving force for their actions. In a more classic sense, a Quest in which they are searching for something. Of course, not everyone agrees with this theory. Some writers, while noting this element of storytelling, choose to do the opposite and leave the character a blank slate in that department, perhaps with a quirky personality, but pretty much pushed around by the forces of their world. Not my favourite type of book, although enjoyed by a certain breed of stylists who throw darts at plot structure.
Robert McKee, in his book Story (and seminar series), talks about conscious and unconscious desire. If any of you have run into McKee before you would know he is an advocate of structure with a capital S. In McKee's view, a character must follow a conscious desire. If they, perhaps through self-revelation or temporary defeat, abandon this desire, it must be because having delved a little deeper they have found their true desire (which they had not realised until this point) or their unconscious desire (which of course is now a conscious one).
I would have to say I agree with McKee completely on this point, but then again I absolutely hate books where the character is at the whims of their world and makes no attempt to solve their own problems or make their own way.
There is one important distinction. I like the heroic journey, but a character can be firmly driven by their purpose and yet ultimately fail without invalidating the story. It's not fun, maybe it is not heroic, but it is consistent storytelling that does not betray the reader's expectations where the character is concerned (although it stands a good chance of disappointing them).
What do you think? Does a character always have to driven by a clear desire/purpose/goal?
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I remember seeing the spectacle of the Sorcerer's Apprentice trailer, way back, and being unmoved by the pretty pictures.
I decided it was because no one in the trailer *wanted* anything. I still haven't seen the movie.
In contrast, IIRC, even in the trailer for Percy: Lightning Thief (or whatever it was called) Percy's desperate need was made clear.
I try to remind myself to know clearly what my characters want. It sounds a lot easier than it is, though.
I was also put off the Sorcerer's Apprentice by the trailer, but ended up enjoying the film. That sense of purpose did not come through strongly, and I think that in some ways Cage was the wrong choice for that character (even though I enjoy him in other roles).
There is so much to think about writing and in characterisation, it's hard to keep your finger on the pulse of everything at once:) I at least try to think about it a lot at the beginning and hopefully it comes through.
I hate to admit it, but when I saw you talking about the Sorceror's Apprentice, my first thought was Fantasia...
I like it when a character wants something really badly, has to question their moral stance, learns through the course of the book and comes out the end a changed person.
I don't want much, do I?
Usually the character has to have some sort of motivation. However, it always seemed to me that the main character in Dave's Dragon's Ring started out - and spent a great deal of the book - not knowing what she wanted. What made the book so enjoyable was the journey of finding the journey...
The girl in Dragon Ring may not have had an overriding want from the beginning but she had extremely powerful immediate needs. She wanted not to die. As an infant she wanted to live and she was hungry. The world conformed to her wishes. As a teenager then she wanted to warn her village and she wanted it desperately.
It's true that she didn't have any particular long term goals or needs.
I don't think a character has to have an overwhelming need/desire at the beginning of the book/story but they better get one quick if it's gonna work for me.
A good example is Dragons of Autumn Twilight by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. At the beginning of the story they're just a bunch of guys at the inn having their first meal together in years. Then a couple of them are attacked by goblins, but manage to get through it.
By the end of the trilogy though, they're literally saving the world. The journey between is chock full of pressing issues that need solving and that's what makes the story.
Hi, Mike. I really, really wish they had not included that sequence in the Sorcerer's Apprentice movie. Not sure if you have seen the movie or not, but they did a version of the Micky Mouse 'Sorcerer's Apprentice' sequence. I did not think it fit with the movie.
Hi, Rowena. That's an interesting way to look at it - bring conflict into the equation straight away. Might use that. . .
Hi, Chris. I have not read Dragon Ring yet - my copy is still making its way across the pond from Amazon. I'll have to read it and see, although maybe the characters initial 'conscious' desire was to go an a journey and seek their purpose:)
Hi, Jim. I think there is a certain amount of leeway at the beginning of the book to introduce the character and the world before you need to get down to business, so that works for me. I havn't read those books - must check them out. Cheers,
Haven't seen it (or even heard about it) -- the transition to movies in Japan is odd, and given that I don't bother watching them, I'm well out of touch. I just think of the Sorcerer's Apprentice as Micky, with his broom and all that. I may have to dig out a copy of Fantasia (I think we have a CD, but it might be video tape) and watch it again.
Hum, imdb and Wikipedia seem to think this is sorta, kind of inspired by Fantasia, if you squint? Weird, a live action SFX movie set in New York... huh. I may have to watch for that one.
I haven't read the book yet, but apparently Drive by Daniel Pink suggests that humans are motivated by three things: autonomy, the desire to control their work; mastery, the desire to get better at what they do, to learn and create; and purpose, the desire to be part of something bigger than the individual. Now, it seems to me that this applies to our characters, too. Sure, you can drop walls on them and make them jump, but to have a really satisfying story, the character needs to control their own destiny, learn and get better at things, and have a purpose, something more than just avoiding the walls that the author is pushing over on them. So, yeah, a clear desire/purpose/goal makes sense to me.
I mean, what's the engine of a story? It's not just conflict, but conflict getting in the way of the character going somewhere/doing something -- which sure sounds like desire/purpose/goal to me. So show us (the reader) what the character wants, then put roadblocks in the way, and then have the character force their way through... in pursuit of that golden fleece.
A Character doesn't generally start out with the same purpose he has at the end. Take "Firefly" as an example. Mel just wants to keep his friends and crew safe. And every time he turns around, he winds up playing the hero, or grumily extending the definition of friends and crew, fighting for something he had no intension of getting involved with.
Guess that's part of the Hero's Journey type plot. A critical point is the MC committing to the cause.
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