Today’s episode is Logic versus Emotion. What I’m talking about is what motivates a character. A lot of times when I’m crafting a story I look for logical reasons for characters to do things. The hero thinks, “I must save the beautiful girl who-I-think-I-love from the evil zombie space dinosaurs as she has the map that leads to the treasure.” But what about the hero’s maiden aunt who just might happen to be with him? That logic won’t work for her if she thinks the girl is a, “Cheap floozie who got herself into that situation by being stupid, and I’m comfortable enough I don’t need any buried treasure.” There is some emotional motivation in those viewpoints; the hero thinks he loves the girl and the maiden aunt thinks the girl is a tart, but it is logic that is stronger. I’m just now starting to explore the potential of emotional motivations that may be an additional tool to propel characters into action when logic may say “no.”
Audio Files: Coming Soon
Tags: emotion, logic, motivation, plot, Writing Tips
