Character Motivation

One of the things that I learned from all my adventures in learning to be a successful writer is that the primary concern of any one of your characters is whatever it is they want from this story. It doesn't matter what the author wants, it's all about "me".

So in this new story I'm outlining, there are six main characters. Six may sound like a lot, but I plan on using just a few POVs. However, I wanted to remember what was motivating each of my characters in this story. I suddenly thought of a great "tag" line for one of them, so it seemed only natural for me to do one set for each character. This way, I can keep their motivation in mind as I write each part of the story. Each main characters motivations:

• What happens when six people band together to take out an insane, tyrant king? What if that guy is your dad?
• What if you had uncovered a way to save the world? What if that way held the secret to bringing back your memory?
• What if you believed you were the Queen of Legends? What if it were true and your unborn child was the heir to a kingdom?
• What if by teaming up with and assisting a band of adventurers, you could discover where your daughter is and who killed your wife?
• What if, by saving your country, you could redeem yourself of your past?
• What if, by saving your country, you could free those who had not escaped & win back the love of your life?

The last two are similar because both of those characters are in the military, and I found it appropriate for them to be similar. I figure if I type these up and print them out, then it might help me to keep the focus of what each character is about.

It's just an idea, it didn't take me long, and it's worth a try.