CHARACTER MOTIVATION THESAURUS

HAVING IT ALL (DARK)



Never struggle with Show-and-Tell again. Activate your free trial or subscribe to view the Character Motivation Thesaurus in its entirety, or visit the Table of Contents to explore unlocked entries.

CHOOSE MY PLAN

HELPFUL TIP:

To understand why your character is driven toward a certain goal, get to know their positive and negative traits, as well as any significant emotional wounds that might be motivating them. Then you can explore the various kinds of conflict that could block them as they move toward their goal.
NOTES:
For characters with this goal, greed is like a cancer that is all consuming and doesn't stop growing. They're never satisfied with their acquisitions or accomplishments and will always be seeking more. This goal is similar to PROFITEERING, with the main difference being that those pursing the latter are focused solely on making money, while characters wanting to have it all could succeed by accumulating wealth, power, or another commodity.

FORMS THIS MIGHT TAKE:
An insatiable need for
wealth
power
prestige (being the best at something, cornering a market, etc.)
information

HUMAN NEED DRIVING THE GOAL (INNER MOTIVATION):
There are five basic human needs that, when missing from a character's life, could motivate them to pursue this goal. The following needs are all possibilities, but only one of them should be the primary driver for any given character. For more information on the relationship between human needs and outer motivations, please see this Character Motivation tutorial.

Esteem and Recognition: This is a common goal for characters who believe that worth and value are tied up in a certain commodity, such as wealth or glory. Acquiring that commodity temporarily fills that void and makes them feel more important, fueling their need for more and more of it.
Love and Belonging: A character who lacks meaningful connections with others may try to win their love or affection by acquiring these things. For instance, a daughter whose father only shows acceptance when she succeeds may pursue prestige as a way of earning her dad's love.
Safety and Security: A character who grew up feeling unsafe may believe that a certain commodity (e.g., domination or power) will ensure they never feel that lack of security again.

HOW THE CHARACTER MAY PREPARE FOR THIS GOAL:
...

POSSIBLE SACRIFICES OR COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS GOAL:
...

ROADBLOCKS WHICH COULD PREVENT THIS GOAL FROM BEING ACHIEVED:
...

TALENTS & SKILLS THAT WILL HELP THE CHARACTER ACHIEVE THIS GOAL:
...

WHAT'S AT STAKE IF THIS GOAL ISN'T MET?
...

CLICHÉS TO AVOID:
...