Writing: Motivations

[arc_stormcrow]

Motivations are something I'm still trying to lock down. Why are specific people doing certain things

Comments

[chazari]

Don't forget things like money and socio-economic issues. I may sell my soul to put bread on the table or because I am a bit shallow and want money. Love is a fun one as well. What would you do for love?

[arc_stormcrow]

That's possible, but this character wouldn't actually wants for basics - he worked for the government, so while he wouldn't be rich, he'd have been comfortable. The other side couldn't offered him looting rights, perhaps, but doesn't have the resources to really appeal to greed. For greed, he'd have been better off staying where he was and being corrupt.

Still, it's got some potential for other

[arcane_the_sage]

Let's not forget trauma, magic, curses and divine intervention as possible reasons for a switch. Miracles are fine and dandy, but if the other deity actually reaches out to the character in more direct way (whether personally or through high level agents) then that could be enough to spark a conversion. Likewise a near death experience that involves the other deity being perceived as a savior could be a useful little nudge. Likewise, a miracle of the old god turning bad or being used outright against the character could spark a conversion.

[arc_stormcrow]

The gods act through their agents, and he was on the side of those priests. The stragglers on the other side can't marshal that sort of power. The best that side two can do is the first side-changer, who is roughly as powerful as the main character (and not as powerful as the priests).

The trauma angle, though, has some potential. :)

[goddess_help_me]

Fear is also a powerful motivator. Fear of loss, in particular. People will go to great lengths to keep someone/something they're afraid of losing.

[arc_stormcrow]

I'm toying with this one, though it might be a little bit too related to the first character. Keeping it open, though.

[sylvanstargazer]

Have you considered incidental-marginalization? For example, try googling "womanism". The idea is that while you might agree with the main thrust of an organization, something else that the main organization ignores or is actively working against is also important to you, and it can provoke more intense reactions than people with whom you are just diametrically opposed

[arc_stormcrow]

That sounds the sort of thing that I'm aiming for. The main character was an enforcer for the first side (a sort of US Marshal/Jedi), so swapping to the second side takes a lot. Something needed to get under his skin enough to get him to fight others who were like him. This might be a starting point.

[sistahraven]

This.

[carthalon]

If sylvanstargazer's idea doesn't quite hit home - try referencing FF VII - Cloud flips sides during a traumatic moment when Tifa is injured, his hero goes berzerk, and he finds out the organization he works for is not on the same side he thought they were. A little over-handed, but effective for a near-instant reversal.

Another idea that I'm going to use in a book is akin to working with the devil. In other words - your job/duty exposes you to morally corrupting actions/ideas on a daily basis, but you are honor-bound to keep doing it, even though you know its already affecting you. A slight push and...Oops!, you're on the wrong side of the moral line...permanently. And your moral compass won't let you go back, or you hate "them" for making you make the choices that caused your downfall/damnation.