by Anne R. Allen
The phrase “what’s my motivation” is a joke in the theater world. I remember rehearsing for a production of Alice in Wonderland when the actor playing the (very minor) role of the Cook, when told to cross the stage when the Duchess enters, yelled out “What’s my motivation” to the director. We all burst into laughter.
That’s because the line has become a cliché—mostly spoken by “method” actors who seem pretentious or precious when they ask the question, especially if they have small parts. These actors are supposed to work out the character’s inner thoughts by themselves.
This isn’t always true of film actors who are in scenes filmed out of order and have never seen the whole script. Film and TV actors are only provided “sides”—the snippet of script where they appear. So they really don’t know that their love interest was beheaded in the previous scene or the king has just announced they’re to be knighted.
But whether they work it out for themselves, or refer to the script or the director, the truth is that all these actors need to know what their characters want in this particular scene.
Writers need to know that about all their characters as well.
Motivation of Secondary Characters
The fact the phrase has become clichéd doesn’t mean a secondary character doesn’t need a motivation, however. Yes, the Cook needed motivation to cross the stage instead of staying put. But she could have worked it out by herself. Maybe she wanted to taste the soup in the cauldron on stage left, or she wanted to get out of the way of the unpleasant Duchess, or she just wanted a better look at Alice.
The naïve actress got one thing right: even minor characters need motivation for their actions. But a novelist doesn’t have an actor to work that out. You, as the author, need to know the motivations of your secondary characters as well the leads.
This is the secret to creating believable secondary characters.
What About the Pizza Guy’s Motivation?
No, you don’t have to spend time worrying about the motivation of the pizza delivery guy or the grocery store check-out clerk. That’s right there in the character’s description. Their motivation is to deliver pizza or check out your groceries.
I always advise writers to merely tag extremely minor characters rather than name them. If a character only appears once or has no direct relevance to the plot, giving him a name only confuses the reader.
I got a reminder of my own advice from my critique group just this week. I had given a waiter a name although he only appears once in the novel. He’s a college student who gives the main characters some needed information on Mexican history. One critique group member automatically found him suspicious. Was he there to spy on the protagonist? Did he have an ulterior motive? Nope.
So I had to decide whether to give him a more important role in the story or to strip him of his name. I chose to bring him back, because he’s a good guy, and the story needs some more good guys. And now he has a stronger motivation—to help his fellow Latinos in a time of crisis.
Give the Sidekick Some Personal Motivation
One of the characters that consistently lacks enough motivation in many genre novels is the sidekick. The sidekick is the best friend who is always there when the heroine is in a pickle or needs to share some mimosas. Or the naïve young cop who’s paired with the quirky old curmudgeon who never follows the rules but always gets the bad guy.
He’s Samwise Gamgee, ever-loyal to Frodo, and Sgt. Lewis, accepting rude put-downs from Inspector Morse, and guileless Captain Hastings, always astonished by Poirot’s brilliance. He’s John Watson, Sancho Panza, and Mercutio. I could go on…
The trouble is, a lot of these iconic characters play the part of “loyal companion” but don’t have their own needs. In Cervantes’ day, a “squire” wasn’t supposed to have any needs but to be loyal to his lord. But in a contemporary novel, readers want all characters to show their humanity, not simply act as chess pieces.
I think that’s why spin-offs, like the separate series “Lewis” was such a success. Viewers wanted Lewis to shine on his own. (Personally, I think it holds up much better than the original Inspector Morse series.)
A good example of a contemporary sidekick is Janet Evanovich’s Grandma Mazur, Stephanie Plum’s grandmother. Edna Mazur loves life and wants to get the most out of it. Her overall motivation is to refuse to age “gracefully.” In each scene her motivation is usually to break the rules and have some fun.
All Characters Need Motivation
This includes villains. One of the reasons I don’t enjoy serial killer mysteries is because the villain often lacks an interesting motivation. He’s just an evil sadist. I much prefer the English countryside murder mystery where the villain is the old dear who always gets first prize for her gooseberry jam at the village fete. Her motivation may be revenge for something that happened in “the war,” or a family feud that’s been going on since Victoria was on the throne.
That means the sleuth’s job is to find out why-dunnit as well as whodunnit. I find that much more interesting.
With all the mysteries out there, stories with a well-rounded villain with relatable needs will stand out.
Fleshed-Out Secondary Characters Make a Novel Sparkle
Are you stuck on a scene that seems “flat”? You can give it some oomph by giving the characters conflicting motivations.
- Liam wants to ask Olivia to the dance. But his older sister won’t let him borrow the car that night. Fine, but meh.
- Liam wants to ask Olivia to the dance, but his older sister won’t let him use the car because she doesn’t want him to go to the dance at all. That’s because she’s going to be there with a bad boy she’s been forbidden to see.
Now, I’m not saying that every character needs a complicated story arc. Big sister’s boyfriend doesn’t need to be a serial killer or a secret spy.
Of course you need to keep the main focus on the protagonist. But characters who have reasons for what they do are simply more interesting and more likely to keep the reader turning those pages.
by Anne R. Allen (@annerallen and annerallen.bsky.social) November 2, 2025
What about you, scriveners? Do all your characters have a motivation for what they do? In a “flat” scene, could you give it extra oomph by giving the secondary characters more urgent needs or wants?
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