Tuesday's Inspiration - A story Is... #MFRWauthor

Once again, A quote from Dwight V. Swain. "A story is a succession of motivations and reactions."  Motivations are the reasons a character wants something. Reactions are the way they respond to what is happening around them. At least that's how I approach stories. While the goal may change and often does during a story the things driving a character and the way they react to situations remain the same. Most of the time.

While a character has a goal, remember the goal may change. An event occurs in a character's life. This event triggers reactions and the character can react in several ways. By feeling, by action or by speech. Usually in all of these ways. John sees Mary across the room. He has wanted her for years but she is with Joe. This triggers John into action. His feelings are engaged. He may cross the room and create a scene. He may use speech to create a diversion.

The same thing happens in any type of story the writer chooses to explore. There is an event that triggers a reaction. How the character reacts depends on how the character has developed by the writer. The reactions are emotional. That's the one thing to remember no matter how the character acts emotions are the first reaction. Then they choose either action or speech. Sometimes all three are displayed before the scene reaches an end.

During the journey to the end of the story where the character either attains the initial goal, has found a new goal or has lost the goal, there are segments of an event followed by reactions all resulting from the character's motivations.