By Ali Brandon
I’m one of those writers
that we call “pantsers”…I write by the seat of my pants without a whole lot of
prep. We pantsers run on instinct and flashes of brilliance, and we cross our
fingers and hope it all works out. And usually it does, though not without a
lot of sweat toward the end trying to wrap up all the loose ends.
This is as opposed to
the “planner” types. You know who you are! You folks outline and write bios on
your characters and pretty well have your story locked in before you begin.
But, pantser or planner, sometimes we all have problems when it comes to
establishing logical motivation for our characters. So what to do when this
happens?
My best advice is to go
back to the basics…and I’m talking WAY back. When you’re stumped for a motive,
maybe when you’ve tangled yourself up in too complicated a background for your
characters, why not go classical, even Biblical? Tap into The Seven
Deadly Sins for the very fundamental motivations for humans since the
beginning.
So, here you go. These
sins obviously will apply to your villains…though, in moderation, they also
serve as the necessary flaw in an otherwise likable hero or heroine:
·
WRATH – More commonly known as anger, Wrath is always
a great motive. My killers all seem to be driven at least partially by rage of
some sort, whether it is anger at the world for some perceived injustice, or
anger at a particular person who they feel has done them wrong. As we all
know—in real life, as well as in fiction—wrath can lead to murder, whether
spontaneous or premeditated.
·
Greed – A staple of caper novels, Greed is
usually--but not always--a motivation for theft. Greed, however, does not
always have to be about money. Maybe your antagonist wants to control all the
land in town, and your protagonist must try to stop his takeover. Or maybe said
villain wants your hero’s great job, beautiful family, and overall successful
life, and tries to destroy him or her to gain this.
·
Sloth --This sin is a bit harder to incorporate,
but it’s still a useful one. Sloth can translate to a character’s deliberate
inaction, which can result in something bad happening to a good person, setting
the story line into motion.
·
Pride -- This sin can be a flaw, but it also can
be a positive. In my BLACK CAT BOOKSHOP MYSTERIES, my protagonist, Darla
Pettistone, has pride in her store and her employees, and this spurs many of
her actions, including searching out murderers. But a villain overcome by Pride
may stoop to all sorts of crimes, including murder, in order to keep his proud
façade intact.
·
Lust -- We all know about Lust! It can lead to
many other bad things: cheating on spouses, sex crimes, even murder. I write
cozy mysteries, so I haven’t tapped into this sin yet…but I might.
·
Envy -- When I envy you, I want what you
have…but if I can’t have it, I don’t want you to have it, either. Envy is a
sneaky little sin. It can appear as nothing worse than a bit of pettiness but,
nurtured, it can lead to other, more serious sins…again, even murder.
·
Gluttony -- A 1st cousin to greed, and not only
related simply to food. Gluttony is indulging in too much of anything. I may be
rich, but I want to be richer! And sometimes the accumulation of wealth
requires removing certain people from the picture.
And there you are. Now,
next time you’re stumped for a motive for your bad guy or gal, simply reach for
one of the Seven!
________________________________________________________________
Ali
Brandon is
the New York Times bestselling author of the Black Cat Bookshop Mystery series
from Berkley Prime Crime. Book 4 in the series, LITERALLY MURDER, will be on
the shelf September 30. Writing under her real name, Diane A.S. Stuckart, Ali
penned the popular Leonardo da Vinci historical mystery series, which has
received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Library Journal, as well as
a Florida Book Award. Additionally, she is the author of five critically
reviewed historical romances, which will soon be re-released as eBooks. A
native Texan with a degree in Journalism from the University of Oklahoma, Diane
a/k/a Ali now lives in South Florida. She’s a member of Mystery Writers of
America and the Cat Writers Association. Visit her atwww.dianestuckart.com, and be sure to “like” Hamlet on Facebook:www.Facebook.com/blackcatbookshopmysteries .
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