Characterization - Part Two - The Inner Life

There are several characteristics that make up a characters inner life. They include, motivation, hobbies, religion, identity, beliefs, ethics, sex, friendships, self-awareness, etc. For this article, we will look at a few of these.

Let's take the same character we outlined in the previous article: Penny.

Motivation

Motivation is what drives a character to be active in his or her life. For example, a person could be motivated to get a degree in college if he or she hasn't ever had one. Motivation has to be strong enough to cause the person to take some kind of action in his or her life.

Penny is motivated by fear:

The following passage is from the first chapter of my book that I am writing titled "Romance On A Deserted Island-Or Is It?" This passage illustrates how fear motivated Penny.

When she saw her door slightly ajar, she began to be fearful, but the fear motivated her enough to where she entered her apartment. She saw her living room a complete disaster. Her papers from her desk drawers were thrown on the floor, sofa cushions were tossed on the floor, chairs turned over, and her pictures were turned sideways as if someone was looking for a safe.

Even though Penny saw her living room a complete disaster, she continued to search her apartment She entered the kitchen and saw her canned food on the counter, her utensils removed from the drawers, and the refrigerator door left open. Fear continued to rise inside, and when she entered the bathroom, fear overwhelmed her. She saw a dead body in the bathtub. At least she thought the person was dead. She turned and ran from her apartment and down the hall to her friend, Abby's apartment.

Writing

Writing and solving mysteries are other ways that Penny is motivated. She enjoys writing mysteries and solving cases in real life. She views life as a mystery because she never knows what will happen in life. Her writing is what motivates her. She has a desire to write and have things published, so she is constantly pursuing her writing. As a result of her creative abilities, she wants to help other people with their problems.

However, when her privacy is invaded like the passage I mentioned above, then Penny cannot handle her circumstances like she should. Even though her friend, Abby, was there to help her, she still let fear overwhelm her.

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