What's my motivation?

Porsha is not amused by tales of dogs and foxes.

We all know that the quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog, but what I want to know is why? After all, it could have gone tiptoed past the dog. It could have given the dog a wide berth, and gone down the pub instead (the Fox and Hounds, presumably). Or maybe it actually jumped over the dog on a motorbike, as part of a charity fundraiser, but history has simplified the event?

Motivation and purpose are key elements of good characterisation. Yes, we need to know who the goodies, baddies and ambiguities are, but we also need to understand what made them that way and what governs their actions.

A mindless psychopath is infinitely more fulfilling as a protag or an antag once we encounter an event that triggered their behaviour, or discover the childhood incident which was a warning sign that all was not well.

It's true of other figures too. When we understand why Mr Darcy reacts to Elizabeth Bennet the way he does, our feelings for him change - he shows complexity and vulnerability, and perhaps a little more swoonability (I'm guessing here).

This subtle reveal needs a light touch, and is best achieved without a surfeit of adverbs. Consider this slice of Flash Fiction* (which I will now hastily make up to order)...

He watched the fly crawl up the chopstick, marvelling at its instinct for survival. Seven times now, and still it found the strength to escape the water in the beaker. The fly was only millimetres from the end before he gently lifted it on to his finger, and then flicked it back to the bottom of the beaker. "Nice try," he smiled. His other hand, palm upwards, held the glistening insect wings he had pulled off at the start of the experiment.

I don't know about you, but that guy makes my flesh creep. However, I also want to know what makes him tick. Maybe if I can appreciate what made him turn out like this I can overcome my revulsion and keep on reading.

Motivation and purpose add layers of depth to your characters. Knowing what drives them, and perhaps what they're running away from, can suggest actions and reactions you might never otherwise have considered. It can be the catalyst for the magical moment when your characters come to life and - as I've discovered twice in my novels - start arguing for their rights or suggest plot ideas.

So, do you know what makes your characters tick, and how to get that across to your readers?

And for the non-writing readers among you, does understanding Mr Darcy's motivations make him more desirable?

* As today is National Flash Fiction Day, allow me to introduce Kissing Frankenstein & Other Stories by Flash Fiction South West. You can also read a little more about it here.

"Ah Pain, thy name is Writing..."

Okay, here’s a little teaser for you:
What have Chopin, James Blunt, Rameses II, Kenneth Williams, Sheila Hancock, Arthur Schopenhauer, Bruce Forsyth and me got in common?
That’s right. We were all born on the same day. And this has been my ‘Get Out of Jail Free’ card for as long as I can remember. With a hand to the precocious brow I have escaped many a sideways remark with my claim to arty fame. We’re a very sensitive bunch, us Pisceans – although I’ve heard that anyone born between 19-22nd of any month could arguably be termed a Cuspian because it’s such a close call, day-wise. Anyway, we are the creative Cuspians of the Zodiac.
So there.

Woe-me-oh, woe-me oh!

I’m actually more than a little disappointed that Tony Hancock, Lord Byron and Sylvia Plath weren’t born on this day because at times I feel a total empathy with these people as well. And whenever Brucie’s on the TV, I always get a warm glow. But that could be more to do with the sofa; there’s probably a small empire of hitherto undiscovered life-form living in the depths of that and none of us would know.

Arthur Schopenhauer, as we all know, was the quintessential Philosopher of Pessimism and for that reason alone, I respectfully doff my creative Cuspian Cap; I bet HE turned up "Tears of a Clown" full blast too.


You see, for all the hard skin we writers have to develop, and be seen to be sporting, we’re nothing but a bunch of totally tormented artists, deep down. And this is what I find the toughest thing to cope with in writing. To harden my fragile, approval-seeking skin to the rigours of this very subjective pursuit.

I’ve been wondering recently if Dickens had had access to the internet, whether he’d be trawling through Amazon listings and the Authonomy website hoping to see his rankings increase. And if Jane Austen had a Facebook page, if she’d be constantly fretting over how many ‘likes’ ‘fans/friends’ she was getting daily. And how tortured would Shakespeare have become if he hadn’t got any comments on the blog post he’d spent ages honing to his idea of perfection that morning?

My internal meanderings even took me as far as finally understanding why and how and in what place Van Gogh must have been to have gouged off his own ear. Web-surfing will do that to ME at times. I guess it all boils down to the eternal struggle for artistic recognition, doesn’t it? Our readers. Our audience. The people that we hope we can entertain. The ones who will applaud our finer bits and perhaps ignore or heckle or reassure our bad. And if we don’t get the kind of support and recognition that we hope we deserve, that we strive to achieve, then at times it does make you feel like stuffing dampened blankets round the kitchen door frame and turning the gas up a bit.

My personal response to rejection disappointments is one of retreat. Much like the injured wild animal. I prefer to take my wounds away from societal scrutiny and go somewhere quiet and dark until I am repaired. Until I feel strong enough to try it all over again. Because this is an exhausting road we have lain before us - the road to literary success. And there are other, less scaredy-cats out there who seem to instinctively know how to bounce right back and keep on going for their particular kill.

Which is why Mother Nature invented Little (Literary) Chefs.
I haven’t given up my journey; I’m just having a pit-stop and rethinking my route, that’s all.
And the All-Day Breakfast looks nice too.

Quickfire Questions with...Phillipa Ashley

Phillipa Ashley is a freelance copywriter/journalist and talented author of contemporary romantic fiction. Her first novel won the Romantic Novelist Association’s Joan Hessayon New Writers Award, and The Little Black Dress imprint will publish her latest book, ‘It Should Have Been Me’, today!



Which 3 writers, dead or alive, would you invite to dinner?
Jane Austen, Ian Rankin and Bill Bryson

Favourite desktop snack?
My daughter’s home made cakes or a Snickers flapjack.

Longhand first or straight to computer?
Straight to computer unless I’m on holiday. Otherwise longhand.

A writer should never…
Let other people’s prejudices prevent them from writing the kind of books they want to.

Independent bookshop or Amazon?
Depends on who has my books in stock. There’s a place for both.

You really must read…
Gods Behaving Badly by Marie Philips
Case Histories by Kate Atkinson
Heaven Sent by Christina Jones
Anything and everything by Jane Austen

My biggest tip for success is…
Write from the heart and embrace supportive criticism from those you trust.

Email or phone?
Depends on what you want to say. I prefer to phone my agent and ed.

The writing achievement I am most proud of is…
Starting at the age of 41 – that’s also my biggest regret.

Tabloid or broadsheet?
All. I read them free at the gym!

If I were to try writing in another genre it would be…
Dark erotic fantasy. Under a different name, without my mum finding out.

The best thing about being a published author is…
Sharing my stories with real people and getting paid for doing that. Working with talented agent and editors. Meeting other authors.

Sophie Kinsella or Marian Keyes?
Um. Sorry but neither. I haven’t read any Sophie Kinsella so I can’t compare. I prefer Jill Mansell, Katie Fforde and Christina Jones.

If I could go back and do it all again I would…
Not worry about the destination so much and enjoy the journey more.