Character's Goal
(Outer Motivation): Beating an illness
Forms This Might Take:
Determining to overcome an illness that can be deadly, like cancer or HIVLearning to live with a chronic illness (fibromyalgia, diabetes, STDs, lupus, etc.)Learning to live with decreased physical mobility (due to paralysis, loss of a limb, a disease like polio or cerebral palsy, a stroke, etc.)Coming to grips with a diagnosis of mental illness
Human Need Driving the Goal
(Inner Motivation): safety and security
How the Character May Prepare for This Goal:
Adopting a healthier lifestyle (eating organic foods, exercising more, getting more sleep, etc.)
Researching the illness or condition
Seeking a second opinion
Resorting to options one may previously have disdained (natural remedies, homeopathic medicine, spiritual healers, etc.)
Trying any option, even risky or questionable ones
Becoming more spiritual than one was
Bargaining with God (if you heal me I'll go to church more/be kinder/give up a habit/etc.)
Cutting out negative influences
Participating in medical trials or taking experimental drugs
Identifying the stressors in one's life and getting rid of them (cutting back on work hours, resigning from an authority position on a board, etc.)
Taking more time to relax
Spending more time with family
Spending more time doing what one loves (writing, gardening, working out, fishing, etc.)
Expressing gratitude; viewing every day as a gift
Adopting a personal mantra, positive saying, or Bible verse
Giving up activities or hobbies that have become too strenuous
Recognizing one's new limits and accepting them
Accepting help from others
Accepting that one's life will be drastically different than it once was
Possible Sacrifices or Costs Associated With This Goal:
Having to give up beloved hobbies and pastimes that are too strenuous or taxing
Losing the respect of others who think the illness is all in one's head
Losing one's job due to wanting to cut out stress or spend more time at home
Missing out on promotions or advancements in one's career
Being unable to help others as one would like due to having to take care of oneself
Sacrificing quality of life in favor of gaining more time
Having to give up on lifelong dreams upon acknowledging the seriousness of one's condition
Having to give up certain friends due to a need to cut out negativity
Giving up one's independence and having to rely on others
Roadblocks Which Could Prevent This Goal from Being Achieved:
Side effects from drugs
Unforeseen health complications that make it difficult for one to get better (fatigue making exercise impossible, food allergies that make healthy eating difficult, etc.)
Depression
Negative thought patterns that encourage doubts about one's ability to get betterInept, indifferent, uninformed, or close-minded medical practitioners
Crappy health insurance
Not having the necessary financial resources
A lack of family support
Other medical conditions that complicate one's new diagnosis
Guilt over not being able to care for one's family as one once could
Addictions that make it harder for one to get better (alcohol interfering with medications, etc.)
Denial; wanting to get better but refusing to face all the facts and do what's necessary
Religious beliefs that get in the way of healing (relying on prayer and rejecting medical treatment, refusing any medical treatments that aren't "natural", rejecting surgery because it defiles the body, etc.)
Talents and Skills That Will Help the Character Achieve This Goal:
Herbalism
Regeneration
High Pain Tolerance
Research
Possible Fallout For the Protagonist if This Goal Is Not Met:
Death
Living a life that is less healthy and active than it could be
Falling away from friends and family members who can't watch one deteriorate without trying to get better
Self-doubt and self-loathing; hating what one has become and blaming oneself
A shortened remaining lifespan that leaves one in regret
Becoming highly negative
Becoming mired in resentment and anger that drives others away
Clichés to Avoid:
The amputee or paralysis victim who refuses treatment and begs for death, only to eventually recognize the need to fight for his/her life
Deus ex machina cures that rob the character of the ability to heal himself (a miraculous faith healing, a supernatural healing phenomenon—being struck by lightning, a near-death experience, etc.)
(Found on http://writershelpingwriters.net/2016/11/character-motivation-thesaurus-entry-beating-a-diagnosis-or-condition/)
YOU ARE READING
Designing Your Character & Other Handy Things 2
RandomCharacters are hard to create. In fact, last time we all checked, books are hard to create. What's a writer to do? Don't fear, my friend. Maplefoot has got you covered. Welcome to the second edition of 'Designing Your Character & Other Handy Thi...
