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✍️screenwriting ii review

Core drivers

Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025
Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025

Definition

Core drivers are the fundamental motivations and internal forces that propel a character's actions and decisions within a narrative. These drivers shape a character's goals, influence their relationships, and stem from their backstory, creating depth and authenticity in their portrayal. Understanding core drivers is essential for developing believable characters that resonate with audiences.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

  1. Core drivers can include desires such as love, revenge, power, or redemption, which guide a character's choices throughout the story.
  2. They are often rooted in a character's backstory, influencing how past experiences shape their current motivations and actions.
  3. Understanding core drivers allows writers to create more relatable and complex characters that engage the audience emotionally.
  4. Characters with strong core drivers are more likely to undergo significant growth or change by the end of the narrative.
  5. Exploring a character's core drivers can lead to richer conflict and stakes in the story, as these motivations often clash with other characters or circumstances.

Review Questions

  • How do core drivers influence a character's decisions throughout a narrative?
    • Core drivers significantly impact a character's decisions by serving as the underlying motivations behind their actions. For instance, if a character's core driver is revenge, this will shape not only their choices but also how they interact with other characters and respond to challenges. By having these clear motivations, writers can create more compelling narratives where characters' choices feel authentic and resonate with the audience.
  • In what ways can understanding a character's backstory enhance the portrayal of their core drivers?
    • Understanding a character's backstory is crucial for revealing their core drivers because it provides context for their motivations. A traumatic event in their past may explain their fear of intimacy or desire for power. By weaving in elements of their history, writers can create layered characters whose actions are driven by deep-seated emotions and experiences, making them more relatable and believable to the audience.
  • Evaluate how core drivers can lead to both internal and external conflicts in a narrative.
    • Core drivers can create both internal and external conflicts that enrich the storytelling experience. For example, if a character's core driver is to achieve success at any cost, this may lead them to clash with moral values (internal conflict) or with other characters who oppose their ambitions (external conflict). This duality creates tension in the narrative, as characters struggle with their desires while facing obstacles that challenge those very motivations, ultimately driving the plot forward.