What makes us do what we do?
This is a subject as old as thought.
I am no philosopher, but I think on this from time to time.
It's hard not to think of these sorts of things as a middle manager. It's nearly reflexive for me to ask the simple question, "Why?" multiple times a day.
I have come to an answer after years of half-assed deliberation on the matter.
It all comes down to want.
I don't mean greed or desire or any other synonym. I mean want. We want things. We want what our neighbor has. We want to be the one to plant the flag at the mountain top. We want to help. We want to survive.
This is what drives us forward (or backward, as the case may be). This is what drives your characters as well.
Your characters are composites of yourself and those around you. They should want as well. What does your protagonist want? What does the antagonist want from his diabolical plans?
What do you want from your story?
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