MASTER LISTS FOR WRITERS: Thesauruses, Plots, Character Traits, Names, and More by Bryn Donovan Page A
Authors: Bryn Donovan
Ads: Link
ways to help a cause he believes in or a person he knows who has fallen on hard times.
Change the law.
She may be protesting an unfair rule at her high school or a legal loophole that allows industries to pollute the environment.
Convert people.
He may be trying to persuade people to become Christians, vegans, or political conservatives.
Move to a better place.
Your character may believe that there’s a state, city, or country where she would be much happier.
Become popular, or just make some friends.
This might involve attempts to overcome shyness, joining a group or two... or making changes to how he presents himself, which may or may not be wise.
Be a better parent.
She may want to spend more quality time with her kids, or stop getting so upset with them.
Be her true self.
She may be a transgender person who wants to come out and start living as a woman, or she may want to embrace some other aspect of herself that she’s denied.
Get a promotion.
He may want his boss’s job, or for that matter, he may want to run the whole operation.
Learn a foreign language.
This frequently appears on people’s lists of things they hope to do someday.
Learn how to play a musical instrument.
The piano and the guitar are probably the most popular ones.
Learn another new skill or craft.
It could be sword fighting or website development.
Read more books.
Here’s another “never stop learning” type goal. Some people set a goal of reading a certain number of books per year.
Have a weekly “date night” with his spouse.
This is a popular resolution for couples, particularly those with children.
Climb a mountain.
Because it’s there! As a variation, your character might want to hike somewhere famous, such as the Appalachian Trail, or sail to Australia.
See her child get married and have children.
Many parents of adult children desire this, and some of them try hard to make it happen.
Create something significant.
Your character might want to make a homemade quilt or a short film.
Become famous.
Different people have different ideas about how they might want to make this happen.
Be an extra on a television show or a movie.
This is for people who would be happy to be a little famous, and who just think that this sounds like fun.
Retire.
Although he may want to do it, financial considerations or nervousness about what he’ll do all day may be preventing him from making the decision.
Own her dream car.
Sleep under the stars.
Some people want to do this during a meteor shower. The next one is a similar goal.
See the Northern Lights.
Get a fantastic tattoo.
A short-term goal, to be sure, but one shared by many.
Get organized and get rid of all the clutter.
This usually pertains to a person’s own space, but it can also involve the home of an aging or deceased loved one.
Sell something.
It could be a house, a car, a screenplay, or a piece of jewelry.
Attain spiritual enlightenment.
This may involve your character practicing his faith more fully, or it may mean a quest for answers or for the right path. It may involve travel.
25 MOTIVES FOR MURDER
For your thriller or mystery to ring true, your killer needs to have a reason for doing what he does. A motive will also enable the good guys to catch him. There are lots of reasons why people kill. Some killers may have more than one motive, and some of these motives work for serial killers.
This list may seem morbid, but hey, we writers sometimes need these things! There’s a reason why we hope nobody looks at our browser histories, right?
A physical fight turns deadly. Either the killer loses control, or she accidentally inflicts more damage than she intended.
The murderer kills the victim in order to steal from her.
The victim of a robbery or rape puts up a fight, and the struggle ends in his death.
The victim was the witness to a crime.
A spouse or child murders the victim to claim the insurance money or to inherit the estate.
The victim is murdered by a spouse
Change the law.
She may be protesting an unfair rule at her high school or a legal loophole that allows industries to pollute the environment.
Convert people.
He may be trying to persuade people to become Christians, vegans, or political conservatives.
Move to a better place.
Your character may believe that there’s a state, city, or country where she would be much happier.
Become popular, or just make some friends.
This might involve attempts to overcome shyness, joining a group or two... or making changes to how he presents himself, which may or may not be wise.
Be a better parent.
She may want to spend more quality time with her kids, or stop getting so upset with them.
Be her true self.
She may be a transgender person who wants to come out and start living as a woman, or she may want to embrace some other aspect of herself that she’s denied.
Get a promotion.
He may want his boss’s job, or for that matter, he may want to run the whole operation.
Learn a foreign language.
This frequently appears on people’s lists of things they hope to do someday.
Learn how to play a musical instrument.
The piano and the guitar are probably the most popular ones.
Learn another new skill or craft.
It could be sword fighting or website development.
Read more books.
Here’s another “never stop learning” type goal. Some people set a goal of reading a certain number of books per year.
Have a weekly “date night” with his spouse.
This is a popular resolution for couples, particularly those with children.
Climb a mountain.
Because it’s there! As a variation, your character might want to hike somewhere famous, such as the Appalachian Trail, or sail to Australia.
See her child get married and have children.
Many parents of adult children desire this, and some of them try hard to make it happen.
Create something significant.
Your character might want to make a homemade quilt or a short film.
Become famous.
Different people have different ideas about how they might want to make this happen.
Be an extra on a television show or a movie.
This is for people who would be happy to be a little famous, and who just think that this sounds like fun.
Retire.
Although he may want to do it, financial considerations or nervousness about what he’ll do all day may be preventing him from making the decision.
Own her dream car.
Sleep under the stars.
Some people want to do this during a meteor shower. The next one is a similar goal.
See the Northern Lights.
Get a fantastic tattoo.
A short-term goal, to be sure, but one shared by many.
Get organized and get rid of all the clutter.
This usually pertains to a person’s own space, but it can also involve the home of an aging or deceased loved one.
Sell something.
It could be a house, a car, a screenplay, or a piece of jewelry.
Attain spiritual enlightenment.
This may involve your character practicing his faith more fully, or it may mean a quest for answers or for the right path. It may involve travel.
25 MOTIVES FOR MURDER
For your thriller or mystery to ring true, your killer needs to have a reason for doing what he does. A motive will also enable the good guys to catch him. There are lots of reasons why people kill. Some killers may have more than one motive, and some of these motives work for serial killers.
This list may seem morbid, but hey, we writers sometimes need these things! There’s a reason why we hope nobody looks at our browser histories, right?
A physical fight turns deadly. Either the killer loses control, or she accidentally inflicts more damage than she intended.
The murderer kills the victim in order to steal from her.
The victim of a robbery or rape puts up a fight, and the struggle ends in his death.
The victim was the witness to a crime.
A spouse or child murders the victim to claim the insurance money or to inherit the estate.
The victim is murdered by a spouse
Similar Books
