I’m back in research mode.  (Working on a non-fiction project about tea.)  I’ve been falling down various rabbit holes that have interesting information, stories and pictures.  I’ve noticed that what draws me in the most is people.  The innovators who created new techniques.  The guy who invented competitive tea tasting in Japan.  The guy who later banned competitive tea tasting in Japan.

People are naturally drawn to stories about folks doing audacious things (whether fact or fiction).  But the story feels incomplete if we can’t understand WHY those folks are taking certain actions.  The takeaway: make sure you explain your characters’ motivations and goals — whether an interviewee in an article or the protagonist of a short story.

How do you define what your characters want?  What draws you into a nonfiction piece?  What draws you into a story?