Pulling The Trigger

Pushing the right buttons to inspire your characters

I’m going back to basics this week to look at the second part of the story arc, the trigger.

With apologies to those of you who are experienced writers, the trigger is the event that sets your story in motion, sends characters off on their quest, whether that is for a ring or just great sex.

For example, this article is late because my broadband crashed. This is an event that has an effect; maybe I lose or gain subscribers because it is published at a different time; maybe you are reading this because it came out on a Monday rather than a Friday. In this case the effect is minimal but what might have happened if, instead of swearing I’d gone out and done something or met someone life changing?

What the trigger is and how it affects your character depends on their motivation. The trigger can bring about a change that inspires your character or it can spark their existing feelings into action.

It is important to tell or show your reader what your character’s motivation is for reacting to the trigger otherwise your story becomes slightly aimless.

How does this affect us when writing about the erotic?