tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119990365479009764.post7365191308022753039..comments2024-03-14T18:09:09.667-05:00Comments on Do Some Damage: Motive–how important is it?Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119990365479009764.post-77701047185799533512015-03-10T15:10:51.699-05:002015-03-10T15:10:51.699-05:00I think the Oceans Eleven type criminal is the bes...I think the Oceans Eleven type criminal is the best example of personality type as motive: they do it because they get off on it. They're probably adrenaline junkies, and live for the planning and execution. (Understood, Clooney was motivated by vengeance in Eleven, as were Wahlberg and Charlize Theron in The Italian Job, but Wahlberg was already an affluent pro.)<br /><br />Then we get into the outlaw realm: it doesn't matter if its legal or not; they just like doing it. (I realize this is why I can never hope to write literary fiction.)Dana Kinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01350344882342624735noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119990365479009764.post-7845437308131394882015-03-10T08:40:31.343-05:002015-03-10T08:40:31.343-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.John McFetridgehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09442198820998606682noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119990365479009764.post-66010342685976207182015-03-10T08:40:29.501-05:002015-03-10T08:40:29.501-05:00Motive as personality trait, I like that.
I'm...Motive as personality trait, I like that.<br /><br />I'm also curious about crime-for-money when the criminals already have a lot of money, the Oceans Eleven kind of heist or once someone turns criminal activity into a well-paying career. I guess that's personality trait.<br /><br />John McFetridgehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09442198820998606682noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119990365479009764.post-53015210062757690202015-03-10T08:31:46.991-05:002015-03-10T08:31:46.991-05:00Jay beat me to half my comment. Motive is importan...Jay beat me to half my comment. Motive is important, but, for property crimes in particular, the motive is usually "I want money and this is the quickest way I can get it." The "motive" is often more a personality trait than anything else: the criminal lacks impulse control, seeks instant gratification, has no patience, or needs more money quicker than he can legally acquire it. (Drug addicts come to mind for that last one.)<br /><br />Crimes of violence are somewhat the same in general, even if we leave out the crime of passion, where no thought went into it. (Though such a story can be compelling when the cover-up is the engine that drives it, along with the ripple effects of the act on the victim's--and perpetrator's--friends and family.) Read enough cop-based crime non-fiction--where a cross-section of criminals are discussed instead of a single, sensational case--and you'll find the motives for a large majority of crime has at least something to do with the criminal being an asshole who acts out, whether he's a rapist, unnecessarily violent mugger, or a murderer. <br /><br />Damn it, McFetridge, you've provoked me into another blog post.Dana Kinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01350344882342624735noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119990365479009764.post-42251921823010640132015-03-10T08:12:41.981-05:002015-03-10T08:12:41.981-05:00I always say that the crime in the story should be...I always say that the crime in the story should be the quickest route between what a person wants and what they have. <br /><br />I'm far more interested in whydunit than the whodunit. BUT the caveat I'd add, is that I think a lot of crime fiction -both books and network TV- puts to much emphasis on the crime. So with such focus on whatever wacky and inventive crime has been committed that week, they need to create a matching motive something worthy of a few scene chewing moments, something that justifies the gimmic of the week/episode/book. <br /><br />I think crime is simple, and it's done for simple reasons. And I'd much rather explore the world around it, and why people are in that position, what leads up to the crime and what the repercussions are. <br /><br />So, yeah, I care more about the whydunit than the whodunit, but not really in the way that tends to be presented to us. Jay Stringerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08764183157841848163noreply@blogger.com