Sorry If This Seems Like A Weird Question, But Do You Have To Plan Character Goals And Motivations For

sorry if this seems like a weird question, but do you have to plan character goals and motivations for characters that are less than five years old?

Their age doesn’t matter, what matters is their role in the story.

Take ice age for example, even the kid has goals and motivations (to find his parents, to eat, to have his nappy changed.)

A child probably won’t have life changing goals like “find them man who murdered my parents” unless they’re a really cool five year old lol

But if the character is important to the story there should be a reason for them to be there.

I hope that makes sense. It’s hard to give advice without knowing the details.

I always found the 7 act structure helped me a lot more than the 3 acts.

Link right here

Imperfectly Perfect

Title: Imperfectly Perfect

Word count: 723

Characters: Shawn Spencer, ocs

Warnings: fluff? Platonic fic not romantic.

Notes: Okay so here's the Prologue to my my short Psych headcanons. The next chapter would feature Morgan in one my favorite episodes. This series sees Shawn Spencer parenting a little Morgan. An anxious darling with a dark family past. This is one series I'm testing out. I do love comments and always read the hashtags in reblogs.

———

It was gorgeous day in the lovely city of Santa Barbra. Heat from the sun blared down, under the light the coastal streets seemed to glow. A few feet below the boardwalk docks, the ocean seemed to stretch on forever. The gentle harmonious waves lapped against the rocks and crashed against the peer posts. Yeah the wet month of May had washed away, shifting into the warm moth of June.

Most people were at work, but a few were walking the pier, enjoying the beautiful weather. Some sit on benches, gazing out to see, out to the horizon. Children of tourist ran up and down, ignoring the frustrated calls of their parents. Shawn Spencer walked along the crowd, ice cream cone in one hand. The cruel heat was melting his chocolate peppermint crunch waffle cone down to a nub.

On any other day he’d have Guster at his side. By this hour he’d probably have weaseled his way into getting them a case from chief Vick. But not today. Sure he’d received a call from the department head earlier about a body being be found. But he’d been inflexible, choosing instead to spend the day alone with his favorite girl. Besides from what the chief had disclosed over the phone Lassiter and Jules were more than capable of solving the case without him.

There was a sudden kick to right should, almost making himself drop his waffle cone. His eyebrows drew together and he cast his head upward.

“Morgan,” he gently scolded. “Sweetie you almost made me drop my ice cream cone.”

His eyes were met with a youthful pair. They were the softest brown infused with the golden tones of honey.

The child’s sweet giggle made his heart melt, “sorry.”

Morgan was sweet and timid child. Her hair was the rich color of earth after rain, shining like a bronze medal in the sunlight. And her youthful face was splotched with brown freckles that he simply adored.

“Want my funnel cake?” She offered peeling a piece off of what little she had left.

Shawn didn’t need to be hyper-observant to notice the crumbs that had made a trail down her tank top. And though he couldn’t see, what with her sitting on his shoulders, he was sure there were crumbs in his hair as well.

“How is that even a question you need to ask?” He held up his other hand, leaning forward to ensure she wouldn’t fall off without him holding on to her ankle. Morgan’s smile rose to her cheeks, shifting her freckles. She handed over a piece of her funnel cake to Shawn then gripped at refined tousle up of hair. Her chubby toddler fingers coated in powdered sugar.

Shawn never thought he’d be parenting a child, let alone one as brilliant as Morgan. But he’d grown quite attached to the little girl. It was terrible what had happened to her mother, and disgusting what her step-father had done. But now Morgan Canmore was Morgan Spencer.

“Hey,” Morgan began resting her chin a top her guardian’s brown hair. “Can we go to the ac-ac-ackuarium?”

In the short time that Shawn had both known and been the legal guardian of Morgan he’d learned a few things. Firstly, Morgan loved all things water penguins, fish, etc. Hell her favourite stuffed animal was a pacific white-sided dolphin she’d so loving named Urchin. Her favorite color was purple and she was allergic to strawberries—

“Aquarium,” he corrected. He was having inner war with himself over whether or not he should’ve suggested sneaking into the dolphin exhibit.

—Perhaps the most important thing he’d learned was that his more zany eccentric behavior made his little girl uneasy. She could handle his normal outgoing self but there was a line he was careful never to cross with her present.

Morgan’s mouth pushed to one side and her button nose crinkled. “Shawn, I’ve heard it both ways.” Shawn couldn’t help but laugh, pushing down a certain bitterness.

Though he would never admit it, it stung. Morgan still calling him Shawn. Despite being in Shawn’s custody for nearly three months, since the death of her mother, Morgan it seemed wouldn’t be calling him dad anytime soon. That was title he going to have work for. Happily he was willing to put in the time.