How does Direction work for a Steadfast character?

questions
#1

Hello everyone,
Another question that runs inside my head there and back.
It is about steadfast characters and Problem/Solution/Focu/Direction quad.
I’ll start with some specifics but the question is more general in nature.

As far as I remember (it was in the book or some article) Steadfast character is aware of a nature of a real Problem. She or He may have some doubts but has a clue and heads into a Solution. Sounds nice but how the Focus/Direction pair works for Steadfast person.
Is it just a matter of awareness (I know what you do wrong, I’ll do it my way) or maybe something more, something that converts into some kind of activity?

Here is short example from Shrek again.
Let’s say Donkey is Steadfast in his Pursuing of a real friendship. He knows Avoidance is not a good way to feel happy and complete, but… But on the other hand for some time he is left uncontrolled. According to his story, he always was in some kind of relationship and he used to belong to someone. Literally, what is not what he is looking for exactly.
During the story he is free for the first time and he wants to be in a relationship, to belong to someone but in this healthy way.

Can we say than:
Steadfast character uses Solution to complete Direction?

#2

So the main thing is that the Author of the story is conveying that whatever or whoever represents the throughline is Motivated by something (Problem), and if they’re steadfast the “Solution” would be the element that De-Motivates them. For Donkey, he’s the IC throughline, so everything is about how that throughline influences the others.

In Shrek, Donkey is motivated by avoiding things, or being avoided. Things like, the more Shrek avoids him, the more he lays in and annoys Shrek. Avoiding is the thing that drives him.

So talking about how Donkey responds to avoiding motivation (what’s behind him laying in and annoying Shrek) … is a product of the avoiding is the Focus: Reconsider. Something like changing Shrek’s mind… “You avoiding me? (Problem) Well we’ll just see about that! (Focus)” …which pushes Donkey toward Consider, “Hey Shrek look at this, have you ever thought about doing that? Think about this, Shrek…” and on and on he goes.

As far as the De-Motivator, Pursuit, one need not look further than the things that shut Donkey up, or pull his attention away from all that avoiding problem. Crossing a bridge, going after the dragon, etc. Any time there’s the element of Pursuing, it pulls his away from Avoiding. It De-Motivates him away from the Motivation, which influences others in a different way.

I’m not sure I would say they use Solution to complete Direction, though.

IC Throughline subtext
#3

The only time I would use Solution in a Steadfast story is to stop a character from pursuing a “solution” to the concern.

I want a date, but everyone is Avoiding me. So I have to deal with getting people to reconsider dating me or consider my good qualities, or whatever. If someone loses a bet and asks me out, then I no longer do anything: I’ve got what I want.

When I learn that it was all a joke, I go back to trying to find a date again.

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#4

HAH! Speaking from experience, I see…

I think I just see the solution element as working a bit different than that, though. Maybe this is what you meant, but I don’t see it as a “solution” to the “problem” element, so much as it’s just an alternate and diametrically opposed motivation to the initial motivation. Which… you can factor into a story at any point, really. So long as they don’t (if they’re Steadfast) end up completely motivated by that element, and the original Problem element is no longer driving them at all.

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#5

I think we’re saying the same thing.

I even remember the girl, after she gave me a wedgie while dumping me, saying, “I think you should reconsider our relationship.”

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#6

Thinking this through, I believe what we’ve said is only different because of the perspectives we took on it.

Luke is (at the end) motivated by Trust, and acts on Trust. Independent of context this is true.
If we define Luke and his whiny action by his motivation of Test, then Trust vanquishes his baseless bragging, so it seems like a solution.

They’re both true, and it just depends on where you’re coming from. What do you think?

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#7

Ooof, yeah. Been there…

As for my thoughts… you’re just describing his Arc, right? Luke Stops being motivated by Test. Luke at the end is no longer motivated by Test, yeah. So it definitely feels like the mind has reached a resolution. When he switches to Trust, you really feel the Success/Good/Stop/Do-er/Changed/Action of it all… and you can’t really feel that until the Test motivation isn’t present in the story.

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