The term is "motivation." Motivation refers to the reasons why a character behaves a certain way or takes a particular course of action within a story. Understanding a character's motivation can provide insight into their personality and choices.
motivation....:)
true
static minor character
Something that inspires you in the story you are reading, or for the author of the story, it's something that inspired him/her to write the story.
Motivation in literary terms means that there is a driving force for the story. Motivation will give the characters a reason to live for example.
In a story, motivation is what drives the characters to do what they do. The motivation is the reason why the characters would say and do certain things. Some examples of types of motivation are greed, love, fear, guilt, need, etc.
static minor character
It has characters that change from cowards to hero's over the course of the story
Williams motivation were true story's that he would hear about everyday. Sometimes he would change them to make them more dramatic.
when a character must make a decision that will change the course of the story.
Characters have motivation; stories don't, unless you mean to ask, what is the motivation that causes an author to write a story, in which case the usual answer is that the author gets paid. But then again, some people just like to write, as a form of self expression.