Photo by Nadir sYzYgY on Unsplash
Motivation Reaction Units (MRUs), a concept introduced by Dwight V. Swain, are fundamental to storytelling but often overlooked. At its core, an MRU is about cause and effect.
In storytelling, every event is a consequence of what came before—think stimulus and response, or setup and payoff.
At the macro level, a story revolves around how the protagonist responds to the inciting incident. This event creates motivation within the protagonist to solve a unique problem, which, if resolved, fulfills a basic human need.
After processing this event, the protagonist reacts in the story's climax—their reasoned response.
We can even connect this stimulus-response concept to how our life experiences shape the stories we tell and influence our story’s essence.
At a micro level, MRUs form the fabric of a story through strings of stimuli and responses within scenes. While initially challenging to identify, mastering MRUs can strengthen our writing at every level—from sentences to entire stories.
Let's look at a clear example from the beginning of The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter:
"Now, my dears," said old Mrs. Rabbit one morning, "you may go into the fields or down the lane, but don't go into Mr. McGregor's garden: your Father had an accident there; he was put in a pie by Mrs. McGregor."
"Now run along, and don't get into mischief. I am going out."
Then old Mrs. Rabbit took a basket and her umbrella, and went through the wood to the baker's. She bought a loaf of brown bread and five currant buns.
Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cotton-tail, who were good little bunnies, went down the lane to gather blackberries.
This sets up the motivation for Peter. His reaction follows:
But Peter, who was very naughty, ran straight away to Mr. McGregor's garden, and squeezed under the gate!
By tracing these motivations and reactions throughout a story, we gain a powerful tool for analyzing and crafting narratives.
In future posts, I’ll explore more applications of MRUs in storytelling.
This post is part of a 75-day writing challenge and experiment. From September 9 through November 22, I'll be posting daily thoughts on writing, storytelling, and creativity based on recent readings or reflections. While my intention was to keep them very short—250 to 400 words—I've found that this range doesn't give me enough space to cover these topics adequately. I aim to keep them brief enough to be read quickly, but they will often be longer than 400 words.
At the end of the challenge, I will organize and revise the material with intention. For now, the object is to explore and share.