In the first blog in this series, we explored what wants and needs are in their most basic form. Now we’ll look at how they can be used to design plot and characters. [Warning: This blog includes spoilers for some novels, so if you have not read the books or seen the movies, be forewarned.]
Characters begin stories with a want or a goal they want to achieve. That want may be aspirational or concrete, but whatever form it takes, it drives the character throughout the story until resolution. The character’s need comes from the fatal flaw that stands in the way of the character’s success. It is whatever quality that character needs to acknowledge, change or overcome to achieve their goal, though not necessarily in the way they wish.
The fact is, wants and needs do not need to be fulfilled to work. They can fail or be reimagined or be abandoned in lieu of a better choice or at least the right choice. The want starts the story, but the need ends it.
Stories often end differently than the character wanted it to end. For example, in Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell, Scarlett O’Hara wants to marry Ashley Wilkes. She is obsessed with him. But her relentless pursuit of this dream of being with him leads her to ruin. When she finally sees her dream as just that, a fantasy, and realizes she truly loves Rhett, it is too late. In the end, she loses Rhett, but finds her own strength and the will to survive no matter what. She wanted Ashley. She needed to find her own strength and see life clearly without the fantasies, which she achieves.
In Forest Gump by Winston Groom, Forest wants Jennie to love him back, which she never does, at least not in the way he wants her to love him. But what he needs is love, which he finds after he discovers he has fathered Jennie’s child and must raise him alone after Jenny passes away. He fulfills his need and the audience is satisfied. If he was left alone in the end, the story wouldn’t work. Though the ending is sad, it feels like a success because Forest not only ends up with his child, but he has friends and family around him too. He finds love, which was his fundamental need.
When characters are forced to choose between the things they want versus the choice that will redeem them, it elevates the story. That is not to say that a character must choose. There are many tales where the character gets both the want and need, but it should only happen with struggle, change and obstacles.
As John Truby, author of The Anatomy of Story, says, the strongest way to create a character people care about is focusing on “two things: the weakness of the character and the character goal in the story.”
The weakness, or fatal flaw, is the trait that is ruining the character’s life (or at least making it more difficult). The story follows the character through a series of obstacles she must overcome to reach her goal. It is that journey toward the goal that is the story. The need lying beneath that journey is the theme, which is determined by how the character chooses to proceed.
Think of it this way: If a character wants something, but they keep getting in their own somehow, you have found their fatal flaw. It could be pride, ego, anger, loneliness, anxiety, fear, painful past experiences, or any other emotion-based trait that prevents her from achieving her goal. It’s the singer who wants to be a superstar who has such stage fright she can’t sing in public; it’s the playboy who was hurt in the past and can’t risk his heart again; or the superhero whose ego is his downfall. The need is the opposite of that fatal flaw.
Create your characters from their wants and goals. Use the wants to determine the types of obstacles they should face, both externally and internally. Present obstacles to stand in their way and to reveal the internal flaws. Those flaws should have a common denominator that is their fatal flaw. For example, if your character is arrogant and brash and unlikeable, then the common flaw is ego. If you have a character who is greedy, miserly and cranky, the fatal flaw might be selfishness.
The need is what the character must do to overcoming their fatal flaw or fall prey to it. The stories that end on a negative note are those where the character fails to overcome his fatal flaw. In Gone with the Wind, it is Scarlett failing to see clearly in time and losing Rhett.
In character-driven stories, the emotional wants and needs drive the story. This means the plot and action derive directly from the wants and needs. Resolution happens when the character either overcomes his weakness, changes or grows.
The theme is how the character overcomes the fatal flaw to fulfill the need. Theme is what the story is really about—love, freedom, selflessness, sacrifice. It is the emotion of the story and the universal aspect that appeals to everyone.
We have all been afraid of getting our hearts broken or being controlled or judged. We understand ego or pride standing in our way. We feel for characters who want one life and are forced into another.
Link in The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess wants to live a peaceful life but he needs to save the kingdom of Hyrule by fighting Ganon. Kenshin Himura in Rurouni Kenshin: Wandering Samurai wants to put fighting behind him and atone for his past as a man slayer, but is forced to take up his sword to protect his friends and those who are unable to fight for themselves. He chooses to do this by using a reverse-blade sword that cannot kill, but stop aggressors.
This theme of not wanting to fight is found in many stories: Heroes pulled into battle by a transgression against a loved one or by extreme injustice. It’s almost a cliché at this point. But it is how they choose to respond that determines their character and the value of the story. Kenshin shows his commitment to not killing in choosing his reverse-blade sword. Aang in Avatar: The Last Airbender animated series chooses to take the Fire Lord’s power instead of killing him, revealing his commitment to peace. Bryan Mills in Taken, on the other hand, reveals his character through the targeted precision of his attacks while saving his daughter and eliminating the threat. Again, it is the actions taken that determine theme.
Harry Potter wants a place to belong, but has to risk it all to protect the wizarding world from Voldemort. Sully wants to be promoted in the Scream Factory in Monsters, Inc., but risks losing it all when he chooses to take care of Boo. Clarice in Silence of the Lambs wants to succeed as an FBI agent, but must come to terms with her inexperience and past to succeed.
Character flaws come from an obsession with what characters want while ignoring, denying or failing to recognize what they need. In many cases, what the character wants is in direct opposition to what they need. Woody in Toy Story pushes Buzz away because he wants to be Andy’s favorite toy when what he needs is to learn how to share.
It is only when characters confront their wants and needs, and are forced to choose between the two, that true resolution can happen. Choosing the want will lead to misery, while choosing the need leads to fulfillment. The choice determines whether the story is a tragedy or not.
In order to create this ultimate question, we need to explore the nature of needs versus wants. In our next blog, we will take a closer look at human needs. We’ll do this by examining Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and how you can use it to create stronger stories.