Let’s take a look at need vs desire.
I’m quoting from John Truby‘s The Anatomy of Story, Ch 3:
One of the biggest mistakes a writer can make is to confuse need and desire or to think of them as a single step. They are in fact two unique story steps that form the beginning of your story, so you have to be clear about the function of each.
Need has to do with overcoming a weakness within the character. A hero with a need is always paralyzed in some way at the beginning of the story by his weakness. Desire is a goal outside the character. Once the hero comes up with his desire, he is moving in a particular direction and taking actions to reach his goal.
Need and desire also have different functions in relation to the audience. Need lets the audience see how the hero must change to have a better life. It is the key to the whole story, but it remains hidden, under the surface. Desire gives the audience something to want along with the hero, something they can all be moving toward through the various twists and turns — even digressions — of the story. Desire is on the surface and is what the audience thinks the story is about.
- How’s the whole need vs desire thing going in your writing?
- Can you communicate what your character needs vs what they desire? Fancy sharing that with us?
- I love the idea that desire gives the audience something to want along with the hero. But I think it’s a broad brushstroke to say that ‘desire…is what the audience thinks the story is about.’ Some of them, yeah. But I reckon plenty will get the need too. What’s your view on this?
- Head to the comments or email me to share your views.
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