Hey, it’s Emily!
As a quick recap of our Character Creation series so far, we’ve discussed naming, building a personality for, giving skills to, and setting up backstory for a main character. We’ve learned about Honey Heimsol in the process, including her family of tapestry weavers, her kindness and curiosity, her parental behavior towards her little brother Hunter, and her attachment to her village. Now, we start to dig into what really makes Honey—and any other character—worthy of being the protagonist: drive and growth.
What is Want vs. Need?
“Want vs. Need” is a well-known creative writing staple. Chances are, you are already familiar with this term, but a refresher of the basics is never a bad idea. “Want vs. Need” relates to a character’s explicit goal—their motivation within a narrative, what they believe they need to be happy and whole—versus what they actually need.
Pixar uses this writing technique in most of their films, and does so splendidly. Take Toy Story. Woody is Andy’s favorite toy and a natural leader, organizing the other toys and keeping everything running. When a new toy, Buzz Lightyear, threatens the status quo, Woody wants to maintain his position as Andy’s favorite and the toys’ leader. This is what drives his decisions throughout the story. However, what he needs is a friend. He must learn to not find fulfillment in his authority but in his bonds with others. Woody wants to stay top dog but needs to learn humility and friendship. He needs to grow.
Another popular example is Pixar’s Up where Carl wants to get his house to Paradise Falls to fulfill his deceased wife Ellie’s wish, but he needs to learn to move on, to open up to love and family again when he meets junior wilderness explorer Russell. When the narrative forces Carl to choose between his “want” and his “need,” he sacrifices Paradise Falls for Russell. The protagonist’s happily ever after is not what he expected or initially wanted but what he needed, and the film—and Carl—is better off because of it. A story’s ending, character arcs, and themes become more potent and satisfying when writers use “Want vs. Need.”
External vs. Internal Goals
Before continuing the discussion of “Want vs. Need,” we must establish two other vital terms: external goals and internal goals. Most often, a protagonist has an external goal—a desire that is tangible or front and center within the plot. Say a character wants to win a cooking competition, or earn the love of a girl, or buy a beautiful house. These are all concrete goals which the protagonist can directly work for throughout the story. On the other hand, internal goals are, well, internal. Often they are hidden from the character, and sometimes even the readers, at least initially. Maybe a character seeks belonging within a community, to achieve self-confidence, or to win the pride of their parents. An easy way to remember the difference: external goals are a clear success or failure, whereas internal goals are a spectrum often achieved gradually and sometimes unnoticeably.
Another way to differentiate between external and internal goals is remembering that often a protagonist will have both simultaneously, but the internal goal is the motivation for the external goal. Almost always, at least one of these goals changes. Here are some examples of what this could look like:
Changing the External Goal
In Toy Story, Woody’s external goal is to remain Andy’s favorite toy and the leader of the other toys. (This is also an example of a goal that the protagonist doesn’t need to strive for, but needs to keep a hold of.) Woody’s internal goal, the reason he wants to be the favorite and the leader, is because this is how he feels loved and like part of the community. Later in the film, Woody has the chance to desert Buzz—the biggest threat in Woody’s mind to keeping Andy and the other toys’ love—but he decides to endanger himself to save him instead. In this example, Woody’s external goal changes. He no longer seeks to remove Buzz as a threat or undermine him in front of the other toys. Now Woody’s external goal is to save Buzz and help him integrate into his new life as Andy’s toy. Throughout this journey, though, Woody’s internal goal—being part of a community—stays the same, only now he also wants Buzz to be able to partake in the community too and realizes that his own pride and desire to be the best was getting in the way of true friendship with the other toys.
Changing the Internal Goal
On the other hand, in Pixar’s Cars, Lightning McQueen’s external goal is to win the Piston Cup. His internal goal, hidden from him and likely hidden from the audience (at least until McQueen achieves his “need”), is self-worth. He wants to feel worthy, loved, and accepted. Winning the Piston Cup, and thus the admiration of his fans, is what he thinks will make him worthy. Yet, it is his “need”—befriending the cars of Radiator Springs—that eventually grants his internal goal and helps him feel fulfilled and loved. Lightning McQueen no longer needs to win the Piston Cup to feel worthy of love, yet he still desires to win for the sake of his mentor Doc and all the friends who already love and support him. His external goal is the same, but his motivations have changed.
Changing Both Goals
Yet, a story can also offer a compelling story where both goals change. For example, in How to Train Your Dragon, Hiccup begins the movie with the external goal of killing a dragon in order to fulfill his internal goal of making his father proud and being accepted by his community in Berk. (In this case, Hiccup is aware of his own internal goal). However, when Hiccup instead befriends the dragon Toothless he learns that he cannot in good conscience be the rough-and-tough viking son his father wants. He abandons both his external goal of killing a dragon and his internal goal of acceptance from his father and community in order to pursue new goals. Hiccup’s external and internal goals comprise his “want,” his desire to be accepted, but his “need” is to be himself and do what’s right, to protect his new friend Toothless and reach out in friendship to dragonkind even if it means rejection from Berk.
Never a Wrong Way
Characters' goals, whether external or internal, often fluctuate throughout the course of a story. In cases like Toy Story and Cars, the protagonists only abandon their “want”—to be Andy’s favorite or to win the praise of fans—further into the story, often during the second half. However, Hiccup abandons his external goal for a new one very early, spending the rest of the film trying to pave the way for a new friendship between people and dragons. So don’t be afraid to experiment in your stories with your own characters’ external and internal goals, as well as the timing of when those goals change. Like any writing technique, there is no right or wrong way to employ it.
Making a Want
When using “Want vs. Need,” most writers start with the first part of the equation. Figuring out what your protagonist wants more than anything and why they want it often leads to learning what’s missing from your protagonist’s life—what they really need. A good question to start with is:
“What does my character want, and how can I keep them from getting it?”
In Up, Carl wants to go to Paradise Falls, but the narrative constantly obstructs his goal. First, during that lovely and heart-wrenching Married Life montage, financial issues and later Ellie’s death keep Carl and Ellie from going to Paradise Falls together. Later, the court orders Carl to sell his house and move into Shady Oaks Retirement Home. Finally, Charles Muntz becomes a threat, setting Carl’s house on fire and nearly killing Russell. While Carl receives his happy ending, he never achieves his goal of reaching Paradise Falls. The narrative keeps him from his goal indefinitely, though most writers will eventually let their characters obtain their goal but only after many obstacles and much growth.
Using the simple question “What does my character want, and how can I keep them from getting it?” is certainly helpful, but when you consider external and internal goals there is more depth. Some other helpful questions in creating a “want” are as follows: “What does my character want?” (external goal), “Why do they want this?” (internal goal), “Is my character aware of their internal goal/motivation?” and “How can their situation change to make their goal harder (or even impossible) to reach?” Hopefully these questions can start you off with a direction for your main character!
Making a Need
As you create your character’s “need,” simply consider what follows your character’s failure in achieving their “want.” Often, you will also need to consider your character’s personality flaws as well.
In Cars, Lightning McQueen starts the film as a very arrogant character who would never have wanted to venture from his world of fame and glory. The obstacles the narrative throws at him, however, force him out of the spotlight for once to a place where hardly anyone cares about his victories. In his attempts to leave Radiator Springs and return to his tie-breaker race, McQueen learns lessons about humility, hard work, and true friends. Because he had a chance to experience peace in a small town, and friendships not based upon his fame, suddenly the Piston Cup isn’t the most important thing to McQueen anymore. His “want” was to win, but now he embraces his “need,” to be modest and compassionate, no longer obsessed with winning. This moment is truly realized when McQueen abandons the Piston Cup to help his rival Strip Weathers finish the race. As a result, McQueen ends the film not arrogant, but kind to everyone, continuing to learn kindness from his lasting friendships in Radiator Springs.
The narrative must throw failure and obstacles upon your character, pushing them away from their “want” and towards their “need.” When your character realizes their “need,” they should overcome their main flaws, become a better person, and likely have a happier life by the end of the story. Some questions to ask in developing your “need” are as follows: “Why doesn’t my character reach their goal?”, “Is it a result of their choice or a result of circumstance?”, “How do they react to their failure?”, and “What do they learn?” Let’s see if we can take a crack at “Want vs. Need” by returning to our own character Honey Heimsol:
Honey’s Quest
As we’ve established in our earlier blog posts, Honey loves her tight-knit community in her village of Ilverseed. While she adores the stories of far off kingdoms and perilous journeys, she prefers for them to remain what they are: stories. Her brother Hunter always talks about one day leaving Ilverseed and seeing the world, but Honey just shakes her head because she knows their family has everything they could ever need in the village. “Leave the adventuring to the adventurers,” she would always say.
Honey’s “want” is to stay right where she is in Ilverseed, to carry on the family business of tapestry-weaving from the comfort of her own home while listening to the stories of old folks or passing travelers, and maybe even start a family of her own—assuming Flint ever gets up the courage to ask her out. This is her external goal, which is motivated by her internal goal to avoid risks and remain with what she knows.
However, per good storytelling, the narrative will throw obstacles at Honey, impeding this desire. When the rest of the Heimsol family is fast asleep, Hunter runs away to pursue adventure on his own, sure that he can prove to himself, to Honey, and to Ilverseed that the outside world is worth a bit of risk. Their parents leave to find Hunter, but while they’re gone Honey hears about a lead of where Hunter may be—one that clearly indicates danger. Seeing no other option, Honey chooses to temporarily sacrifice her simple life in Ilverseed to save Hunter.
Of course, during her travels (more on that later), she will gradually recognize her “need,” which is to appreciate the world she was always too scared to see and realize the good she can bring to it with some newfound knowledge and powers. Feel free to keep up with our blog and Instagram posts to learn more about Honey’s future adventures! We can’t wait to reveal more of her story as we finish our Character Creation series and eventually move onto plot and worldbuilding.
Wrapping Up
Hopefully these examples from well-known films and from Honey give you an idea of where to begin with giving your character a reason to be in the story! “Want vs. Need” is an important concept for character arcs, themes, and plot, so be intentional when planning out your character’s desires and motivations. A simple way to remember “Want vs. Need:” “want” is your character’s drive; “need” is your character’s growth.
As always, the writers at Honeycomb would love to help inspire and encourage your writing process, since every creative needs support from other creatives! If you would like to talk more about “Want vs. Need” and how it applies to your own protagonist, or any other facet of your story, then we offer one-on-one, hour-long consultation calls via our website. We also provide various editing services, such as developmental editing and proofreading, all of which are detailed on our website as well. Feel free to contact us with any questions! We love hearing from you and can’t wait to chat.
Till then, bee brilliant!
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