Writers’ Group Discussions — Originally presented May 4, 2026

What makes a character interesting?

Is it what they’re trying to accomplish? The obstacles standing in their way? Their personality, intelligence, courage, or flaws?

All of those things matter, of course. But some of the most compelling characters have something else going on beneath the surface.

What they want isn’t necessarily what they need.

And the tension between those two things can be the very heart of a story.

1. Core Idea: Two Different Drives

One useful way to develop a character is to consider two things:

Want: What the character consciously pursues.

Need: What the character must recognize, accept, or change in order to grow.

The want is usually external. It’s the goal the character knows they’re chasing.

The need is usually internal. It’s the truth they may not yet understand—or may be actively resisting.

For example, imagine a character desperately pursuing a promotion.

Their want is straightforward: become the boss.

But perhaps their need is to recognize that their entire sense of self-worth has become dependent on professional success.

They could achieve their want and still be miserable.

Or they could lose the promotion and finally discover something important about themselves.

That’s where things get interesting.

The want drives the plot. The need drives the character’s internal journey.

2. Why This Matters

A character with a clear goal gives us a reason to follow the story.

They want something.

Something stands in their way.

They struggle to overcome it.

That’s the foundation of countless good plots.

But when the character also has an internal need, we gain another dimension.

Now we’re not simply wondering:

Will they succeed?

We’re also wondering:

What will this experience do to them?

Perhaps they win but become someone they no longer recognize.

Perhaps they fail but discover something more important than the original goal.

Or perhaps the very thing they believe will make them happy is preventing them from becoming the person they need to be.

The want gives the story direction. The need gives it emotional weight.

Not every story requires a dramatic transformation, but understanding this distinction can be particularly useful when writing character-driven fiction.

3. How Wants and Needs Create Subtext

In our previous discussion, Dialogue That Isn’t Small Talk, we talked about how characters frequently avoid saying what they actually mean.

Wants and needs help explain why.

Imagine two people arguing.

One character wants to win the argument.

But what they actually need is to admit they’ve made a mistake.

Those two drives are in conflict.

So instead of saying:

“I’m sorry. I was wrong.”

They say:

“Well, you’re not exactly perfect either.”

The words are defensive.

The underlying issue is vulnerability.

The character’s immediate want—to protect their pride—is preventing them from satisfying their deeper need.

And just like that, we have conflict.

Not because the characters are shouting or exchanging clever insults.

But because what one character wants to accomplish is at odds with what they need to acknowledge.

4. Wants vs. Needs in Popular Stories

This distinction becomes especially interesting when we look at familiar characters.

Harry Potter

Want: Defeat Voldemort and protect the people he loves.

Need: Accept loss, trust others, and understand the importance of love and sacrifice.

Harry spends much of the series pursuing a very specific goal: stopping Voldemort.

But defeating Voldemort ultimately requires more than magical ability or courage.

Harry must accept the possibility of sacrificing himself for others.

His internal journey becomes inseparable from his external struggle.

What he learns matters as much as what he accomplishes.

Luke Skywalker — Star Wars

Want: Become a Jedi and help defeat the Empire.

Need: Learn to trust the Force rather than relying entirely on his own abilities and control.

In A New Hope, Luke’s climactic challenge isn’t simply hitting a difficult target.

He has to trust something he doesn’t fully understand.

When Obi-Wan urges him to let go and use the Force, Luke must act on the lesson he’s been resisting.

His internal change helps him accomplish his external goal.

The want and the need come together at the story’s climax.

Frodo Baggins — The Lord of the Rings

Want: Destroy the One Ring.

Need: Accept the help of others and confront the limits of his own strength.

Frodo’s mission is remarkably straightforward.

Take the Ring to Mordor and destroy it.

But the journey gradually reveals just how much the burden is changing him.

His relationships, especially with Sam, become essential to his survival.

And when Frodo reaches Mount Doom, the Ring’s corruption proves more powerful than his individual will.

His story reminds us that character arcs don’t always end with a character perfectly overcoming their internal struggle.

Sometimes their limitations are part of what makes the ending so meaningful.

5. Same Conversation, Two Versions

Let’s look at how the conflict between wants and needs can affect a simple conversation.

Version A: No Real Conflict

“I should’ve told you,” he said.

“Okay,” she replied.

The character admits fault.

The other person accepts it.

There’s nothing inherently wrong with this exchange, but there’s very little dramatic tension.

Now let’s make the character work a little harder to confront what they need.

Version B: Want and Need in Conflict

“You’re really still on this?” he said.

“I’m waiting,” she replied.

“I said I’d fix it.”

“That’s not what I’m waiting for.”

A pause.

“…Fine,” he muttered. “I should’ve told you.”

What’s happening here?

His want: Defend himself and end the uncomfortable conversation.

His need: Take responsibility and acknowledge what he did.

He doesn’t want to admit fault.

She isn’t willing to let him avoid it.

So the conversation becomes a small struggle between the person he’s trying to be in the moment and the truth he needs to face.

Notice that we didn’t need a lengthy argument.

The tension comes from his resistance to doing what he knows—or is beginning to recognize—he needs to do.

6. A Quick Writing Exercise

Choose one of your characters and answer three questions:

1. What does this character want? What external goal are they pursuing?
2. What does this character need? What internal truth must they recognize or what change must they make?
3. How do those two things conflict? How might pursuing the want prevent them from confronting the need?

Now take it one step further.

Write a short exchange of dialogue in which your character avoids confronting that internal need.

Perhaps they deflect.

Perhaps they become angry.

Perhaps they make a joke.

Perhaps they change the subject entirely.

The important thing is that their resistance reveals something about who they are.

7. The Question Behind the Character Arc

Here’s something worth considering when looking at your own manuscript.

Are your characters simply moving from one objective to another?

Or are their experiences forcing them to reconsider something about themselves?

A character can overcome obstacles, defeat enemies, solve mysteries, and achieve extraordinary things without necessarily changing.

That may be entirely appropriate for the story you’re telling.

But when you’re looking for a deeper emotional journey, consider what your character might be avoiding.

What belief is holding them back?

What truth don’t they want to accept?

And what might happen if achieving their goal requires them to confront that truth?

Sometimes the most powerful moment in a story isn’t when the character finally gets what they’ve been chasing.

It’s when they realize they were chasing the wrong thing.

Closing Thought

Wants and needs don’t always have to be in direct opposition.

Sometimes they reinforce each other.

Sometimes satisfying one makes satisfying the other possible.

And sometimes the character must sacrifice one to achieve the other.

But understanding both can help us create characters whose journeys feel meaningful rather than simply eventful.

Because ultimately:

Characters chase what they want. Their struggles reveal what they need.

And often, the most compelling stories happen when those two things collide.

Related Discussions

Every Scene Needs a Turn — Originally shared April 20, 2026

A character’s struggle between wants and needs can create some of the most powerful turning points in a story. When a character discovers something about themselves, makes a difficult decision, or finally confronts a truth they’ve been avoiding, the direction of the story can change.

In Every Scene Needs a Turn, we explore how those moments create movement and give individual scenes their purpose.