Supa Story #5: Building Unforgettable Characters (2)

Understanding Desires vs. Needs

Truby teaches us that for any character to feel dynamic, they must have a core desire that drives them forward and a deeper need they must fulfill. Let’s break these down:

• Desire is the character’s goal in the story — what they actively pursue. This is usually tied to the plot and is easy to see.

• Need is what the character must learn or grow into to overcome their internal flaws or weaknesses. Needs are often subconscious, linked to a deep emotional truth or personal growth they must achieve.

Example: In The Devil Wears Prada (a personal fave you should see if you haven’t) Andy’s desire is to excel in her job at a prestigious magazine. But her need is to realize that compromising her values and personal relationships for success isn’t worth it. Her journey involves balancing these desires and needs.

The Weaknesses that Hold Them Back

Weaknesses are what prevent a character from achieving their desires or fulfilling their needs. They add tension to the character’s journey and create obstacles, both internal and external.

• Psychological Weakness: This is an internal struggle, often rooted in fear or insecurity.

• Moral Weakness: This is a flaw in the character’s values or behaviour, often affecting others negatively.

Example: In Shrek, Shrek’s psychological weakness is his insecurity about being an outsider, and his moral weakness is his tendency to push people away before they can reject him. These weaknesses add emotional complexity to his journey of self-acceptance.

Applying Desires, Needs, and Weaknesses in Your Story

To help bring these concepts to life, let’s break down how to apply them to your own characters:

1. Define the Desire: Start with the clear, external goal your character is striving to achieve. This could be a career milestone, a personal ambition, or a relationship. Make sure it’s concrete and specific.

2. Uncover the Need: Look deeper — ask yourself what your character truly needs to feel fulfilled, even if they don’t realise it themselves. This need usually connects to an emotional truth or personal transformation they must experience by the story’s end.

3. Identify the Weaknesses: Consider what psychological and moral weaknesses prevent your character from achieving their goals. How do these weaknesses affect their choices and interactions with other characters?

Pro Tip: Use Contrasts Between Desires and Needs

An effective way to deepen your story is to create a contrast between your character’s desire and their need. This conflict can create tension, growth, and revelation. For example:

In Toy Story, Woody’s desire is to remain Andy’s favourite toy, but his need is to let go of his jealousy and accept that there’s room for new friends like Buzz. This conflict between desire and need drives the story and Woody’s character growth.

🎬 Take-Home Exercise: Mapping Your Character’s Journey

To help solidify these concepts, let’s map out your character’s desires, needs, and weaknesses.

1. List your protagonist’s desire and need. Is their desire in harmony with their need, or does it create inner conflict? Write down why they want what they want and how their need contrasts with this desire.

2. Identify a key weakness: For each weakness (psychological and moral), write down how it impacts your character’s life. Does it affect their relationships, goals, or sense of self? How does this weakness create obstacles in their story?

3. Reflect on character growth: Outline how the character’s need will lead to growth. Think about how their journey might affect both themselves and those around them.

4. Observe: Watch a favourite movie and note how desire, need, and weaknesses come into play. Look for moments where the character’s growth stems from reconciling these elements.

Next week, we’ll complete our character series with a look at relationships and character arcs, the final keys to building characters who feel fully alive.

Until next time, keep digging into those characters. Every layer you uncover brings you closer to building truly unforgettable characters that live beyond the screen!

Yours-in-Storytelling,
Ayobola Eniola,
For Emerge Story Company.

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