Want vs. Need: What Your Character Really Needs

What does “want vs. need” actually mean?

A character can know exactly what they want – and still have no idea what they actually need.

This is where the concept of want vs. need comes in. It describes the tension between a character’s conscious goal and their deeper inner need.

The want is what your character wants to achieve. They can usually put it into words and shape their actions around it. Perhaps they want to get a particular job, solve a murder, find true love, save their family or win a competition.

The need, on the other hand, usually lies deeper. It is something the character needs for their personal development. Perhaps they need to learn to trust others, recognize their own boundaries, accept a loss or change their idea of what will make them happy.

The interesting part is that want and need don’t have to be the same.

In fact, the contrast between them is often what creates the emotional tension at the heart of a story.

The want: What does your character want?

The want is usually easier to identify because it is directly visible in the plot.

Your character has a goal and tries to achieve it. They make decisions, take risks, fail, try again and become increasingly involved in the story as a result.

A simple example:

Your protagonist desperately wants to become the editor-in-chief of a major magazine.

Her goal is clear. She applies for the position, works especially hard, tries to outperform her competitors and may even accept personal sacrifices along the way. The want gets the story moving.

Without a goal that a character is pursuing, it can be difficult to build a compelling plot. A character’s decisions and actions often emerge from what they want to achieve.

The want does not always have to be a concrete, material goal. A character might desperately want recognition, security, freedom or revenge. What matters is that this desire becomes visible through their behavior.

Ask yourself:

• What does my character want?

• Why do they want it?

• What are they willing to do to achieve it?

• What stands in their way?

• What happens if they fail?

The more specifically you can answer these questions, the easier it becomes to connect your character’s want to your plot.

The need: What does your character really need?

The need works differently.

Your character does not necessarily know what they truly need. They may even believe that their want is the solution to their problems.

The aspiring editor-in-chief from our example might be convinced:

“If I get this job, I’ll finally be successful and happy.”

But perhaps what she really needs is something completely different. She may need to realize that her entire sense of self-worth cannot depend on professional recognition.

That is her need.

The need often exists beneath the visible action. It may not be stated explicitly at first. Instead, it emerges throughout the story through decisions, conflicts and changes.

That is also why the concept can sometimes be difficult to grasp: the want is relatively easy to put into words, while the need is often more abstract.

Want and need: The external and internal journey

One helpful way to understand the difference is to think of them as two journeys.

The want is often part of your character’s external journey. They want to achieve something and have to overcome obstacles along the way. This journey forms an important part of the plot.

The need, on the other hand, is often part of the internal journey. Your character needs to change, gain an insight or overcome a false belief about themselves, other people or the world.

Both journeys can happen at the same time.

Perhaps your character spends the entire story trying to achieve their biggest dream. At the same time, they gradually realize that this dream alone will not solve their problems.

By the end, they may have achieved their original goal – but, more importantly, they have understood what they truly need.

Or they may realize that their original want is no longer what they actually want.

Why the want drives the plot

A good plot is not simply a series of events that happen to your character. Your character’s decisions should shape the story and make them feel tangible and relatable to readers.

This is where the want becomes particularly important.

When your character desperately wants to achieve something, they become active. They pursue their goal, make decisions and respond to obstacles.

Those decisions can create new conflicts.

For example, a character wants to find a particular person. So they travel to another city. There, they discover a clue that puts them in danger. To get more information, they have to ask someone for help – someone they do not actually trust. This creates a new conflict.

The want motivates the character to act – and their actions move the story forward.

That is why the want is so closely connected to the plot.

Why the need gives your story emotional depth

A plot can work without a strong need. Your character can pursue a goal, overcome obstacles and ultimately succeed.

But something may still be missing.

Readers are not only interested in whether a character achieves their goal. They also want to know what the journey does to them.

The need often gives the story its emotional dimension.

For example, a character might win a competition. But if, along the way, they learn to deal with the possibility of failure, stop defining their self-worth solely through achievement or learn to trust other people, their journey has gained a deeper meaning.

The want makes us want to know what happens.

The need makes us care about what it means for the character.

Or, in short:

The want gets the plot moving. The need gives the story emotional weight.

When want and need collide

Things become particularly interesting when the want and need conflict with each other.

Your character may desperately want to achieve something, but that very desire initially prevents them from getting what they truly need.

An example:

Want: A young writer desperately wants to write a bestseller.

Need: She needs to learn to find her own voice and stop measuring her worth solely by sales figures.

As long as she believes that the success of her book determines her worth, she will continue making decisions that go against what she actually needs.

The conflict between want and need can therefore become a central part of her character development.

Does the want have to be fulfilled in the end?

No. The want does not necessarily have to be fulfilled for a story to work.

Sometimes a character achieves their goal and realizes that it was not the solution they expected.

Sometimes they give up their original want because, over the course of the story, they realize that something else matters more.

And sometimes they achieve both: They get what they wanted while also discovering what they truly need.

What matters is not that there is a particular type of ending. What matters is that the character’s development feels believable and meaningful.