Does My Character Have to Arc Out of Their Want?

Last week, I taught a class at WorldShift: The Speculative Fiction Writers' Summit on raising the stakes, and I got a few questions and comments that spoke to some complex concepts, which I couldn't thoroughly address because it was a < 1-hour presentation, and they went beyond the scope of the class. These related to the concept of "want vs. need," and implicit in them was this question: What if my character arcs (or doesn't arc) out of their want? And in a sense, by extension: Does my character have to arc out of their want?

The answer to that is, it depends.

It depends on the story, the character arc, and the want.

But first, let me quickly lay out some groundwork so we are all starting on the same page.

If you've followed me for a while, you may know about (what I call) the "abstract want." Most recently, I wrote about it when I did this post on misaligned character wants and plot goals. But in case you are new here, or need a reminder . . . 

Every protagonist (or really, any lead character) should have an abstract want, a motive, behind his or her plot goals. 

The protagonist tries to fulfill this want in concrete ways, and this is what makes up the plot (or it should). 

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Working with the Internal Plotline

Most successful stories will have at least three different types of plotlines. This gives the story more dimension and depth. And while there are different combinations you can choose, by far the most popular plotlines to weave together are the external, internal, and relationship journeys. 

External--this is the character's outer journey. The character has a concrete goal, encounters an external antagonist, and struggles with the conflict to get the goal.

Internal--this is the character's inner journey. The character has an abstract want, and in pursuing that, completes a character arc. The antagonist is the self.

Relationship--this is a relationship journey. The character either aims to draw close to or increase distance from another person (or maintain the relationship as is). The antagonistic force is what is upsetting that. How it is resolved completes a relationship arc.

Today, I wanted to delve more into how the internal plotline works.

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Writing a "Hollow Victory"

What is a "Hollow Victory"?

In writing, a "hollow victory" happens when the character gets what she wants, but ultimately isn't thrilled about it. It's as if the character feels "hollow"--empty, unfulfilled, unhappy.

Simplistically speaking, it works like this:

The protagonist has a goal.

She runs into antagonists, which creates escalating conflict.

At the peak of the conflict, she succeeds (at least seemingly).

And so everything should be amazing . . . right?

Only something seems to be missing . . . so the victory didn't land how the character imagined.

This all breaks down more, and we can get more detailed. Let's talk about this in relation to structure.

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The Primary Principles of Plot: Goal, Antagonist, Conflict, Consequences

A plot is more than a "storyline" or "a series of events," and in order to have a solid plot, it must first have these primary principles: goal, antagonist, conflict, and consequences. Without these things clearly in the story, the plot will always feel weak or even "broken."

Now, with that said, not every likable story has an amazing plot. This is when we turn to what I consider the holy trinity of writing: character, plot, and theme. Generally speaking, for most stories, 99% of what you write should be touching and progressing one of these things, and often, all three. However, not all of them are evenly balanced for every story. For example, no one would say that Forrest Gump is about a thrilling plot that leaves you breathless and your mind spinning. It's mostly about character. Others may lean more heavily on theme (this is often what makes Pixar's stories tug at the heartstrings). And some, like the thriller, very much lean on plot.

Nonetheless, almost any decent story will have at least the primary principles of plot, which I'll be covering today. This is a part of a series where I lay out the primary, secondary, tertiary, and even quaternary principles of what makes a great one.

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Dramatize Conflicting Wants

This week's writing tip is short, yet effective. And it comes from The Structure of Story by Ross Hartmann.

In most strong stories, the protagonist will, at some point, be struggling with conflicting wants. And if it's not the protagonist, it's at least another character. This can be something small, within a given scene, or something overreaching. Often what the character wants is at odds with what the character needs, and frequently in the third quarter of the story, the character will be trying to get both the want and need. Whatever the case, when the character has opposing goals, there is an opportunity for some great inner conflict.

Sure, a lot of times, this will be rendered in introspection--which is a great way to use introspection. But of course, introspection is rather abstract and well . . . happens inside the character, and therefore doesn't impact the surrounding world as much as action.

Rather than only have the conflict appear internally, it's often more effective to have the character try to take action toward each goal at the same time. Or, as Hartmann says it, dramatize the inner conflict. 

The example he gives in The Structure of Story goes like this . . . 

"Say a character is internally conflicted about whether she wants to go on a date with a man she met at a local café. To dramatize this internal conflict, we want to show her taking action toward the date and then taking action to cancel the date. First she begins to call his number but then immediately hangs up before he answers. After a couple of moments to calm her nerves, she calls again. She suggests a date for tomorrow night and he enthusiastically agrees. But then she decides against it and invites her brother. He's clearly disappointed but says it's a great idea. She decides she wants the date again so she asks him to bring someone else so that it's a double-date. She says, 'See you later, buddy,' and hangs up. Notice the unspoken battle within her. She jumps back and forth between her conflicting desires."

And now, her conflicting desires are affecting others, such as the man and her brother. This gives us more to play with.

Hartmann also points out that showing the character debating and struggling between two wants conveys to the audience that the choice isn't easy. The character is going to have to eventually sacrifice something of value. The audience will want to stick around to see which "something" the character will choose. The whiplash effect of moving from one desire to the other and back again, as they try to make both happen, also makes any part of a story more dynamic.

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Writing Protagonists Without Strong Wants or Goals

Often in the writing world, we are told to make sure our protagonists have strong wants. After all, the protagonist's want usually leads to a goal, and goals allow audiences to measure progress or setbacks in a story (which also helps with pacing). The protagonist's pursuit of the goal often makes up most of the plot. 

For change-arc protagonists, often what they want will be at odds with what they need. For most flat-arc protagonists, they often want the need, though sometimes they have to deal with a competing want or even lose sight of the need. (For more information on wants and needs, check out "Character's Want vs. Need") But if you aren't familiar with the want vs. need approach, no worries. Suffice it to say that the protagonist's want is almost always a key component of character arc, plot, and even theme.

So, must every protagonist absolutely have a powerful want driving them through the plot? Of course not. All "rules" are really more like guidelines. It's just that if you break that rule, it will likely come at a steep cost, since it influences so many parts.

Because of the nature of story itself, it's nearly impossible to have a protagonist who doesn't want something significant by the end. Pretty much always the protagonist will have a want by the end of Act I. If not then, she will at least have a want or goal by the midpoint, at the latest--but that's often pushing it. Rarely do protagonists make it through a whole story without having a clear significant want, though I won't go so far as to say it's impossible. And in some types of stories, you may be dealing with one significant want per section of the story.

Let's talk about some situations where the protagonist doesn't start with a driving want, goal, or hobby. 

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Principles of the Steadfast, Flat-arc Protagonist

Last week I debunked six myths about the steadfast (also known as the flat-arc) character. Now, I would like to share some of the basic principles of writing a positive steadfast protagonist. 

Steadfast/flat-arc characters are characters who don't drastically change their worldviews over the course of the story. In contrast, a change character will do largely a 180 flip in worldview from the beginning of the story to the end of the story. 

For example, in Wonder Woman, Diana begins the story with the perspective that we should fight for the world we believe in. At the end of the story, she proves that true by using it to defeat the antagonist (this helps make up the story's theme). But in Frozen, Elsa begins the story with the worldview that one must be closed off to be safe and authentic. Because of the story, she learns that, actually, we must be open to be loved authentically (that might mean we get hurt, but some love is worth the hurt). This enables her to set things right, which proves that perspective true (and helps make up the story's theme).

Both flat-arc characters and change characters have negative versions: a character who remains steadfast to an inaccurate worldview and suffers punishment for it, and a character who changes from a true worldview to an inaccurate one and suffers punishment for it. Negative versions of each type are harder to find, but not nonexistent. 

Almost all protagonists are positive change-arc protagonists. This means that almost all writing resources help writers write positive change-arc protagonists. This also means there are very few resources to help writers write steadfast protagonists.

You often can't apply change-arc advice to steadfast characters. It doesn't work.

Luckily, whichever protagonist type you're writing, each story actually has pretty much the same structural pieces--they're just arranged differently. Some are reversed while others receive more emphasis.

Today I'm going to explain how these pieces are different for a positive steadfast protagonist story, in comparison to the common positive change protagonist story. 

This is a little like being left-handed in a right-handed world. That's it--the steadfast protagonists are the lefties of the storytelling world. 

First, I would like to acknowledge those in the industry who have helped me understand the flat-arc protagonist and therefore influenced this post. If you want to learn more about this protagonist, check out these resources:

K. M. Weiland's Character Arc Series (Katie is amazing and this is honestly the best resource I've found so far on flat-arc characters.)

Character Arcs by Jordan McCollum (This book has a brief section on the flat arc.)

"Character Arcs 102: Flat Arcs" at The Novel Smithy (Lewis succinctly breaks down the flat-arc protagonist's three-act structure.)

Dramatica Theory (I already mentioned last week how Dramatica uses the term "steadfast" instead of "flat arc")

Writing Characters Without Character Arcs by Just Write (Youtube video)

I'll also be doing more posts on this protagonist type in the future.

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Character's Want vs. Need (Explained 4 Different Ways)

Want vs. Need

In many stories, what the protagonist wants and what the protagonist needs will be two different things.

In Soul, Joe wants to return to his body and pursue his jazz career so his life won't be meaningless. What he needs is to appreciate that the act of living itself gives life meaning. 

In Zootopia, what Judy wants is to become a bunny cop to defy prejudice and make the world a better place. What she needs, is to confront the prejudice within herself to make the world a better place.

In The Hunger Games, Katniss is tempted by the want to win the Games by being a survivalist at any cost. What she needs is to hold onto the idea that you must be willing to sacrifice yourself--the only way to truly beat the Games, without being a piece in them.

Whether or not you realize it, your protagonist likely has a want vs. need struggle as well.

One problem, however, is that, like many writing concepts, the want vs. need concept can be difficult to "see" and grasp, at first.

This is in part because it can be explained from four different angles. 

Today, I have gathered the four different angles into one article. 

If you haven't fully nailed down the want vs. need concept, then I recommend you read through these approaches and find which one makes the most sense to you, and use that. 

If you fully understand the want vs. need concept, then reading through the other angles may deepen your comprehension of it. 

In any case, what I don't want is for you to get confused because you don't get all the angles. In reality, you only need to understand one angle to utilize this. It's okay to ignore the rest. 

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