Anonymous asked:
How do I create wants in my characters without relying on cliches? (Particularly curious on how to create a compelling narrative that’s character driven but still has a plot)
Simply avoid any wants/goals that seem like they’ve been used a lot in the same way over and over again. If something seems predictable because it has been used a lot, skip it and look for something fresh.
Character-driven stories still have a plot. Just remember that in plot-driven stories, the major events of the story happen to the character and they react to them. In character-driven stories, the character creates the major events of the story through their own actions. Many character-driven stories are a combination of the two. You can go to my post master list and read through my posts to learn more about constructing a story. 🙂
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I love this question. How do I create wants without falling back on cliche?
I like it so much I had to add on to this great answer.
The thing literally doesn’t matter. It is WHY it is needed.
If I need a purple ostrich Birkin bag to bribe a board member so my kid can get into a school my snotty sister has been trying to get her kid into since conception, I actually want that thing because I am out to finally prove that I am NOT the family also-ran. I would probably end up killing for that particular bag, even if it causes a lot of plot to happen to me as a result.
But that Birkin bag is easily swapped out for any other object, and the person and the plot stay the same. The object is only the outward expression of the inner need. In this case, family admiration.
Wants in stories have the outside part, the Bag, and the inside part, the Baggage. The story is about the Baggage, and the plot is about the Bag.
So if you are falling back on cliche wants like a sexier girlfriend, a money, a revenge, etc. to motivate your person, that’s Bag. You need Baggage.
