The Desires Behind Your Character’s Desires

When he reaches for the cookie his eyes aren’t on the cookie but on his mom in the other room. Why? Because it’s not so much the cookie that he wants, but to get it despite the fact just two minutes ago his mom told him not to.

His desire isn’t simply to eat a cookie.

His desire is to get away with something he knows he’s not supposed to.

While this circumstance may seem cliché by now, the truth behind it may be new to us as writers.

Writing good, memorable characters can difficult. Writing personable characters is even more difficult, and writing science-fiction characters that resonate and draw in readers can seem impossible.

That’s when we have to remember: we all have desires behind our desires.

We choose the salad over the white bread sandwich not because we want the salad but because we have certain dietary or physical goals.

We walk with an umbrella not so much because we care about our hair getting wet, but because we want to look a certain way when we walk into the meeting.

There are endless examples.

This may seem like normal life to us. Something we don’t even realize. Maybe even take for granted.

But it’s important we make the hidden desire behind the obvious desire clear when writing fantasy characters, or any characters, for that matter!

Let’s say our main character walks into an office building café and sits down at an empty table. She pulls out her phone and checks her email.

At first glance, as a reader we might assume she’s waiting on an important email. But we all know we don’t check our email out of desire to check our email. We fear looking like we have nothing to do. We fear looking not busy. Insignificant.

If your main character’s weakness is feeling insecure, write this into the scene. Make it clear.

But maybe your character is very secure. She’s strong and has worked her way up from poverty level to CEO.

The one thing her company doesn’t know is she’s an introvert and terrified of any type of interpersonal communication. Walking into the café, waiting on her order, she doesn’t want to risk conversing with anyone else. Just the thought of it sends adrenaline racing through her body.

Now we’re onto something!

We’ve shown the personal desire behind what a random onlooker would see as a physical desire. It’s not that she needs to check her email, it’s that she desires to avoid conversation one-on-one, at any cost.

Why?

That’s for your readers to figure out as you slowly reveal, line by line, paragraph by paragraph, the true desires behind your character’s actions.

Writing isn’t so much about showing what happens, but showing why it happens, and revealing the story through the hidden desires of your characters.

Happy writing!

Sarah Rexford is a Marketing Content Writer, working with brands to grow their audience reach. She studied Strategic Communications at Cornerstone University and focused on writing during her time there, completing two full-length manuscripts while a full-time student. Currently she trains under best-selling author Jerry Jenkins in his Your Novel Blueprint course and is actively seeking publication for two books.

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