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layer them right, not flat
Your character wants love and wants safety and wants revenge and is generically conflicted.
That's not depth, that's noise. Real characters have a spoken want, a hidden want, and a need they're refusing. The layered structure is what makes a character feel like a person — because real people have layered desires, too, and they're usually in conflict with each other. We layer them properly in this piece so they argue with each other on the page, which is the only way a character starts to feel alive. Includes the worksheet I built for myself in 2018 and never let go. It takes 20 minutes. It saves drafts.
The three wants · diagnostic
| Layer | Definition | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Spoken want | What the character says they want | I want the promotion |
| Hidden want | What they actually want underneath | I want my father's approval |
| Refused need | What they need but won't accept | I need to stop seeking approval |
Fill in the three wants for your protagonist tonight
- Spoken want: what they'd say if asked.
- Hidden want: what's actually driving them.
- Refused need: what would heal them but feels too vulnerable.
- Find a scene where all three are in conflict.
- Write it. Watch the character come alive.
Real people want three things at once and only admit to one. Write your character that way and she stops being a plot device and starts being a person.
— L.A. Walton, The Book Maven
From the Maven Catalog
- Master Course — Want, Hidden Want, Need
- eBook — The Three-Want Method
- Toolkit — Character Want Worksheet
- Planner — Layered Character Planner
Fill in all three layers. Write a scene where they collide. The character is no longer flat. You're welcome.