StoryNotesNewsletter

ISSUE #17:


(This is a continuation of the
article which began in Issue #15; see
the online archive at yahoo-groups if
you did not receive or save Issue 15 or 16:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/StoryNotesNewsletter)


PART 3 (OF 4):


IN ADDITION TO THE EXTERNAL DESIRE,

CONSIDER THE


* * * I N N E R N E E D * * *


AN ADDED BENEFIT

So far, we've discussed several ways that having an
Inner Need can benefit the story.

It can help to support the goal, adding additional
motivation. It can be used to explain and add interest to a
character's attitudes and moods. It can explain a
character's primary flaw or faulty strategy.

In addition, it can help in dimensionalizing your
character. A character with an unmet inner need is a bit
more complex than one without one. And possibly more
realistic.

Finally, an Inner Need can assist in creating sympathy
for the character. Most of us can understand and identify
with a character who has an unmet inner need or a strong,
long-held desire. And since the need or long-time, deep
desire has not been fulfilled, and the character
(consciously or not) longs for it and would be happier and
better off were it to be fulfilled, we sympathize with the
character.

NEED VS. DESIRE

It's important to understand that need is not always the
same as desire. And that what we *think* we need is not
always the same as what we really need.

A character may think he needs revenge. In reality, his
need may be for "closure" -- letting go of the pain from the
past, not letting it cripple his present and future. Or his
need may be for healing. He may want revenge, and think he
needs it. But what he really needs is to abandon the quest
for revenge, and achieve healing instead. And possibly seek
justice, which is not the same thing as revenge.

An addict may think he "needs" a fix. But he doesn't.
It will make him feel better, temporarily. But it will just
prolong or even intensify his pain and problems. Using more
cocaine, heroin, or booze will not fulfill an Inner Need,
and may even take one further away from it. The true need
is to end the addiction, and also to fulfill the unmet need
which may have led the character to use the toxic substance
in the first place in a flawed strategy to either fulfill
the need, or to at any rate numb the psychic pain and/or
provide a distraction, etc.

"Desire" is not always "need." And what someone thinks
he needs, and what he really needs, are not always one and
the same. In fact, in cases like this, these desires and
false needs are really akin to flaws which tend to be faulty
coping strategies, and to be counterproductive to fulfilling
the need.

But sometimes, a strong desire, if a healthy or harmless
one, *can* function as a need. An intense desire to rise
above one's place in a regimented, restricted society -- to
become a knight, perhaps, which is forbidden to peasants --
may not be a need, strictly speaking. But the desire is so
deeply rooted and long-felt that dramatically, it functions
as an inner need.

So a desire that would be harmful to the individual is
not a true need, nor can it substitute for one -- but it can
function as a key flaw. But a strong and long-held desire
that would be neutral or beneficial can perform the same
dramatic function as a need. While the character does not
absolutely need this desire to avoid an empty, miserable,
lonely life, he or she does need the attainment of the
desire in order to lead a happier, more fulfilling life. So
in that sense, a long-held, intense desire *is* a kind of
need.

"SOCIAL" NEEDS

Usually the Inner Need is primarily personal in nature,
although a person with an unmet need often affects others in
negative ways. Still, the need itself -- for greater self-worth,
belonging, meaning in one's life, love, self-expression, etc. -- is
basically a personal need.

Sometimes, however, there is no defined or pressing
personal need, but there is a kind of social imperative. If
the character is in some kind of influential position -- the
head of a family, a community leader, or any kind of
governmental official, chieftain, or ruler -- then sometimes
the need is less personal, and more social in nature. The
need may be to understand the plight and needs of one's
constituents. Or to understand, tolerate, perhaps even
appreciate differences with neighboring peoples. Or to
balance self-interest with the public interest. Thus,
people in a position of influence or actual power may not
have a purely personal need, but in order to be a better
person and in particular a better family, community, tribal,
business, regional, or national leader, the individual may
have a social need that must be met. Otherwise that
individual, and many others, may suffer.

NEEDS AND FEARS

Earlier, it was mentioned that a person with a fear of
intimacy but who also had a *need* for intimacy in effect
had two, closely related inner needs: the need for
intimacy, and a need to dispel the fear of intimacy.

That's one way of looking at it, and a workable way.
Another way would be to say that the fear of intimacy is
really the Key Flaw. Thus, the Inner Need is for moving
past an overly solitary existence and achieving a satisfying
and meaningful intimacy with the right person. And the
Primary Flaw is the fear that effectively blocks that need.

But how does that person's fear express itself? How
does the fear *act* to block potential intimacy? As stated
before, it could be avoidance of others, or it could be
sarcasm, or something else, such as critical fault-finding,
so as to push others away before they push you away.

In that case, is the Key Flaw the fear of intimacy, or
is it, say, excessive sarcasm? In reality, this is a false
choice. The sarcasm is an outgrowth of the fear. It's a
way to avoid feeling fearful. They are closely related. In
effect, they are the same thing. The Key Flaw can be seen
as the fear, and the sarcasm is the strategy for avoiding
the fear. Or the Key Flaw can be seen as sarcasm, and the
fear would be the reason for it. One cannot approach this
in an overly regimented manner. We cannot say, "Well, he
can't have two Key Flaws, so we'll have to get rid or one or
another." A character *can* have more than one flaw.
Usually, though, one takes precedence. Or at any rate, one
is more relevant to the goal (hindering it) or the need
(blocking it). Or both. So in the case being discussed,
the two are so closely related that, yes, there can be two.
Or one (the fear), with the other an adjunct to it, or the
outgrowth of the fear.

Very frequently, a fear is associated with the Inner
Need. And in such a case, the Fear (of achieving that need)
would become the Primary Flaw. And no doubt there would be
one or two adjuncts or outgrowths to the flaw -- the means
employed to avoid feeling that fear.

OUTER & INNER STORIES

Many stories have an outer and an inner track. The
outer, or external, track relates to the Main Goal -- the
actions and attempts to solve a big problem, and/or to get,
do, or become something. Thus, the external story is about
the events and efforts to achieve the goal, despite
difficulties.

The Inner, or internal, story, relates to the Inner Need
and/or the Key Flaw. And also the internal conflicts and
struggles that occur when trying to vanquish the flaw and
fulfill the need despite a fear of change and/or the counter-efforts
of the deeply ingrained flaw. There may be
other internal conflicts as well, such as when values clash,
or when a character must choose between two almost equally
desirable things, or between two bad options.

A story that has only the outer track usually seems too
empty, too superficial, too thin. It's generally
unsatisfying. The inner track adds resonance, significance,
and power.

And it's very difficult to have an Inner Story without
an Inner Need. It's possible -- by confining the Inner
Story to dealing with a Key Flaw, such as a fear, or a
flawed behavioral strategy, etc.

But usually the Inner Need is an important part of the
Inner Story. And the Inner and Outer stories will not only
intersect at several times, very distinctly, but also
influence one another at other times as well. When one is
the primary focus, the other is still running "beneath" it.

Often a Big Problem stands in the way of the Outer Goal,
and must be solved prior to achieving the goal -- or, the
goal itself is so difficult, that achieving it is, in
effect, the Big Problem. Thus, we have an Outer Problem
(achieving an extremely difficult goal, or solving a big
problem so that we can achieve the main goal).

And just as there is an Outer Problem, so too, as a
balance or parallel to that, can there be an Inner Problem.
And what would this Inner Problem consist of? It would
usually consist of fulfilling an important, heretofore unmet
Inner Need, or controlling or eliminating a Key Flaw which
blocks the need (and would hinder goals). Or both.

Thus, one of three patterns will occur:

1. The character must solve the Inner Problem in order
to solve the Outer Problem.

2. By solving the Outer Problem, the character will
also solve the Inner Problem. That is, once the Outer
Problem is solved, so too will the Inner one be.

3. The Inner Problem will be solved as a result of
trying to solve the Outer Problem -- whether the Outer
Problem is ever solved or not.

And again, the Inner Problem usually means either the
difficulties involved with eliminating the Key Flaw (the
primary flaw, fear, excessive virtue, and/or faulty
behavioral strategy), or fulfilling the difficult-to-fulfill
Inner Need. Or both.

WHAT HAPPENS TO THE NEED

When does the need get fulfilled?

In a few stories, never. Hollywood isn't fond of those
stories, however, and rarely makes them. Audiences aren't
either, usually (but execution is all). Such stories are
sometimes seen in independent, art-house films.

In most films, the need does get fulfilled. Often, the
need is as important to the character as the goal, and
sometimes more so. So the audience, while not as
consciously aware of the need as the goal, nonetheless wants
to see it realized.

When and how the need is satisfied varies greatly.
Sometimes it happens relatively early in Act 2. If the need
is something like a need for adventure or to do something
meaningful and significant with one's life, and that's what
the character is doing while struggling with the Big Problem
and/or trying to achieve a difficult-but-important goal,
then in effect, the need is already satisfied, at least
partially. Needs like these are ongoing, so the need, even
though it has been met, will continue to motivate the
character, adding to the other motivations (saving lives, or
whatever the case may be).

Occasionally, it happens at or near the end of the
middle act(s) -- at around the two-thirds or three-quarters
point of the story. Usually, however, that's the more
likely place for the flaw to be conquered, or simply for a
breakthrough event to occur, swinging us onto the Road to
Resolution.

It happens, but it's rare for both the flaw to be
vanquished *and* the need to be satisfied by the 3/4 point
of the story. When that does occur, it's because the
character will need every bit of inner strength and balance
in order to solve the external problem and to achieve the
goal. And the Final Ordeal and/or Final Confrontation that
the character goes through in the last act serves as a means
to test whether or not the need and flaw issues have, in
fact, been resolved, and if the change will stick.

More often, however, it's just the flaw that is shed at
that point. Otherwise, the last fourth of the story
(approximately), would be nearly all "external" story, with
no internal track.

And quite often, both the flaw and the need are still in
place as we move into the last section of the story.

When that's the case, the need may be met sometime
during the last act, or it can be met at the exact moment
that the goal is achieved, or it can come afterwards, as a
result of it.

And it's not always like a key turning a lock.
Sometimes, yes -- sometimes there is one moment where
clearly the person has now found acceptance, approval, a
family, love, forgiveness, self-worth, etc. But frequently
there is no one moment when it happens. The decisions and
struggles throughout the middle acts may help to begin the
process of fulfilling it. And/or an Ordeal near the end, by
the end of which the character may have expiated guilt, feel
forgiven, know that he or she can summon courage, has made a
difference, etc.

And sometimes, even then, the need has not been fully
realized. We may know at the conclusion of the story that
the character is on his way to having the need fulfilled,
and almost certainly will do so, but we don't see the
completion of that process.

There is no set formula -- thankfully, or it would be
too restrictive and too predictable.

The need can be met fairly early in the story, as soon
as the character engages in the main conflict and endeavors
to achieve the main goal (but if so, the ongoing need will
continue to motivate the character). It may be fulfilled by
the end of the middle section of the story -- suddenly, or
in one last step that culminates the process up to that
point. It can even be a sudden realization that the need
has already been fulfilled. Or the need can be met just
prior to the resolution climax. Or *at* the climax -- at
the same time the goal is achieved (if it is), or
immediately after. Or during the denouement. Or we just
sense that the process is underway, and will continue. Or
not at all, if we favor that grim option.

It depends on the needs of the story. It depends on the
particular character who has been created, and on the
external problem/goal, and sometimes even on the theme of
the story. It depends on what the writer decides works best
for this need, this character, this goal, this story.

INNER NEED AND CHARACTER ARC

The fulfilling of an Inner Need would certainly play a
major part of a character arc. Sometimes it's the principle
part of the character change. There may be other aspects to
an arc -- the conquering of the inhibiting flaw, for
instance (which, as we've seen, is usually related to the
need). Or any character growth, even if not strictly
related to a prior, pressing need.

But when there has been a heretofore unmet internal
need, and it is satisfied in the course of the story, that
would comprise a significant part of that character's arc.


(TO BE CONCLUDED in the next installment, Issue #18)

Coming up: "Examples" from numerous and varied films.
Also: "Exceptions," and "Summary."