The WANT Framework
Your characters need to WANT something specific in every scene. Not “I hope things work out” or “I’m trying to be better.” You need concrete, actable objectives that make actors excited to come to work and audiences lean forward.
The trick? Never let your characters announce their agenda. Never let ‘em tell us with words. Make them show us with their deeds. Both your protagonist and your antagonist. Both of them gotta have equal and opposing WANTs.
W – What They’re Chasing
Make it specific. “Get them to leave the room” beats “wants space.” “Make her admit she lied” beats “seeks the truth.” One gives an actor a target to hit. The other’s just fog on the page.
A — Action They Take
Show it through behavior, not dialogue. Your character wants forgiveness? Don’t write “I’m sorry, I was wrong.” Write them standing in the doorway at 2 AM with their father’s watch in their hand. Kill the exposition line. Make the actor carry it in their posture, their breathing, the coffee cup they won’t put down. What stays hidden usually lands harder.
N — Never Stated Outright
Your character shouldn’t announce what they’re after. In The Social Network, Zuckerberg never says, “I want Erica back.” We discover it by watching him build an empire while refreshing her profile. Let the audience connect the dots.
T — Tension From Clash
Check the reverse angle. What does the person across from them want? She wants him to stay at the party. He wants to leave before his ex walks in the door. Agreement is boring. Friction is story. That collision is the spark that sets your scene on fire and threatens to burn the whole fricking house down.
Make Failure Matter
If they don’t get what they’re after and nothing shifts, you’ve got a weak goal. Turn up the heat until the characters feel it. Obstacles can be the clock, their own pride, a locked drawer, a tornado, a Death Star, or a lie they told three years ago.
Conflict doesn’t need a villain in a black hat. It needs intentions and obstacles. So, give every character something they really WANT, and your scenes will stop feeling like scenes on a page and start feeling like turning points in a compelling life.
