🎯 What Makes a Character Compelling? (Hint: It’s Not Just Romance) + A Case Study

Devin Joubert
Aug 5
6 min read

Why every great story needs a strong want, a need—and the tension between them.

I've been reading so much lately, and I've been loving it. I just recently finished reading one that I was looking forward to, but am sad that it didn't live up to the hype for me. As a writer and story analyst, I found myself wanting to dig into the why behind my reaction.

Why did it fall flat for me? And how can writers avoid this in their own writing?

No hate here—just craft talk.

I felt like the main issue I ran into in this book, was that there wasn't a clear want vs need running throughout the book for these characters.

Let’s unpack how want vs. need works in character development, and what happens when it’s missing. Because a lot happens - or doesn't...

For a great book to work, it needs all three of these things:

A strong external want
An internal need
And tension between the two

Strong external want:

The external want is what the character thinks will solve their problems. It’s their visible goal, the thing they’re chasing.

In romance, that might look like:

Getting a promotion
Winning a competition
Escaping their current life
Avoiding vulnerability at all costs

These wants create forward momentum and help readers understand what’s at stake.

But for an external want to work, there has to be friction—something pushing back against it.

For Killian, the main character, what I see as a possible want for him is a break from acting and his controlling mother. He’s seeking peace, anonymity, and space to breathe.

That technically fits the mold of:

"Escaping their current life." Which works, but is there anything pushing up against it to make friction?

Not really...

There’s no:

urgency
deadline
clear plan
resistance from others (besides maybe his mom, off-page) (This wasn't really shown on page with multiple texts or many calls.)

“I want a break” is a weak want unless there’s something real pressing against it—A contract. A major role he might lose. The risk of disappointing people. A painful choice between acting and love.

And yes, Killian does lose a role—but it doesn’t seem to matter to him. There’s no emotional weight to that loss. He doesn't care. Which is fine, but then that doesn't work well as the friction piece.

So we’re left with:

No tangible consequences if he doesn’t take the break - other than missing out on a role he didn't want anyways.
No stakes if he does return to acting
No exploration of what acting means to him at all

As a reader, I found myself asking: Why should I care?

Does he love acting? Hate it? Was it his dream—or just his mom’s?

What’s actually at stake here?

Killian’s external want could have had teeth. The setup had real potential. But instead of turning it into a forward-driving goal—with resistance, tension, or consequence—it ends up feeling like an excuse to get away from everything without any real cost.

He doesn’t wrestle with who he is without acting. He doesn’t fear going back. And he only loses roles he didn’t really want anyway.

So the story stalls before it really starts.

🚪 A Note on the Catalyst (and Why It Matters)

Another spot where the story stumbled was the catalyst—the moment that’s supposed to launch the character into action.

In the book, the catalyst seems to be Killian meeting the female lead. But it lands without impact. He meets her, and instantly, she becomes his everything—without hesitation, conflict, or inner resistance.

His mom later tries to get him to come home early, but that attempt falls flat, so what was supposed to cause friction was a flat attempt. Killian just says no. There’s no turmoil or second-guessing. Now, have mom show up on his door front and be a bothersome bee in his life... that would have caused some friction.

Even before leaving England, he meets with his mom and other mangers or such and confidently declares he’s walking away—even if it means losing his next role.

And look, I get overwhelm. I understand the need for space. But if Killian is supposed to be the next big thing—like a Timothée Chalamet, Glen Powell, or the Taylor Swift of the acting world—there should be real pressure, temptation, or fear around giving that up. Because if there wasn't friction caused by that, then it wasn't really strong enough.

Instead, everything is a little too easy. There’s no fight. No pull between two identities. No weight to the decision. And without that friction… the story isn't really a story.

🧠 Understanding Character Motivation: Want vs. Need in Storytelling

In great stories, the most compelling tension doesn’t just come from outside forces—it comes from within the character.

The internal need is what the character truly needs to heal, grow, or change—even if they don’t know it yet.

It’s often tied to a wound or a lie they believe.

Examples:

They think they need control, but they actually need trust.
They think they need to run, but really they need to face themselves.
They think they need love, but they really need to love themselves first.

The magic happens when the external want directly conflicts with the internal need.

🚨 What Happens When There’s No Internal Need?

I kept looking for Killian’s internal need.

But I couldn’t find it.

There’s no:

Transformation
Belief he needs to overcome
Emotional wound to heal
Crisis of identity
Deeper purpose he’s reaching for

He doesn’t seem to need anything—except his love interest.

And while that might sound romantic on the surface, in practice, it creates a passive character who coasts through the story instead of growing through it.

😬 Why That Matters

When a character has no internal need, here’s what happens:

The romance does all the heavy lifting
The story lacks emotional depth
The ending feels flat or unearned
Readers disconnect—even if the premise is strong

Without a need, there’s no change. Without change, there’s no arc. Without an arc, there’s no payoff.

It’s not just about what your character does. It's about what they become.

Why Tension Between the Two Matters

The magic of character-driven storytelling lies in the tension between what a character wants and what they need.

When those two things are in conflict, you get:

Inner turmoil
Character growth
Emotional stakes
Forward momentum
A satisfying, earned ending

This is what forces characters to make hard choices.

Do they keep chasing what they think they want? Or will they face the uncomfortable truth of what they actually need?

That’s where transformation lives.

But when there’s no tension—when either the want or the need is weak (or missing entirely)—the story falls flat.

Characters feel one-dimensional. The plot drifts. The resolution feels hollow.

It’s like watching someone coast downhill. No challenge. No resistance. No reason to root for them.

If you want your readers to feel your story, you need that tug-of-war between want and need.

✍️ What Writers Can Learn

If you want your characters to resonate with readers, don’t just give them goals. Give them contradictions.

Ask yourself:

What does my character want? (The thing they believe will solve everything.)
What do they need deep down? (The thing that will actually heal or change them.)
How do those two things clash? (What inner conflict is created by chasing one while ignoring the other?)

The greater the gap between the want and the need, the richer your character arc becomes.

When your character is forced to choose—between the easy path and the growth path—that’s when your story truly comes alive.

Because:

Growth demands cost
Love demands risk
Healing demands truth

Readers don’t just want a character who happens to get what they want. They want a character who earns what they truly need.

🧠 Want to go deeper?

If you’re the kind of writer who underlines passages, takes notes while reading, or mentally rewrites scenes in your head—this is for you.

I’ve been working on a new tool to help you sharpen your storytelling instincts:✨ The Heart of Story Journal - A Writer's Reading Companion ✨

This guided workbook is designed to help you break down any novel—whether it’s a bestseller you’re studying or your own draft in progress. You’ll explore elements like:

Character wants vs. needs
Emotional stakes
Plot tension
Structural beats
The “why” behind what works (and what doesn’t)

It'll be the best writing craft tool you'll have in your toolbox. By analyzing stories through a storytelling lens, you’ll start to see narrative patterns, spot missed opportunities, and strengthen your own voice as a writer.

🗂️ Whether you’re a plotter, a pantser, or somewhere in between, this workbook will give you the tools to: