Today we put together stories that with a protagonist that has a dramatic need. A dramatic need, you remember is something that is broken about the protagonist's heart. An internal part of the protagonist that needs changing. The dramatic need is usually in conflict with the protagonist's surface goal.
In one class we made a story about a truck driver who is obsessed with getting as many miles and as many jobs as he can. We decided that a guy who is obsessed with his work probably tends to ignore his family. So we made his dramatic need to make room in his life for his family.
Thus, the antagonist is the truck driver's family. They will be working against the truck driver's goal of getting a lot of miles. However, their actions against his goal will work toward his dramatic need. This is the dual nature of the antagonist in the drama: he or she works against the protagonist's goal but for his/her dramatic need.
We brought him through through three events on the Dramatic Need Sheet. In the first
event, he says goodbye to his family to go on a long haul. The kid reminds his dad that his musical presentation at school is coming up, and thenpeppers him with so many questions that he makes the truck driver late getting started.
So, the kid worked against the truck driver's goal of getting a lot of miles, but he also started the truck driver on his way to fulfilling his dramatic need to spend more time with his family.
In Event #2 the truck driver takes another job at the end of his route that will keep him away for much longer than he had anticipated. That night on the phone, his wife tells him that their baby took her first steps today. This awakens the truck driver to the reality that he's missing out on his family, and that he wants to be with them. He loses sleep that night worrying about his predicament, and the next day he doesn't driver as far because he's so tired.
Once again, the family worked against the driver's goal, but now he realizes that he really wants to be with his family. A step in the direction of fulfilling his dramatic need.
Event #3 is where we show the change in the protagonist. The protagonist has to show his change through action. We do not believe characters who merely say, "From now on I will pay more attention to my family." They need to actually do something about it. In fact, they need to sacrifice to fulfill their dramatic need.
So we put gave the truck driver the very thing that will fulfill his goal: a job with double pay. But he has to take it now, and he will have to miss his son's musical performance. With this decision we will see what the truck driver really values: the money, or time with his family.
A powerful story will face its protagonist with two things that he really really wants, but he will have to choose which one he wants. It is in this way that we see what his character truly is and if he fulfills his dramatic need.
In this case, we decided that not only did the truck driver not take the job, he also drove all night to make it home in time. We see through this action that he has fulfilled his dramatic need.
