Writing Tips - Deep Heart Wish

This week we were back at Thrive cafe with Story Club, my young writer’s workshop. A hybrid class with some attending by Zoom and some in person, we explored ‘deep heart wishes’.

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What does our character want most?
When Harry Potter looks into the Mirror of Erised, he sees his parents.

Knowing a character’s deepest wish helps us understand them, and helps us drive the plot (carry the story forward).

​Harry Potter’s deepest wish, to connect to his parents, to have a family, could be the motivator for connecting so closely with Ron and Hermione. He creates a family/tribe through friends. The Weasleys become an extended family, inviting him to their home. And Harry, in turn, is incredibly protective of them.

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Our characters may have deep motivations (deep heart wishes!) that they may or may not realise themselves.
Some possible deep heart wishes:

• Peace
• Community/Friends/Tribe/Family
• Excitement
• Retribution
• Escape

Ways we can reveal the deep heart wish of a character in our stories:

• Dreams, fantasies — the character might dream or fantasize about getting their wish. For example, in the mirror of Erised, Harry and Ron literally see their deep wishes in the glass. The reader literally finds out what the wishes are.
• Quest — what quest or mission does the character go on? This can reflect what they want most.
• Friends — who does the character make friends with? Or do they push friends away — maybe the character just wants peace or escape and prefers to be alone?
• Action — what choices do they make? Fight, flee, help, destroy …

Some deep heart wishes that came from our young writers’ group:

• To connect with a mum who had died.
• To be normal (a girl with fire power).
• To protect her tribe and speak to otters.
• To be friends again, after a friendship drifted / split.
• To protect her family against a dark illness.

And a moment of comic relief / genius — to live in a world of bread.
Thanks to all the young writers who joined, and hope they enjoyed thinking about deep heart wishes.