Character & POV
3 min read

101 potential external objects of desire

A pop-art image of swirling patterns representing external objects of desire

Much like a beacon in the night, your character's external objects of desire illuminate their path forward. These tangible goals or aspirations serve as compass points, guiding their choices, actions, and ultimately shaping their narrative journey. In this article, we preset an extensive repository of 101 potential external desires to aid you in creating layered, captivating characters.

  1. A job promotion: Your character desires advancement in their professional life.
  2. A lost treasure: Your character seeks a valuable item that has been lost or hidden.
  3. A Pet Companion: Your character desires to find or adopt a specific animal companion for companionship or assistance.
  4. A place to belong: Your character seeks a home, community, or place where they feel they belong.
  5. A safe place: Your character yearns for a haven free from danger or harm.
  6. Acceptance into a group: Your character seeks membership in a specific group or community.
  7. Acclamation: Your character desires public approval and praise.
  8. Acquiring a rare object: Your character desires to obtain a rare or valuable object.
  9. Adventure: Your character seeks an exciting quest, journey, or mission.
  10. An artefact: Your character is after a particular item with personal or universal significance.
  11. An enemy's downfall: Your character seeks to bring about the destruction or defeat of a foe.
  12. Approval of a figure: Your character seeks validation or approval from a specific authority figure.
  13. Artistic expression: Your character yearns to create a piece of art or music.
  14. A secret: Your character wants to discover hidden information or uncover a mystery.
  15. A trophy: Your character desires a symbol of a significant achievement or victory.
  16. Authority: Your character desires a position of control or command.
  17. Awards: Your character desires recognition in the form of awards or accolades.
  18. Becoming a legend: Your character longs to achieve legendary status in their chosen field.
  19. Celebrity: Your character desires fame and public recognition.
  20. Change of scenery: Your character yearns for a new environment or living situation.
  21. Citizenship: Your character wishes to become a legal citizen of a specific country.
  22. Claiming an inheritance: Your character seeks to gain property or wealth that's rightfully theirs.
  23. Competition victory: Your character wants to win a specific contest or competition.
  24. Control over a resource: Your character seeks control over a valuable resource.
  25. Creating a masterpiece: Your character aspires to produce a work of outstanding creativity or skill.
  26. Curing a disease: Your character is pursuing a cure for a specific illness.
  27. Discovery: Your character wishes to discover something new or groundbreaking.
  28. Dream job: Your character aspires to a particular profession or career.
  29. Educational degree: Your character wants to obtain a specific degree or qualification.
  30. Escape: Your character seeks to get away from a confining or dangerous situation.
  31. Family reunion: Your character longs to reunite with their family.
  32. Fame: Your character wishes to be known and celebrated widely.
  33. Financial stability: Your character desires financial security and freedom from debt.
  34. Finding a person: Your character is searching for a specific person.
  35. Finding love: Your character yearns for a romantic relationship.
  36. Freedom: Your character desires liberation from imprisonment or oppression.
  37. Friendship: Your character seeks a close and supportive relationship with another person.
  38. Fulfilling a dream: Your character yearns to realise a long-held dream or ambition.
  39. Fulfilling a prophecy: Your character aims to make a specific prediction or prophecy come true.
  40. Gaining power: Your character desires authority or control over others.
  41. Gaining respect: Your character wishes to earn the respect of others.
  42. Gaining supernatural abilities: Your character seeks to acquire supernatural or superhuman abilities.
  43. Healing a relationship: Your character wishes to mend a broken relationship.
  44. Health: Your character seeks recovery from an illness or injury.
  45. Hero status: Your character seeks recognition as a hero.
  46. Heroism: Your character desires to perform a heroic act or deed.
  47. Immortality: Your character desires to live forever.
  48. Influence: Your character seeks the power to affect people's behaviour or decisions.
  49. Invention: Your character aims to create a new and innovative product or concept.
  50. Justice: Your character seeks fair treatment or punishment for injustice.
  51. Justice for a loved one: Your character seeks justice for a wrong done to someone they care about.
  52. Knowledge: Your character wishes to gain knowledge about a specific topic.
  53. Leadership: Your character desires to lead a group, team, or nation.
  54. Legacy: Your character desires to leave a lasting impact on the world.
  55. Locating a missing person: Your character seeks to find someone who is lost or missing.
  56. Magical powers: Your character wishes to gain magical or supernatural abilities.
  57. Mastering a skill: Your character seeks to become proficient in a specific ability or talent.
  58. Overcoming a rival: Your character seeks to surpass a competitor or adversary.
  59. Peace: Your character seeks to establish peace between conflicting parties.
  60. Personal transformation: Your character desires a significant change in their appearance or abilities.
  61. Possessions: Your character seeks to acquire a specific item or set of items.
  62. Preserving a way of life: Your character aims to protect their culture or traditions.
  63. Protection of the environment: Your character wishes to preserve or restore the environment.
  64. Publication of a book: Your character longs to see their work in print.
  65. Rebuilding: Your character wants to reconstruct something destroyed.
  66. Recognition: Your character desires acknowledgement for their actions or achievements.
  67. Reconciliation with the past: Your character seeks to make peace with their history.
  68. Recovery of memory: Your character yearns to regain lost memories.
  69. Redemption: Your character seeks to make up for past failures or mistakes.
  70. Regaining honour: Your character wishes to restore their good reputation.
  71. Rescuing hostages: Your character is committed to saving people held hostage.
  72. Resolution of a conflict: Your character seeks to resolve a dispute or disagreement.
  73. Restoring balance: Your character desires to restore equilibrium to a situation or environment.
  74. Retirement: Your character longs for a peaceful and leisurely retirement.
  75. Revenge: Your character wants to avenge a wrong or injury.
  76. Revenge on a villain: Your character seeks retribution against a villainous figure.
  77. Safety: Your character seeks protection for themselves or others.
  78. Saving a loved one: Your character is committed to protecting someone they care about.
  79. Saving a species: Your character wishes to prevent the extinction of a specific species.
  80. Saving the world: Your character is motivated by a desire to prevent a global disaster.
  81. Securing a legacy: Your character desires to ensure their achievements or name live on.
  82. Solving a mystery: Your character wishes to solve an enigma or a crime.
  83. Solving a puzzle: Your character yearns to solve a complex puzzle or problem.
  84. Starting a family: Your character desires to have children and start their own family.
  85. Starting a movement: Your character seeks to initiate a social or political movement.
  86. Stopping a prophecy: Your character aims to prevent a prophecy from coming true.
  87. Stopping an event: Your character is determined to prevent a specific event from happening.
  88. Survival: Your character needs to survive in a threatening environment or situation.
  89. The perfect crime: Your character yearns to execute a crime without getting caught.
  90. The truth: Your character seeks to reveal or discover the truth.
  91. Time: Your character wishes to gain, waste, or kill time.
  92. Time travel: Your character seeks the ability to travel through time.
  93. Transformation: Your character desires a physical or personal transformation.
  94. Travel: Your character yearns to explore new places.
  95. Uncovering a conspiracy: Your character wishes to expose a secret plot.
  96. Unlocking a secret: Your character seeks to uncover a secret knowledge or skill.
  97. Wealth: Your character desires financial wealth or material possessions.
  98. Winning a bet: Your character wishes to win a wager or a gamble.
  99. Winning a game: Your character seeks to triumph in a game or sport.
  100. Winning the love of someone: Your character longs for the love of a specific individual.
  101. Winning a war: Your character is focused on winning a conflict or war.