See that chick over there? She wants a bacon double cheeseburger but she’s worried if she horks one down that she won’t be able to hike up her skinny jeans over her beluga thighs.

Or how about that dude on the corner? He wants to be a lion tamer but he’s allergic to cat dander.

What about you? What do you want? Currently I’d like a stomach pump because I just ate a quart of caramel praline ice cream. Yes, again with the dang ice cream. It’s summer. Cut me some slack.

Even my dog wants something, preferably the leftover tuna hotdish sitting on the back bottom shelf of the frig with a slight green haze growing over the top.

Are you noticing a trend here?

Humans are needy little creatures, all wanty and feed-me feed-me. If you want your readers to feel a strong connection to your characters, here’s a sweet little tip: give your characters a desire for something, anything, and make that clear from the get-go. Sure, those wants can and should change by the end of the story, but don’t ever take their needy nature away or you’ll lose your reader.

Now then, I’m off to snack on some chips. I have a feeling the salt will offset the sugary coma I’m about to collapse in.