Characters don't necessarily have to be human. Cartoons personify objects all the time, from the cars of CARS to the animals of Disney movies like FINDING NEMO and BAMBI.
Throughout the course of a story, a character goes through an arc. A character arc is merely the process by which a character transitions from the character we see at the beginning of the story into the character we see at the end of the story. To discuss this arc, you must know the milestone events that evoke this change in the character.
A well-developed character has a handful of behavioral traits (no more than six, no less than three). I like to break these traits down into natural traits and learned traits. It is also more interesting if we see conflicting traits in the character. For example, a character's natural trait may be violence but they've learned pacifism. A natural trait may be extreme intelligence but a learned trait may be ineptitude.
Let's look at a trait-set and see what possibilities present themselves for story development:
NATURAL TRAIT: Violent Temper
NATURAL TRAIT: Quick Action
There are two kinds of characters. Flat characters and rounded characters.
Flat characters never change. They remain the same throughout the story. Typically, flat characters are supporting players in the overall story. If a flat character plays a major role in the story, it's usually that of antagonist. However, a flat character can be a protagonist IF that character manages to change the world around them. How?
Let's say you have a story about an idealistic politician who realizes he's surrounded by lying thieves when he takes office. Instead of stooping to their level, what if our protagonist takes a stand based on character and principle to the point that those around him are inspired to change.
Round characters do change. Most protagonists are round. Typically, a round character has a realistic fault that offsets all their positive traits. Think about Superman—Superman is basically invincible, except for that one weakness... krytponite. And this one weakness is exploited by enemies time and again.
This fault is a fatal flaw that causes defeat time and time again. Maybe this fatal fault is pride. In order to overcome the antagonist, this character would have to overcome their pride and humble themselves. Perhaps the protagonist has an addiction that they must overcome, or is blinded by love for someone destructive. Whatever this fatal flaw is, it must threaten everything in the story. If you have high stakes, then this fatal flaw must be strong enough to make the audience fear that the protagonist will fail all the way up until the moment of climax.
For a satisfying story, the change must be one that creates strength in the place of weakness. Audiences want to see characters overcome their weaknesses and grow as people. One reason audiences want this experience is because they want to believe they can overcome their own weaknesses in just the same way. Stories that offer this hope, even if never acted on, tend to resonate with the audience.
Finally, develop habits for your character. Perhaps they continually chew gum. Or perhaps they knock on a table every time they get up. Or they check to make sure they still have their wallet every time they're in a crowd. These habits reveal background about your character without ever going into exposition. Bonus points if you can tie this habit into the overall story.
-The Illiterate Writer
LEARNED TRAIT: Strategic Leadership
LEARNED TRAIT: Articulate Vocabulary
LEARNED TRAIT: Pacifist
These traits must drive the character's actions throughout the story. A character can NEVER act contrary to these traits UNLESS a permanent change happens along the course of the story.
Notice, the violent temper and pacifist nature will create a sense of conflict INSIDE this character until he comes to embrace one or the other. This same set of traits could be applied to the main character in the 2000 film THE PATRIOT, a veteran of the French / Indian War who becomes a pacifist after seeing the horrors of wars, and refuses to join the successionist movement in colonial New England until the actions of the British push him to a place where he has no choice but to act.
Another example of internal conflict may be a beautiful woman who is highly intelligent but who pretends to be stupid in order to win the affections of men. Then, when the affections of men fail her, she's forced to rely on her intellect to make a life for herself.
How does a character change? Something dramatic and irreversible has to happen. In the case of a committed pacifist, perhaps it is the death of his son at the hands of an enemy soldier that triggers such dramatic change. In the case of a self-doubting coward, maybe it's seeing someone he loves tormented by a bully that gives him the strength to stand up to his nemesis once and for all.
There are two kinds of characters. Flat characters and rounded characters.
Flat characters never change. They remain the same throughout the story. Typically, flat characters are supporting players in the overall story. If a flat character plays a major role in the story, it's usually that of antagonist. However, a flat character can be a protagonist IF that character manages to change the world around them. How?
Let's say you have a story about an idealistic politician who realizes he's surrounded by lying thieves when he takes office. Instead of stooping to their level, what if our protagonist takes a stand based on character and principle to the point that those around him are inspired to change.
Round characters do change. Most protagonists are round. Typically, a round character has a realistic fault that offsets all their positive traits. Think about Superman—Superman is basically invincible, except for that one weakness... krytponite. And this one weakness is exploited by enemies time and again.
This fault is a fatal flaw that causes defeat time and time again. Maybe this fatal fault is pride. In order to overcome the antagonist, this character would have to overcome their pride and humble themselves. Perhaps the protagonist has an addiction that they must overcome, or is blinded by love for someone destructive. Whatever this fatal flaw is, it must threaten everything in the story. If you have high stakes, then this fatal flaw must be strong enough to make the audience fear that the protagonist will fail all the way up until the moment of climax.
For a satisfying story, the change must be one that creates strength in the place of weakness. Audiences want to see characters overcome their weaknesses and grow as people. One reason audiences want this experience is because they want to believe they can overcome their own weaknesses in just the same way. Stories that offer this hope, even if never acted on, tend to resonate with the audience.
Finally, develop habits for your character. Perhaps they continually chew gum. Or perhaps they knock on a table every time they get up. Or they check to make sure they still have their wallet every time they're in a crowd. These habits reveal background about your character without ever going into exposition. Bonus points if you can tie this habit into the overall story.
-The Illiterate Writer
No comments:
Post a Comment