Hey all
Our man robbstar and his co-host BfaetheCP from 'Everything is an Illusion' Podcast were talking about writing in their last show... we got into a discussion here a bit about writing:
everything-s-an-illusion-eps-17-trump-to-making-a-murderer-t3254.html
I said I would share some of my process, so here we go:
Writing Real Characters (Masato's notebook)
These notes are about CHARACTER.
If you don't understand your characters, their inner workings, and most importantly the CHANGE they make (story is all about change imo).. then you are not doing your story justice.
Here are some exercises I did a while ago that really helped bring everything into focus. Not JUST for understanding the characters, but the answers to these explorations totally help shape the rest of the writing as well because you will know better how to write each scene so that you hit these character marks as strongly as you can throughout the writing.
The first one is simple: WANTS vs NEEDS.
These 2 things are not always the same. A good character will often THINK they want a certain goal, but in reality what they NEED is something different that they haven't understood yet. Good stories imo usually end where they DON'T get what they want, but come to realize what they need is more valuable, and they get that:
* note: ll these scans are shitty, so I re-drew the basic elements in GREEN so you can make sense of my messy scribbles.
If you don't understand your characters, their inner workings, and most importantly the CHANGE they make (story is all about change imo).. then you are not doing your story justice.
Here are some exercises I did a while ago that really helped bring everything into focus. Not JUST for understanding the characters, but the answers to these explorations totally help shape the rest of the writing as well because you will know better how to write each scene so that you hit these character marks as strongly as you can throughout the writing.
The first one is simple: WANTS vs NEEDS.
These 2 things are not always the same. A good character will often THINK they want a certain goal, but in reality what they NEED is something different that they haven't understood yet. Good stories imo usually end where they DON'T get what they want, but come to realize what they need is more valuable, and they get that:
* note: ll these scans are shitty, so I re-drew the basic elements in GREEN so you can make sense of my messy scribbles.
Next chart is a basic rundown of all the facets of the characters.
On the left are your main characters.
Then we have along the top, for EACH CHARACTER:
- IINCITING INCIDENT/MOTIVATION: what makes this character start their journey?
- GOAL: What do they want? What are they trying to do?
-ACTION (to achieve goal): What do they do to attempt to achieve their goal?
-IMAGES AND THEMES: specific images, themes, etc related to this character's role
-SPECIFIC ACTION OR DIALOGUE: key actions or dialogue that is crucial to expressing this character's inner workings
...do this for each character.
On the left are your main characters.
Then we have along the top, for EACH CHARACTER:
- IINCITING INCIDENT/MOTIVATION: what makes this character start their journey?
- GOAL: What do they want? What are they trying to do?
-ACTION (to achieve goal): What do they do to attempt to achieve their goal?
-IMAGES AND THEMES: specific images, themes, etc related to this character's role
-SPECIFIC ACTION OR DIALOGUE: key actions or dialogue that is crucial to expressing this character's inner workings
...do this for each character.
Chart continues;
Characters on the left listed vertically / categories along the top horizontally
PHILOSOPHY, VALUES, POV, THINKING: What is this character all about? How do they see the world? Where are their thoughts focused?
ACTIONS/DECISIONS: What do they DO that is a result of their values/POV etc?
EMOTIONS/REACTIONS/CHANGES: How do they FEEL? How do their feelings cause them to react to the events in the story? How do they CHANGE (this is most important; a character that does not change by the end of the story is not a good character)
Characters on the left listed vertically / categories along the top horizontally
PHILOSOPHY, VALUES, POV, THINKING: What is this character all about? How do they see the world? Where are their thoughts focused?
ACTIONS/DECISIONS: What do they DO that is a result of their values/POV etc?
EMOTIONS/REACTIONS/CHANGES: How do they FEEL? How do their feelings cause them to react to the events in the story? How do they CHANGE (this is most important; a character that does not change by the end of the story is not a good character)
Next chart is about CONFLICT, which is at the heart of all good stories/characters.
Same as before; characters listed on the left vertically, categories along the top horizontally:
INNER: What conflicts exist WITHIN the character? What do they have to fight with inside themselves?
SPIRITUAL: what conflicts does the character struggle with on a spiritual level? What karma must they clear, or what wisdom do they need to learn? etc
RELATIONAL: what conflicts does the character have with OTHER CHARACTERS?
SOCIETAL: What conflicts does the character have with his/her ENVIRONMENT? How might they be at odds with the world around them?
SITUATIONAL: What conflicts does the character find themselves in specifically that they must solve? Immediate situations, danger, etc
CONFLICT MAIN THEME: What is the main THEME of this character's conflict? Can it be summed up in an image or metaphor?
Same as before; characters listed on the left vertically, categories along the top horizontally:
INNER: What conflicts exist WITHIN the character? What do they have to fight with inside themselves?
SPIRITUAL: what conflicts does the character struggle with on a spiritual level? What karma must they clear, or what wisdom do they need to learn? etc
RELATIONAL: what conflicts does the character have with OTHER CHARACTERS?
SOCIETAL: What conflicts does the character have with his/her ENVIRONMENT? How might they be at odds with the world around them?
SITUATIONAL: What conflicts does the character find themselves in specifically that they must solve? Immediate situations, danger, etc
CONFLICT MAIN THEME: What is the main THEME of this character's conflict? Can it be summed up in an image or metaphor?
Next Chart is about the TRANSFORMATIONAL ARC of each character; HOW DO THEY CHANGE?
Characters listed on the left vertically, categories along the top horizontally:
BEGINNING POSITION: What is the state of the character at the START of the story?
MODERATE CHANGE (not far enough): What change does the character make, basically, by the end of the film?
EXTREME CHANGE: How can this change be pushed FURTHER, made stronger? How can the change be more complete or more dramatic?
Characters listed on the left vertically, categories along the top horizontally:
BEGINNING POSITION: What is the state of the character at the START of the story?
MODERATE CHANGE (not far enough): What change does the character make, basically, by the end of the film?
EXTREME CHANGE: How can this change be pushed FURTHER, made stronger? How can the change be more complete or more dramatic?
Next chart is about SUBPLOT ARCS
This chart will appear messy because I made it for 3 separate screenplays (am writing a trilogy), but the basic idea is shown in GREEN:
- List all subplots.
For me these are specific relations between different combinations of characters. Each pairing of characters have their own unique conflicts to work out.
Break the story down into ACT 1, MIDPOINT, and ACT 3:
Describe where each subplot begins (Act 1), what changes it up (midpoint), and how it resolves (Act 3)
This chart will appear messy because I made it for 3 separate screenplays (am writing a trilogy), but the basic idea is shown in GREEN:
- List all subplots.
For me these are specific relations between different combinations of characters. Each pairing of characters have their own unique conflicts to work out.
Break the story down into ACT 1, MIDPOINT, and ACT 3:
Describe where each subplot begins (Act 1), what changes it up (midpoint), and how it resolves (Act 3)
If you do these exercises I promise you they will bring all your characters to life, and will make your whole story WAY more clear. You will know WHY you are writing each scene and it will help you maximize everything so that all the answers these charts provide are echoed and repeated throughout.
Happy writing!
Happy writing!
-
Canuckster
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good stuff man
People say they all want the truth, but when they are confronted with a truth that disagrees with them, they balk at it as if it were an unwanted zombie apocalypse come to destroy civilization.
Lots of great info there. It's amazing and totally understandable why one would should create such a breakdown.
Even when I had to write scripts etc at university, I would write the whole thing, swimming through mud. Then write the character treatments, plot lines and arcs, story timeliness etc after I had finished the story.
I don't know enough about my characters, or there story before I start.
Really cool to glimpse into someone else's inner world. :)
Even when I had to write scripts etc at university, I would write the whole thing, swimming through mud. Then write the character treatments, plot lines and arcs, story timeliness etc after I had finished the story.
I don't know enough about my characters, or there story before I start.
Really cool to glimpse into someone else's inner world. :)
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