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Character

Finding The Core Belief: The Impact of the Flat-Arc Protagonist

Finding The Core Belief: The Impact of the Flat-Arc Protagonist

Stories where the protagonist remains steadfast in their beliefs and, in doing so, changes everyone around them. This is called in some circles... "The flat-arc protagonist."

The Protagonist's Most Important Trait: Resilience.

The Protagonist's Most Important Trait: Resilience.

By the end of your story, your protagonist should demonstrate resilience. I know, I know. How interesting could it be if every protagonist had this exact same trait? It turns out, it's very interesting.

Character is story. Story is character.

Character is story. Story is character.

Here are three character questions I ask to help nail down the underlying needs that drive a character’s transformation.

Tools For Character-Driven Dramatic Questions

Tools For Character-Driven Dramatic Questions

Last week, I wrote about plot-focused dramatic questions and how they can make your job much easier. But not every story wants one...

Four Questions For Any Character Piece

Four Questions For Any Character Piece

Sometimes you have a character in mind. No situation, no world. You don't even know what the character will do, let alone what they want. It's just the character. What exactly do you do with them?

The Big Picture - Four Throughlines

The Big Picture - Four Throughlines

After focusing the last two weeks on Act 1 and Act 2, I want to talk about the big picture. If you've taken any of my classes, you know I emphasize simplifying the process whenever we can.

How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love Act 2

How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love Act 2

It is the last Tuesday of July and, therefore, the last entry in our unofficial series on character. Last week we covered character in the opening pages, and now I want to take you to one of my favorite topics... Act 2.

Define The Character Early

Define The Character Early

We are still on character and dialogue this month, but today it's just character. And specifically, character in the first ten pages. We all know how crucial the opening of our screenplay is. We hear it again and again.

How To Make Characters Distinguish Themselves

How To Make Characters Distinguish Themselves

You've heard the note before, "All the characters sound the same!" The idea here is that each character should have a different sound to their speech. I think it's an easy note to make.

Most Important Aspect Of Supporting Characters

Most Important Aspect Of Supporting Characters

We can mistakenly think world-building is solely the domain of sci-fi and fantasy. It is not. It refers to the entire domain of our story, whether that's a far-away planet or the single-location home of an indie-comedy.

Why Subtext is Overrated.

Why Subtext is Overrated.

Subtext is usually positioned as something evasive that requires talent and nuance to capture. Another one of those elusive things people like to wield as a weapon to make themselves feel better and writers feel worse.

When to describe the character in detail

When to describe the character in detail

This week I want to talk about when to describe a character you just introduced. How we describe them is an excellent topic, too, but well covered by others. I’ll save my take on it for another time. Today is about WHEN.