Many writers like to use a Major Dramatic Question to help them figure out whether or not they have picked a strong goal. A Major Dramatic Question is literally a question that should be answered with a yes or no by the end of the story. It is structured liked this:
Will (protagonist) (active verb) (object) ?
For example, the Major Dramatic Question for The Wizard of Oz is “Will Dorothy return home ?”
We know this is a solid goal because we can answer this question with a YES, and we can name the specific moment where it happens (she wakes up and sees her Aunt and Uncle standing above her – this is important because she wants to return both to the physical location of home as well as the more conceptual idea of home, which is embodied by her family). Throughout the story, Dorothy is constantly and actively fighting to answer that question with a yes. As soon as she succeeds, her story is over and the book or film can end.
Another, slightly more advanced example comes from Hamlet: Will Hamlet avenge his father’s death? Many first-time Hamlet readers might make the mistake of thinking Hamlet’s goal is to kill Claudius. While that eventually becomes the tactic that Hamlet uses to win his goal, it was not his overall goal. The ghost who approaches Hamlet at the beginning of the play claims to be Hamlet’s father, but Hamlet isn’t going to kill his own uncle without proof that the ghost was actually his father and not some vengeful demon pretending to be his father. So, first, he verifies that his father’s soul actually needs vengeance before taking the next step. Once he has verified that his uncle killed his father, he moves in to kill him, but finds Claudius praying. Hamlet believed that killing his uncle while he prayed would actually send him to Heaven, and that wouldn’t be the vengeance he wanted. So Hamlet waited to catch Claudius doing something that would send his soul to Hell before killing him. Once Claudius accidentally murdered his own wife with the poisoned wine, Hamlet was free and clear to kill the king, thereby answering his Major Dramatic Question with a resounding yes!
Asking the Major Dramatic Question is a great tool for writers who feel their characters often become unfocused on their goal. The writer can ask if the character is actively fighting to answer that question with a yes in every scene. If, at any time, the character has forgotten to answer that question, then the writer knows he or she needs to go back and refocus. Just like there should be only one goal for the main character, there should be only one Major Dramatic Question as well.
While a character can only have one goal and one Major Dramatic Question for a story, there can be many needs. A need is something more emotional or conceptual. The character would like to have this need fulfilled, and the narrative gives them a chance to gain that need by winning their goal. In other words, fulfilling the need will be a byproduct of winning the goal. In many instances, it is the needs of the character - not the goal - the reader or viewer remembers the character pursuing.
The needs are often the emotional motivators for the protagonist to win his or her goal. In Wreck It Ralph, winning a medal will allow Ralph to feel accepted. In The Goonies, finding the treasure will allow Mikey to keep the community he loves (both in terms of property and on a more conceptual basis). In Gone Girl, getting his wife back will allow Nick to prove he is the “good guy,” appeasing his fear of turning out like his jerk-father. In Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth needs to feel validated after Darcy’s insult. Harry Potter needs to feel like he belongs since he spent his entire childhood being told he is worthless. These needs are all different than the more visual goals the characters are fighting for, but they are equally important to the story.
A great example to look at more closely is Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog. His goal is to be inducted into the Evil League of Evil. He wins this goal when we see him walk into the Evil League of Evil Boardroom, all suited up in his fancy red suit. Why does he want to win this goal? What are his emotional motivators? For one, he needs to prove that he is worthy of the girl of his dreams, Penny. He is too shy to speak to her in real life, and he thinks that getting into the League is the only way to prove his worth. He also needs to fix the world around him. He thinks it is corrupt and faulty. Getting into the League is the only way he can be in a position of power that will allow him to make changes. Finally, he needs to validate his own existence. Captain Hammer has been treating him like an insignificant nothing for so long, he doesn’t have faith in himself. Getting into the League would prove his worth as a human being. It would allow him to fulfill his need for revenge against his “super hero” bully.
The needs are the motivations that drive him to win his goal, and his goal is what drives the primary story of this narrative. When a writer takes the time to build a character from scratch, these are the layers that need to be considered before a single word of the actual narrative is attempted. In the puzzle of character creation and development, all the pieces fit together into a seamless and well-crafted whole.
Crafting Your Character
It’s time to start thinking about the character whose story you want to write. In order to prepare, consider the following:
1. Who is your protagonist? How does that person’s story drive the narrative forward? Is your protagonist active or reactive? If you chose to make your protagonist reactive, how can you take that same character and make her or him active?
2. How will your reader/viewer identify with this protagonist? In what way will your readers/viewers see themselves in this main character?
3. What is your protagonist’s Goal? How will the audience know, for a fact, whether this character has won or lost?
4. What are the emotional motivators (needs) driving your protagonist towards winning her or his goal? These should NOT be the same as the goal.
5. Think of your supporting characters. List out each character, their dramatic function, goal and needs. Which character has the strongest antagonistic impact on your protagonist? Remember, the antagonist doesn’t have to be the villain.
6. What is the Major Dramatic Question for your protagonist? Does it follow the “Will (protagonist) (active verb) (object)” structure? If not, can you find a way to make it fit? Remember, you should be able to answer this question with a very clear YES or NO. A YES tells us the protagonist won the goal. A NO tells us the protagonist lost the goal.
7. Why do you want to write this character’s story? How is this character a reflection of you or your psyche? If you can’t see yourself in your character, then why are you writing it? What can you bring to this story that no other writer could?
Chapter 3
The Personality of Character
I would be remiss to write a book on character where I didn’t allow you to dive into the all too familiar world of character building by developing the personality of a character. This is, after all, what most of us think of when it comes to Character creation. What does my character look like? Is she sarcastic? Is he intelligent? What’s his astrological sign? What happened to them when they were three and left at the mall by their mother? All of these character questions are well trodden and familiar, but they are still important to note.
When it comes to building a character’s personality, there are two major things worth considering: The character’s persona and the mechanics of how the personality is conveyed to the reader.
Character Persona
Building a character’s persona is a lot like playing with Legos. You have a large variety of pieces that can be put together in different ways to create all kinds of unique and interesting combinations. Even though we all have the same building blocks (hair colors, occupations, religions, etc.), my character will come out much differently than yours. In The Lego Movie, while trying to escape Cloud Cuckoo Land, the team of Lego heros all tried to build a submarine. Each character’s portion of the sub was unique, reflecting their unique personalities. Unikitty built a rainbow section. Batman only works in black (“and sometimes very, very dark gray”). Benny used retro spaceship pieces. And Emmet… he built his double decker couch.<
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Let’s take a look at some of the character pieces we have to work with:
Physical Attributes: Hair color, eye color, height, build, etc.
Special Physical Features: Scars, different color eyes, unique birthmarks, limps, tattoos
Ethnicity: This applies to both racial ethnicity and cultural ethnicity. You can mix and match as needed.
Occupation: What do they do for a living? Are they happy with this job?
Social Status: It’s important to look at this not only in terms of how much money they make but also in terms of how well they fit in with their peers. They might be rich but fit in better with a middle class or low class income family.
Family: Are they married or single? Do they stay in contact with their parents? Are their parents divorced? Do they have any siblings? What about children? And how do they feel about family as a whole?
Sexuality: Don’t just look at the very general ideas of straight or gay, but look at all the shades in between as well (i.e. bisexual, transgender, straight but has considered bisexuality, straight but has non-traditional sexual habits, etc.). You can also look at what kind of lover they are: tender, aggressive, dominant, submissive, kinky, vanilla, etc.
Intelligence: Remember to think about book smarts, street smarts and emotional intelligence as well as skill mastery (good with computers, bad with car mechanics, etc.).
Relationship with others: How does the character get along with other people? How does their way of dealing with other people change based on the kind of people? Are they selfless or selfish?
Relationship with self: What does the character think about him or herself? Do they do kind things for themselves (eat right, get massages, etc.) or do they treat themselves poorly (starve or overeat, spend more time helping others than themselves, etc.)?
Relationship with subordinates: A lot can be shown about a character’s true personality when we see how they treat a waiter, customer service representative or telemarketer. How well do they tip? Do they answer a telemarketing call with patience or anger? We can also learn a lot from how they treat animals. Do they have any pets?
Educational experience: Look both in terms of how much schooling they completed and how they view themselves as a result (i.e. proud of their three graduate degrees or believing they need more to prove they are smart).
Psychology: Don’t jump to label someone with ADHD, PTSD or OCD if you haven’t done your research or fully understand the mental disorder. But keep in mind that sibling rivalry, poor self-image, a desire to not turn out like their parent and other more nuanced mental views can be worth exploring as well.
Religion and morality: These could very easily be divided into two categories since a religious person does not always have morals and vice versa. However, I have paired them together because it is important to question how a character’s relationship with God (or lack thereof) affects her or his moral stance.
Astrological Impact: Picking the character’s birthday and matching sign can help you pick his/her primary personality traits. Looking at their rising or moon signs can add another layer of depth as well.
Safe spaces: Where does the character feel the most comfortable? In her or his messy one room flat or in the chic and clean office? Does the character only feel comfortable on a subway train?
Fashion: Look not only at how the character dresses (name brand versus thrift shopper) but also on how the character’s appearance effects the way others look at him or her.
Eating habits: Healthy food or fast food? What’s the character’s favorite restaurant?
Relationship to Authority: Does the character do what he or she is told? Does he buck the system? Does she swear off all chain restaurants in order to “stick it to the man”?
Point of view: How does the character see the world? Are her glasses rose colored or deeply tinted?
Fears and Superstitions: What are both the logical and illogical fears of your character? Does she believe she will get seven years bad luck if she breaks a mirror? Is he afraid of the tree outside his window?
Culture: How does the character enjoy the world around him or her - through books, theater, music, movies, eating? What kinds of music does the character enjoy (even rage metal is a form of culture)?
Chronic conditions: Has the character suffered from a lifelong illness? Or maybe an obsession with an unworthy lover?
Character actions: Does the character always do what she says she will do? Does he say one thing and then do another? Does she act like she is mean but then save a cat from a tree? Does he say nothing but then save an empire?
Secret Item in the Closet: What tangible item do they keep hidden in their closet from even their closest friends?
I left the Secret Item In the Closet last on the list above because it is worth spending a bit more time exploring. Anytime we build a character, it’s always good to give them a secret. In The Goonies, Mikey doesn’t really need his inhaler. In Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth hides her growing love for Darcy from everyone except her sister. Harry Potter never tells Ron and Hermione that the Sorting Hat wanted to put him in Slytherin. Obi-Wan took the secret of Luke’s father’s identity (Darth Vader) to his grave.
Each of these characters keeps or reveals their secrets for various reasons, but all of the secrets wind up giving the character additional depth. Let’s look at Harry Potter’s secret about almost getting sorted into Slytherin. Since many “bad” wizards come from Slytherin, Harry fears he might have some “bad” lurking inside of him and that is why he was almost placed in the “house that bad built.” This is seen most clearly in Chamber of Secrets when Harry begins to question whether or not he might be the heir of Slytherin. He knows he has traits similar to Voldemort, including an orphan upbringing, a thirst to prove himself and the ability to speak Parseltongue. When students wind up petrified around the school, his worst fears begin to come true. People start to think he is the cause of all the attacks, and he is ostracized as a result. Holding onto the secret of his almost-sorting burns a hole inside his chest until he finally reveals the secret to Dumbledore, who kindly explains to him why he is able to speak Parseltongue. That burning secret allowed Rowling to play with Harry’s internal struggle, adding to the overall conflict of the story and drawing in readers.
Having a secret also gives the writer a chance to play with subtext. A character might say one thing but we know he or she means something else because of that secret. As humans, we rarely say exactly what we mean, and it is often because of a secret. Here’s an example: A friend asks us to read their short story. We think it is terribly written (secret), but we don’t want to hurt them (justification for keeping that secret). Therefore, what we say to our friend isn’t completely the truth. We want to help them but not hurt them, so we “soften” the truth. If we gave this interaction to a character, then the character’s true feelings about the short story is the subtext.
The Secret Item in the Closet is a great tool for the writer to play with in order to help him or her discover their character’s secret. For example, if a high school football player secretly hides university acceptance letters in his closet, we get to ask why. Is it because he doesn’t want people to know he is brainy or yearns to go to school for an “unmanly” or other non-football degree? What are the implications of hiding that secret? What will happen when the deadline to accept the admission passes? Another example could be seen if a woman hides a photo of a man in her closet. Who is this man? Is it a long lost love? Or perhaps a twin brother whose death hangs on her conscious? What are the implications of that photo being found? Will her husband think she is cheating? Will her parents, determined to forget about their lost son, shun her? Having an emotional secret is wonderful for character building, but making that secret tangible allows for many more consequences and plot development.
All of the categories to consider regarding Character Persona are well worth exploring in terms of both character development and plot development since a well-developed p
lot should always be a side effect of well-written characters. I’ve seen some writers assign just one or two words to each category on the chart, but I often find writing a minimum of two to three paragraphs on each section tends to be the most advantageous when exploring a character’s personality. Often, as we write, our pen or computer screen will miraculously begin unveiling to us more and more about our character. In the world of character building, it is always a good idea to do more character building than we need to do. The characters should be fully developed, even if the writer doesn’t reveal all the information to the reader or viewer. You don’t HAVE to use all the details you come up with, but it is great for YOU to know.
The Mechanics of Personality: Dialogue
I’m always amazed at how often the down and dirty mechanics of character dialogue are ignored. By mechanics, I mean the technical tools used by writers via dialogue. In other words, how the character’s unique word choices and grammar reflect who they are as an individual.
Crafting the Character Arc Page 3
