Creating Characters (34 page)

What is the nature of the agreement? For example, will two characters agree to marry? To divorce? To separate? Will one of the characters agree to join a group? Accompany someone? Collaborate, cooperate, compromise, or conspire with another? Will he sign an agreement or petition? Will he come to an understanding with someone? For whatever reason, has he decided to side with another character? Has he become a part of an alliance or partnership? Is the agreement an act of submission—that is, does the character capitulate, surrender, consent, yield, conform? How will others in the story react to the agreement, and where will this agreement lead?

Is the arrival a surprise? A welcome event? Something that has long been dreaded? For the character who is arriving, is it a homecoming, a visit, a chance to gain a sanctuary, an opportunity to get a new start? Does the arrival appear in the form of a ghost? How does the arrival of someone alter the course of the plot? How are others in the story affected?

Who has given the character an assignment, and what is he expected to accomplish? Is the character in the government or in private enterprise? Does he accept the appointment with alacrity, dread, or indifference? Who in the story resents the assignment, and why? If enemies are to be found, what will they do to undermine the character's efforts?

In what way does bad luck playa part in the story? At the most inopportune moment, is there a power outage, a sudden storm, a flat tire, a loss of records, a computer glitch? Or one of hundreds of other possibilities? And what is delayed or stopped by this stroke of bad luck? What happens as a result?

How does the birth of a child affect the plot? Does it, for instance, provide an unwelcome heir to the throne? Does it alter the way a character views his responsibilities? Does the birth draw the in-laws closer, or drive them farther away? Does the child bind the parents as a unit or insert a wedge between them? Was the birth wanted or not wanted?

What is the nature of the change that takes place? Is it, for example, a modification, transformation, innovation, conversion, reversal, restoration, increase, decrease, addition, decline, improvement, cessation, dismantlement, withdrawal, disbandment, elimination, or separation? Is it a long-lasting trend, a fad that will quickly come and go, or possibly a worrisome political or religious movement? Who stands to benefit from the change, and who doesn't? Who is against the change, and who isn't? After the change takes effect, what happens as a result?

What is being hidden, why is it being done, and who is doing the concealing? Is it something tangible (buried treasure, important papers, a murder weapon), or is it intangible, such as the real truth of the matter? Who stands to gain or lose by hiding it? Who would, or would not, benefit by finding what or where it is? To what lengths will the character go to suppress, obscure, or disguise it?

How will a crime change the structure of the plot? If someone is robbed, beaten, raped, murdered, tortured, or abducted, will the character seek revenge on his own terms? Or will that character, instead, let it become a matter for the justice system to settle? Will the character retreat psychologically? Will friends or family, or both, take action? How will it change the perpetrator's future actions, and will he become hunted in a way he never had been before?

How does the death of someone in the story serve as a plot driver? Does the death occur as the result of accident, murder, suicide, execution, or natural causes? How will the other characters react to that person's demise? The plots of the classic motion pictures
Citizen Kane
and
Sunset Blvd.
are actually launched by death scenes: In
Citizen Kane,
the last word of the main character ("Rosebud") launches a reporter's investigation; in
Sunset Blvd.,
a body is seen floating face down in a swimming pool, and the voice of the deceased begins to tell the moviegoer why it happened.

Does the character have a financial or moral obligation? To whom is the debt owed, how did it and is the lender still alive? What sacrifices must be made? If gratitude defines the debt, what steps will the character take to repay the kindness he feels bound to honor? Has the giver ever expressed a desire to be compensated? Or is the debt, perhaps, embedded in guilt—that is, has the character done something for which he now feels ashamed and wishes to gain atonement? What will he do to make amends? If the debt is one of conscience, can it actually be paid in full, or is it seemingly a lifetime burden? Or does the character assume a burden of debt when, in fact, it is not rightfully his to shoulder, as in the classic film
It's a Wonderful Life?

Who is the one being deceived, and why? And what is the nature of the deception? Is it a deliberate lie? A misrepresentation? A disguise to protect a true identity? Perhaps a form of hypocrisy or a well-planned fraud? Does the character deceive for the purpose of self-gain or self-protection? What will happen if the deception is uncovered?

What does one character demand of another? The truth, perhaps? Possibly repayment? Maybe an opportunity to be heard? The recognition of a rightful claim? Whatever the demand might be, how will the other character respond to the demand? Will he acquiesce? Refuse its legitimacy? Ignore it altogether? What will happen if the demand is not satisfied? Or what if it is?

Who in the story departs, and who is left behind? What will be the nature of the departure? For example, will the character desert a friend? Renege on a promise? Back away from a belief once fervently held? Abandon his spouse and children? Spurn a way of life? Become an emigrant or defect to another country? Break a habit? Leave something undone? Withdraw the support he once pledged? Escape from a place where he was held against his will? Move from a town where he had long lived? Disappear and not be heard from again? Embark on an adventure?

Does he depart with regret? Is he afraid? Does he run toward something or away from something?

Does the character deprive himself, or does someone else prevent him from having something? If the former, does he decide to go on a diet or a fast? Swear off sex? Never take another drink of liquor? Not use his credit card? Become penny-wise and not pound-foolish? But if the deprivation comes at the hands of someone else, what is it that he is not permitted to do? In either case, will he somehow find a way to circumvent the deprivation? And whether he does or doesn't, what are the repercussions?

Of all the plot-driving categories, this is certainly the broadest, for it encompasses all those things that characters want,
e.g.,
justice, affection, freedom, power, success, money, recognition, and so on. This plot driver may appear at the very beginning of the story-a character's lust for power, for example, should be displayed at the outset—or at some point after the story begins, a good example being when one character falls in love with another and desires the affection to be returned in kind. One of the most important questions for the author to ask is this: Who in the story stands in the way of the character's desire, and why?

What precipitated the conflict, and who are the characters who disagree? Following the disagreement, what will the participants do? Who, if anyone, attempts to intervene? What are the viewpoints of those who cannot agree, and what does each of them expect to lose through compromise? Does one of the characters frame the disagreement as an act of defiance? Is one character's stubbornness and rigidity seen by another as disobedience, a challenge to his authority, an act of insubordination?

This is one of Hollywood's favorite plot-driving devices. For example, a skyscraper will suddenly catch fire, a mine will cave in, a ship will begin to sink, a volcano will erupt, tornadoes will sweep across the terrain, an earthquake will strike, a nuclear meltdown will take place, a bus will lose its brakes on a steep hill, an infectious disease will threaten an entire population, or the hero or heroine will unexpectedly be thrown in the middle of a blizzard or flood. The melody of plot is transformed into a symphony of action, and a race against time is almost always a factor. Quick decisions have to be made, and heroism is displayed. On the other hand, a disaster may serve as a relentless and seemingly never-ending backdrop, one that might force the characters to give up and move away. A good example can be found in John Steinbeck's novel
The Grapes of Wrath.
In that story, a disastrous drought forces the Joad family to leave their parched land in Oklahoma and head for California.

Discontent is a plot driver that usually takes a little time to come to a boil. But the questions rarely change. What are the things contributing to the character's unhappiness? Can he identify any of them by name, or do they all combine and nibble away at him? At what point will his discontent become so weighty that it will force him to do something? What action will he take if he is in the grip of dissatisfaction, sadness, premonition, disillusionment, or self-reproach? And will he in turn surprise himself? Perhaps perplex others?

Does the character uncover something that alters his conviction or lifestyle? Is it a tangible discovery in that he finds something of value,
e.g.,
money, a diary, a piece of evidence? Or does he come across something that is intangible—that is, is he told something that he did not know, or does he see something happening with his own eyes? Does he recognize someone who tries to avoid him? Stumble upon something that is rather surprising? Detect that which is hidden? Does he receive information by way of a telegram, a handwritten message, or an inscription that few even knew existed? Whatever the discovery may be, how does it drive the plot? Who gains? Who loses?

Toward whom does the character become disloyal, and why? Is it an act of marital infidelity? Has he turned against a group to whom he once pledged his allegiance? Has he betrayed a friend's confidence? Committed an act of treason? What will be the repercussions?

Who entices whom, and what is the nature of the enticement? Is it an invitation? A bribe? An offer that's hard to pass up? A sexual seduction? If the enticement is successful, what will one character gain and the other lose? What will be the repercussions?

If a character fails to do something, is it because he forgot, was perhaps blasé, or was unable to achieve what he set out to do? If the last, did another character work to stop him, or was he lacking in something he needed to succeed? What will be the repercussions of this failure? Does the failure follow a boast or an unreal expectation? Does the failure affect only one person, or does it involve others as well? How deep is the disappointment? Does it affect the reputation of the person who failed?

If a character is given his freedom, what will he do with it? And from what is he being freed? Is he being released from prison? Is he given an opportunity to leave a country or neighborhood that has deprived him? Is he provided with some kind of authorization? Allowed to do something that he was never permitted to do before? Who objects to his freedom, and what will that character do?

Will a character's good fortune swell him with confidence and prompt him to seek even more, and, by possibly overextending himself, cause adversity to pounce and devour? Or is the emphasis, instead, upon the resentment others feel toward the character who is enjoying that good fortune? How might one character's prosperity, promotion, victory, fame, popularity, prestige, or happiness bore holes into another's ego, and how might the latter retaliate?

Was the humiliation intentional; that is, did one or more characters set out to make someone else a laughing stock? Or is the humiliation self-imposed, following a failure? What course will this embarrassment take? For example, will the character shrink from others, even though his words or deeds may have been perfectly innocent, or will he harbor a desire for revenge?

If a character comes up with a fresh idea (which might also be called a plot, master plan, scheme, solution, or proposal), how will the acceptance and implementation of that idea change the course of the story? Who stands to benefit from its success, and who can be projected as the loser?

How does the introduction of information cause things to happen in the story? Does one of the characters, for example, act on a rumor or form an opinion based on a piece of gossip? Does he receive a report? Get a scoop or good tip on something? Is an announcement made by a company or a government? Does a radio or television station bring a late news flash? Is there an article in a newspaper or magazine that sheds new light? Or does someone in the story suddenly display honesty? And in that moment of candor, is something confirmed? A confession made? Evidence supplied?

If an injustice occurs in the story, what is its nature, who was the implementer and victim, and what action will be taken in response? Who seeks justice, and is the perpetrator aware of what he has done? If he is or isn't, what is the nature of his defense? What are the liabilities of righting a wrong or of letting things slide unattended? Who has been harmed by this injustice?

What will happen if a character decides to act as a mediator between two parties who cannot reach an agreement? Will he solve one problem, yet create another? Will he find himself taking sides? Will he solve the dispute or make things worse? And will anyone object to his intervention? Will he ever regret having become a go-between?

This is a favorite plot driver for those who write comedy. Possibilities include the surprise of an unannounced visitor from out of town, the annoyance of in-laws, and the inconvenient meddling of the neighborhood gossip, all of which tend to make things happen, much to the displeasure of hero or heroine. An intrusion on a more serious level would be a police investigation, or perhaps a security check for a new job. Whatever the situation, how does the character handle the situation? What misunderstandings occur? Whose feelings get hurt? How does a seemingly harmless intrusion lead to a minefield of adversity?