Skip to main content

2.7 Discussion Board 2: The Unspoken and the Unspeakable

(Due: Sep 12 Status: Not Completed)


Discussion Board Goal:

The discussion board assignments for this class are intended to help you develop your character-writing skills and generate ideas for the final class assignment, the character portfolio. For this discussion board, you’ll be taking your protagonist as developed so far, writing a short bio that focuses on the motives and personality of the character as you see him or her, and giving each other feedback on your short bios.

Instructions:

1.) Consider your protagonist, as developed to this point. What drives the character? What events have shaped the character into who he or she is? When has your protagonist been hurt, shocked, humbled, embarrassed or stricken? What does the character keep hidden about him or herself? What does the character keep hidden from him or herself?
2.) Come up with one secret the character holds close (something about the character, their personality, history or experiences that they would only share with their lover and/or best friend – if even them).
3.) Come up with something the character isn’t even aware of, something that he or she is unwilling to admit even to him or herself: a secret desire, passion, motive, hurt, or vulnerability. Something that a best friend or a lover might be able to figure out, but the character would honestly deny if asked about.
4.) Post the “unspoken” thing (the secret) and the “unspeakable” thing (the trait that character doesn’t know about) to the discussion board. This is your initial post.
5.) Read your classmates’ posts, referring back to their character bio from last week if you need to, and offer at least one productive suggestion to each (such as details that would add interest or credibility).
6.) Considering class materials and discussion posts, revise your character’s “unspoken” secret and “unspeakable” trait or influence. This is your final post for the week.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Q&A – Lawrence Gilliard Jr. (Bob Stookey)

  Actor Lawrence Gilliard Jr., who plays Bob Stookey on AMC’s  The Walking Dead,  talks about his apocalypse-ready clarinet skills and how his character from  The Wire would react to zombies. Q: You’ve been in a lot of crime-centric shows. Were you excited to do something different on The Walking Dead ? A: Yeah absolutely. You get to play and have more fun and be more creative when you’re doing a show like this. Killing zombies — that’s what you do as a kid! Now I get to do it as a grownup. I definitely looked forward to the change and I’m having fun. Q: Your character is a medic. Do you have any skills that would be useful in the apocalypse? A: I play clarinet. I also play the drums, so I could keep the spirits lively and entertain everyone. That’s all I could do. Q: Bob is a pretty good shot. Did you do any weapons training for the role? A: None so far. When I was young, I learned to shoot, so I don’t really need any training for that. Q: You’ve...

A Comparison of Seven Story Paradigms: ®Dramatica® Syd Field Michael Hauge Robert McKee Linda Seger John Truby Christopher Vogler

A Comparison of Seven Story Paradigms: ® Dramatica ® Syd Field Michael Hauge Robert McKee Linda Seger John Truby Christopher Vogler Write Brothers ® Inc. 138 N. Brand Blvd. #201 Glendale, CA 91203 2.             How and Why Dramatica is Different from Other Story Paradigms by Chris Huntley I spent nearly sixteen years avoiding reading anything of substance by (Hollywood) story theorists such as Syd Field, John Truby, Christopher Vogler, Robert McKee and others. As co-creator of the Dramatica theory of story, I didn't want to influence my development of Dramatica so I avoided direct interaction with competing theories. In 2006 I decided to lift my self-imposed ban. I figured my understanding of Dramatica was mature enough that I didn’t have to worry about "contaminating" it by exposure to the competing theories. It was past time that I figured out how other story theories are similar and dissimilar to Dramatica...