Skip to main content

How to Write a Coherent Character Sheet


Characters are the moving pieces to your story. No characters? No story. No interest. And no fun. But the story does not cure lack of characters. A screenplay is only a glimpse into a specific set of characters at a specific time. They exist before your story and after. Remember this before you start typing away. If you don't, that typing won't be worth the paper each letter is printed on. Below are a few tips on how to solidify your characters before they ever enter your screenplay.
First…
Focus on characteristics, not backstory. Make sure to start each character's web, list, etc. with the most basic of human traits. How does he or she walk? Talk? How would they play sports? Would they say "thank you" or simply grunt? Start basic (from the ground) and build up as you get more and more foundation. 
Second…
Allow those characteristics to build a backstory. Got all of these characteristics on paper? Now weave that individual's existence. Sustain the perspective of it being an "existence" vs. coming up with some story. The phrase "come up with a story" is highly intimidating. Try and let that story evolve as organically as possible. Is your lead a misfit? So, would that mean he or she would have a checkered past? Or would it be "squeaky clean" and that checkered past be hidden the entire time? These are the kinds of questions to ask during this stage. 
Lastly…
Make sure drama can be fueled by good diversity. Dramatic events in screenplays are the result of multiple forces clashing, proposing that neither force will move. But what inspires the clash? Typically, clash's roots come from characters being from very different places and then "by the fate of the stars" going head to head with each other. Let your characters be different. They do need connecting points (points that will eventually enable them to bond), but ultimately make them different so they are witnessing the other side of life by being in the other character's presence. 


From <https://thescriptlab.com/screenwriting/script-tips/3192-how-to-write-a-coherent-character-sheet/> 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Breaking up Your Story into Beats

  What scenes or story beats do you need to tell this story? You’ll add what you need to the basic framework you already have in your premises. Let’s work from the Jackie Chan Adventures premises we have so you can see how it’s done.   Basic structure of Jackie Chan Adventures: “Queen of the Shadowkhan”  Premise: •Jade, as one of the main characters, is the star of this episode. Her character fl aw is her need for peer acceptance/respect. This fl aw motivates a whole chain of problems for everyone around her. •We go to the end to see what, if anything, she learned. She learns not to succumb to peer pressure, and she realizes that indeed she did not succumb to Shendu’s pressure. (Theme: Respect earned from someone you admire is better than respect from all others!) •Jade’s initial goal is to be cool (have a tattoo) and gain respect. That snowballs as she begins to abuse the respect she gets from the ninjas. •Shendu is the villain who uses Jade in an attempt to destroy Ja...
Post a Comment
Read more

Three Acts

  “Leaves of three, let them be.” A helpful little phrase when it comes to avoiding poison oak in the woods, but when it comes to your  screenplay , three absolutely is company. This is the core of screenwriting.  Three Act Structure is your framework and the almighty epoxy of  the screenplay . These three parts, often literally taking place in different worlds – physically and/or figuratively – can work independently of each other, yet when connected, they build a solid whole. 
Post a Comment
Read more

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...
Post a Comment
Read more