Creating Characters (Ellis Freeman, Classnotes)

WRITERS GYM

Professor: Ellis Freeman DISCLAIMER: This summary is taken from my classnotes, please be aware that I could have had misunderstood it all.

creating characters

the 3D character Interesting and real characters have, (of course!), qualities and defects/ virtues & vices. A good way of making sure your character is 3D is plain and simple to make a list of their positive and negative adjectives.

Another way to think of complexity is by looking at it on inside / outside terms.

Not necessary positive or negative characteristics, just a clear contrast between one and the other.

bRUTAL LONER HONEST LOYAL

OUTSIDE: tough warrior INSIDE: misses home

character

"All novels are about ilusions lost"

transformation

What we may call the character journey is the transformation the character makes in one, some or all this levels: his belifs, her personality, his ilusions, her qualities, etc. It can be structure as stage A, TRANSFORMING EVENT, stage B. The transforming event might be understood as what we call "the plot". Once again, do not think to much about this thinks, just keep then on the background.

WAS: a spoiled southern belle.

BELIVED: He lived in a real world.

THEN: CIVIL WAR HAPPENED

THEN: TOOK THE RED PILL.

BECAME: a strong independent woman.

NOW HE KNOWS : the world was taken by machines.

THOUGHT: "My goverment wants my well being"""

WAS: a normal insecure girl.

THEN: Came in contact with the giver.

THEN: MIRANDA PRESELY BECAME HER BOSS

NOW HE IS SURE: The goverment was wrong.

NOW: She is an autentic girl who believes in herself.

in a l exp s a t ' don ian i ... e as ll e i uch l v P m a o why ian to l vil

character & situation

Yes, actually we know Batman could kick the Joker's ass easily.

That is actually the interesting thing about this situation...

You see, all those muscles and ninja the Batman has been working on won't serve him at all against the Joker and his schemes.

What comes first, the character or the situation?, it might not matter... Got a situation? Make a character that is confronted and challanged by it. Oh, you got the character first, then create a situation/s that would push your character out of his balance, whatever that balance is. Was it all started from a cool villian you had in mind? Yea... you can also create from there...

L A T U BR APY

character & situation

F MO FOR

THER

With this film you got a textbook and yet subtle example of aggresive therapy. A character with poor social skills, rude and OCD has to deal with taking care of a dog, a sensitive guy and then falling in love with a very gentle and kind woman.

Extreme therapy is basically when you force a chracter to deal with tons and tons of what he is aversive, resistant to or plainly scared to dead at. You give hell to that person (and sometimes they change)

now go! a t u abo or f k c n THi teristi uld o w c a T r a at cha e. Wh h t n o or e f m L so EL H on? s be r pe

A was B. THEN C Happened, Afterwards A BECAME D. (Now give values to the letters)

Want a tough challenge?

ThINK OF AN ILLUSION. MAKE A SITUATION IN WHICH THAT ILLUSION IS LOST.

Ab eliv C th ed th at B en A , af bel ter ives (GI tha D. VE t VAL AGA UES IN BUT ONC M RAN AKE E DOM IT )

Write a list of all the things you believe, after a page or so, pick a belif you hold particulary strong, then start writting a character that has as a base just the opposite of your belif. You will train yourself into really not being yourself, as we may say.