Constructing Character

Without characters, you have no story. It is the characters who should drive and shape the plot, not the other way around. Main characters, secondary characters and tertiary characters are what define a narrative. You can’t mention X-Men without images of the mutants, or Titanic without the star-crossed lovers. A story can happen from any perspective, so it is imperative who you choose to tell your tale.    

I want to briefly mention archetypes or what I call, molded characters. These people are essential a cut out of a personality that has become ingrained in human storytelling. The jokester, the bad boy, the damsel in distress, the imposter, the hero, the villain, the know-it-all, the sidekick—the list goes on. What all these have in common is their lack of depth. They’re flat and uninteresting, nothing more than an underdeveloped outline. In short, they’re boring. However, since all characters begin at this level, you can transform a mold into someone unique and wonderful.

Forming characters might seem like a daunting task, but by building layers of complexity, you can construct a person who comes to life in your writing:

Pick a Mold Type. Choose a Name. Imagine their Appearance. Define Personality. Understand their Motivations. Give them Challenges. Lastly, ensure Development. These steps speak for themselves, but I’ll show you how character construction is done using Neytiri from Avatar.

Mold Type:  Independent Woman

Name: Neytiri

Appearance: A blue-skinned humanoid that stands twice the height of a human. She has a sleek, toned body, cat-like eyes and dark, braided hair. Her figure is somewhat feline with satellite ears and a tail.

Personality: She is a caring teacher, offering her knowledge readily. As a skilled hunter, she is independent, resourceful, clever and cautious. Her reputable position among the People gives her the freedom to speak her mind, which she does curtly and with harsh judgment. She honors her duties, respects others and has the ambition to prove her spirituality.

Motivations: As the next Shaman for her tribe, she soaks up information and etiquette as she strives to fills her mother’s shoes while keeping her tribe safe from outsiders.

Challenges: Presented with a charming human, she must make him one of the People to prove to herself and the tribe that she is a worthy leader and teacher. In addition, forces outside of her control threaten her way of life.

Development: Through teamwork, the pair overcomes the forces of nature and humanity that stand against them. Although she believes she is solely teaching him, he also opens a new world to her by means of friendship and love. Having trusted him, a betrayal and ultimate redemption show her that she truly impacted his life and the life of her tribe.

That may be a rough description of Neytiri, but it shows how you can transform a mold into a character that looks, sounds and feels real. Using these steps, shaping your story’s characters won’t be any trouble at all. Treat this as an outline. Feel free to add or remove details until it functions as a written portrait of your character. As you can see, creating a well-rounded character is fairly simple. Writing them memorably is the challenge.

Review of War Horse

Caution: Spoilers!

Think War Horse is another silly animal movie? Wrong. Panning shots of the English countryside set the backdrop for a colt’s birth and eases viewers into the vast world that surrounds us all as we are welcomed into life. Young Albert Narracott and his equine counterpart, Joey, train each other in the disciplines of friendship and willpower as War Horse gets off on the right hoof.

The call of “War” inevitably tears the pair apart as they must navigate through the horrors of World War 1 in parallel journeys. This type of interwoven narrative shows the gradual development of characters in addition to creating a side-by-side comparison of what Albert and Joey will overcome to be together again. As a film geared towards the younger crowd, flagrant gore is avoided with artful suggestions of the tragedy at hand but beautifully achieves the sense of dread and helplessness indicative of war.

Certainly, the most unexpected aspect of War Horse is the lives Joey touches. From British and German soldiers to French patriots, Joey proves himself a loyal, remarkable horse capable of anything he puts his mind to. My only complaint about the film is that the German’s and French speak in accented English as opposed to their native tongues. Note: the troublesome drawback of subtitles is not lost on me. One of the finer points of the journey is the passage of Mr. Narracott’s service pennant. Not only does the banner function as a means of keeping track of Joey, but it also symbolizes the courage of each of its recipients.

My favorite moment* came in the trenches. Terrified, Joey has entangled himself in the barbed wire of no-man’s land. Lacking any source of optimism, the survival of the war horse perks the hopes of soldiers on either side of the battle. Joining forces to save Joey, a German and an Englishman cut him free. This poignant scene shows the common bond of man and our compassion for others, even animals, in a time of great struggle.

From the start of Albert and Joey’s reunion, I became a human faucet. The boys have matured into men. This notion only emphasizes the heartwarming call from Albert, in what should have been Joey’s final moments. The ending scenes of the film mirror the opening brilliantly and bring a well plotted and developed story to a close.

The simple fact that I saw this movie with my parents and pre-teen brother vouches for the movie’s accessibility across generations. After all, War Horse is timeless. The bond between human and pet tends to transcends into a connection akin to family. And after all Joey and Albert experienced together and apart, it’s no wonder there wasn’t a dry eye in the theatre during the credits. Verdict: A.

*Yes, I loved the scene between the soldiers as it dealt with Joey. My true favorite moment was when Colin (the Englishman) says to Peter (the German) “You speak good English.” To which Peter replies, “No, I speak English well.” As a beloved, nerdy scientist often proclaims, BAZINGA!

Review of Hunger Games

Suzanne Collins has produced a high quality, well executed series based on speculative-modern gladiatorial games featuring who else, but children. As a child of the Harry Potter phenomena, I grew to expect series’ to instantly capture my attention and draw me into their whimsical worlds. But that was not so.  A handful of disappointing first installments left me jaded as I took on Collins’ story. I was proven wrong as I hungered to read page-after-page and ultimately book-after-book.

Focusing on the titular first book for this review, I found myself most intrigued by her style of writing. I’m a first-person-hater to begin with, but she convinced me that this unreliable and slightly narcissistic style can be written well and furthermore, enjoyable. I cherished the intimate understanding of Katniss Everdeen this point of view provided and it certainly helped to piecing together the sadistic world of Panem. From the reaping to the final play of the games, Collins succeeded in bringing Katniss’ emotions to life.

The flow from one chapter to another was impeccable; her cliffhangers are well placed and create a burning desire to read more. On the other hand, I would have enjoyed the exposition and resolution chapters of the story to be more than summary or an instant drop-off. Accordingly, the pacing of the novel left a sense of incompleteness as some seemingly important moments were all but glazed over. I don’t mind the passage of time cutting to the chase, but not over the chase (I’ll admit this applies more aptly to the sequels, but does show itself in this first book). The overall plot is generally predictable, at least for a seasoned reader, but that doesn’t detract from the pleasure it brings to each passing page.

An achievement of note from Hunger Games is displayed in Collins' array of quirky characters. They reflect the bizarre circus The Capitol encourages while also demonstrating the struggles of the surrounding districts. Peeta, the boy with the bread, as she calls him, was one I quickly related to and found positively charming (it helped that he sparked most of the unexpected plot turns and reminds me of my own main character). His way with words was not lost on this writer. There are other characters, Gale and Prim, who one would assume deserved more page time by virtue of their relationship to Katniss, but were as fleeting and underdeveloped as shooting stars. And yet, Rue, a girl who crosses into Katniss’ world for a brief part of the games, drew me close to tears upon her exit.

The games themselves were brilliantly described, not only bringing the arena to life, but allowing the reader to feel the fear and paranoia of all the tributes. Not neglecting a single aspect of horror, Collins does not shy away from grotesque killings or descriptions of injuries. This does benefit the frankly deranged concept, but it also rises the reading age to above her intended target audience. Furthermore, while I understand a lovelorn Katniss caught between two suitors propelled the plot, it drew nearer to a cliché with every question about her feelings she left ignored. I can let it slide given her base of readers, but it was an aggrivating point worth mentioning. The spectacle of the games brings to light the absurdity of this world in an approachable manner that young readers can comprehend. Especially noteworthy is in the final play of the game. At this turning point, Collins’ creates a benchmark for young readers to understand that individual identity should always come out the victor.  

Although a bit brainless, Katniss engages the reader throughout her heart wrenching journey as Collins’ capitalizes on delivering a story that holds nothing back.  

Writing Tips: The Dirty Dozen

Any writer worth their salt (hey, there’s one!) will instantly recognize this list as the dirtiest collection of overused phrases and concepts known as a clichés. Without a doubt, clichés emerge in all genres and styles of writing by accident, an unfortunate happenstance of the written word sometimes offers no other turn of phrase. I suppose, that is excusable. If done intentionally, I would hope the insertion was meant to be ironic; otherwise their very passing suggests a serious reconsideration of the source material. At least in this writer’s opinion (whose opinion is often snarky…You have been warned). Take careful note of their use so you can avoid the same pitfalls:

1. Mary / Gary Sue. I had to put this at the top because a flawless person can only be found in bad writing. Humans have flaws, so characters should too. I wish everyone would just accept that.

2. Everybody Dies / Lives. The culmination of a great story, no matter what medium, needs to have an original ending. The collective deaths or happily-ever-afters are just plain embarrassing.  

3. Villain Monologue’ing or Giving Hero Time to Escape. It’s ironic and comical in James Bond. It shouldn’t be used anywhere else. A well written villain does not allow for an easy escape nor do they detail their plans to the hero. It’s just bad for business.

4. It’s Been Done Before. This is something writers say. They fear the attempt of a story because the concept has been done before. Everything has been done before in some fashion. Take a chance and make it yours.

5. Friends Marrying Each Other. Two friends from a group getting together stretches this cliché enough. But when everyone marries each other…ugh…if you can’t tell…I’m shaking my head.

6. Bad Boy Can be Turned Good. For some reason this attracts all the ladies. But it’s not realistic. It makes for great emotional scenes, but take it as a red flag. People who are damaged need to work themselves out of the hole. The “bad boy” should too.

7. Damsel in Distress. Women are not all helpless flowers in need of saving. Period.

8. Calm Before the Storm. I’m not sure what storms these people have witnessed. Storms can take a while to build, but they can also be abrupt and violent. Avoid phrases like this that generalize.

9. It’s Quiet. A Little Too Quiet. I wonder what will happen next. Will someone jump out and startle me? I would have never guessed.  

10. The Orphan Hero. If you need to emotionally abuse or seclude your hero at their introduction in order to gain sympathy from readers, perhaps this isn’t your biggest problem.

11. Characters are Either Good or Evil. In life there is a gray area. There should be in writing. Characters can be loyal to a team, yes, but they can also play both sides, or switch sides. These alterations can make this age-old battle interesting.

12. Black as Night / Bright as Day. Redundant much? Description of places, people or things should be done in a manner that avoids obvious or worn-out ideas like this.

Some of these clichéd ideas can be executed well, but typically they just stink of a lack of creativity. Although this lists the twelve most shameful clichés a writer can use in my opinion, I’m sure each and every one of you has several of their own to add. Feel free to comment if you have a particularly irksome cliché you would like to share!  

Review of Once Upon a Time

No, this isn’t the beginning of a story. It would be a bit cliché don’t you think? I promise I’ll refrain from commenting on the lack of creativity in the title (oops, just did) during my review of ABC’s new fantasy drama based on its writing merit.

To start, I must mention that given the intense promotion of this television show and the constant reminder of its successful assembly of writers from LOST, I was disappointed in the premiere. Once Upon a Time (here on referred to as OUT) lacked the same hook of its predecessor and the pilot episode seemed too focused on instant character development where it should have centered on setting up the plot to lure viewers in for subsequent episodes.

With that said, there is plenty about OUT I found intriguing. The parallel worlds are entertaining in two fashions: 1- the fantasy world acts as a traditional escape from reality, 2- the real world hosts playful Easter eggs that hint at their relationship to the fairytale (my personal favorite is the mayor’s apple trees). Suggestive moments where the citizens remember their fantastical past provides depth to both the story and its characters. Generally speaking, fantasy protagonists are adolescent boys (which I suppose they achieved with Henry) so it’s refreshing to have a nearly grown Emma Swan* as the main character and eventual Storybrooke savior. The age twist of Emma’s parents essentially being her peers could also provide comic relief or a dramatic upheaval in the future, but it is likely the focus will continue to shine on Henry for the time-being. As far as characters go, the cast is varied enough to satisfy the many point-of-views and backstories people (read: I) often crave.

The first half of the season will largely be exposition, and the two episodes that started this journey certainly informed viewers of the necessary basics. It wasn’t until the third episode that OUT started to remove itself from expected fairytale drivel into a reinvented, modern take on these classic stories. The Evil Queen or Mayor was more or less one dimensional. Even the removal of her father’s heart didn’t quite sink in giving his short cameo. In episode three however, she took on a compassionate side that expanded her character, giving her room to become a unique villain. Undoubtedly the best part of this episode was the unconventional story of Snow White and her Prince Charming. For one, they actually gave him a name: James. And secondly Snow was not the detestable and gullible girl from childhood stories; she was an independent, thieving miscreant with class.

Although the dialogue is predictable and the stories have been done before, there is a good deal of fresh spin (specifically the characters) on these tropes to create the longevity OUT deserves. This is certainly a tale that cannot be told over a season, and much like LOST it requires numerous installments to properly communicate the intricate narrative. I cannot comment much further since the program has barely stepped into the spotlight, but from this juncture I can say that Storybrooke holds a great moderntale in store for faithful viewers.         

* I felt I had to comment on the last name Swan. Sure, it has a nice symbolism of purity (if only people really knew the ferocity of swans, ha) but it has become overused. Elizabeth Swan, Bella Swan…now Emma Swan? Come on, writers, any other last name would do.