Creating Unforgettable Characters

by Linda Seger

  I asked Jules about the process by which he creates dialogue.

  "First of all, I don't think in terms of dialogue. Dialogue is something that comes naturally after you get the character and after you put the character in the situation. Once you put two or more people together in some sort of situation, and have already decided who and what they are, they're going to automatically say certain kinds of things. One thing will lead to the other and you're going to discover along with your audience what it is they're talking about. I've often been surprised at what my characters have had to say to each other. You get them going and they take off on their own, which is when it really becomes fun. I find that if I follow an outline, I'm not going to get anything very interesting and very lively, and a lot of what characters have to say to each other provides the energy for the piece. Energy is what's important in terms of relationships. Even if the situation is essentially a passive one, there's got to be some real presence of energy.

  "This energy comes from the subtext. This is the underlying conflict which is at war with the surface of the piece, so the only real conflict may be between this character and himself or herself. Working with subtext is not a matter of working it out with notes on it. It's a matter of understanding perfectly what's really going on, what's not going on and why it's not, and how much of it will show on the surface. And the struggle of the piece is how to disguise it until very late in the day when all sorts of things will start topping out and will create the dramatic climaxes.

  "At some point the subtext will rise to the surface, but if it rises totally to the surface I don't think you're doing yourself a service. Some part of it has to rise, but you can't give away all your secrets. You have to leave some of those for the audience to work out for itself. I want the audience to be another character in the movie, to be actively involved. If you cross every t and dot every i, and treat the audience like a couch potato, then there is no energy that goes between what happens onstage or on film and the audience sitting there registering. I know that I as a member of an audience always love to be forced to think and be challenged by the work I'm presented with and I like to do the same in my work.

  "If the cartoon is personal rather than political, it will often deal with subtext. If it's political, it may be more to the point; but, even then, since it's almost always ironical, it will have to do with subtext. At least in my work, most of the people who talk are in the business of not relating. People often, whether in their public lives or private lives, will say the opposite of what they mean or disguise their meaning in all sorts of labels. That's been the focus of my work since the very beginning. To strip those labels and show what the point really is.

  "If I had trouble getting into a scene, I often found it helpful to begin with dialogue such as, 'Hello, how are you. I'm fine. What are you doing today? Not much. Well, I have this problem . . . ,' and going on for pages of meaningless blabbering until I got into the scene. Other times I've entered the scene from the very middle, then backed up. At times I've been stuck for days and even weeks. One play took me six years because I couldn't get the hang of where I was going.

  "If you can grasp the sense of that thought process and put it into the ordinary language you speak, you've gone a long way. Then in the next draft, revise it with different conversational or speech flourishes to denote certain characters. In too many plays and too many screenplays, everybody sounds alike. I like my characters to be so individual that their names aren't necessarily on the page for the reader—they know who's speaking. You have to train yourself to hear behavioral tics in conversation, but more than that you have to hear your own inner voice."

  APPLICATION

  Dialogue is key to writing for the theatre, but it is essential to any kind of fiction writing, whether drama, novel, or short story.

  As you look at your own characters, ask yourself:

  ■ Have I defined character through speech rhythms, vocabulary, accent (if necessary), and even length of sentences?

  ■ Is there conflict within the dialogue? Does the dialogue contrast attitudes of the various characters?

  ■ Does my dialogue contain subtext? Have I addressed what my characters are really saying, versus what they do say?

  ■ Can I tell from the dialogue the cultural or ethnic background of the character? The educational level? The age of the character?

  ■ If I didn't see the names of the characters above their dialogue, would I be able to tell that different characters were talking? Does the dialogue differentiate the character?

  SUMMARY

  A writer is always in training. Learning to write dialogue includes listening, reading, and speaking good dialogue to internalize the sounds and rhythms. Some scriptwriters take acting classes to further understand what the actor needs from them.

  Dialogue is the music of fiction writing, the rhythms and melodies. It is possible for any writer to develop an ear for it—and to write dialogue that conveys attitude and emotions, and that expresses the many intricacies and complexities of character.

  So far, we've been discussing realistic characters—characters who are like us. We identify with them because they share our same flaws, our same desires and goals. They are not superheroes, nor do they have subhuman characteristics or exaggerated faults.

  But the world of fiction is also filled with nonrealistic characters. Think about the broad range of characters who come from a special world of the imagination—E.T., Mr. Ed, mermaids and swamp things and killer tomatoes, Superman and Batman, King Kong, Bambi and Dumbo, the Jolly Green Giant, and the California Raisins.

  In this chapter, we will look at four different types of non-realistic characters that you, as a writer, might create. They are the symbolic character, the nonhuman character, the fantasy character, and the mythic character. The characters within each category are determined by their limits, by their context, and by the associations and responses that the audience brings to each.

  THE SYMBOLIC CHARACTER

  Realistic characters are the most dimensional, defined by consistency and paradoxes, by complex psychology, attitudes, values, and emotions. If you were to write down the number of qualities possessed by a dimensional character, you would end up with a very long list.

  Symbolic characters are one-dimensional. They are not meant to be dimensional. They personify one quality, usually based on an idea such as love, wisdom, mercy, or justice. They work best in nonrealistic stories, in myths, fantasies, or even within an exaggerated comic-book style such as the superhero stories.

  The roots of the symbolic character are found in Greek and Roman tragedies. The gods and goddesses were generally defined by one attribute. Athena/Minerva was the goddess of wisdom, Aphrodite/Venus the goddess of love, Hades/Pluto the god of the underworld, Poseidon/Neptune the god of the sea, Dionysus/Bacchus the god of wine, Artemis/Diana the goddess of wild things.

  Although limited in their dimensionality, they are not necessarily bland or uninteresting, since the one quality implies a number of related qualities.

  For instance, Mars (or Ares) was the god of war. Detested by his parents, Zeus and Hera, he is ruthless, murderous, and bloodstained. He's accompanied by Discord and Strife, and by Terror and Trembling and Panic. In Roman mythology, he wears shining armor, and soldiers "rush on glorious death"1 when they see that they will die on Mars's field of battle. His bird is the vulture, a bird of death.

  Everything related to war can be found within the context of Mars. The sounds of war, the clothes of war, the qualities of war are all part of his character. Anything that is not war is not part of him. He contains none of the realistic ambivalences about war and peace. There is no merriment in him, no uncertainties, no contradictions.

  We might draw a continuum to show the relationship between the symbolic and the realistic characters.

  If you placed Mars on the continuum, he would be a one-dimensional symbolic character. There are any number of realistic multidimensional characters that you can place
at the other end of the continuum—Rick from Casablanca, Scarlett O'Hara, Shane, or Rose from The African Queen.

  As you rank characters from one- to multidimensional, you can find other characters that fall somewhere in between.

  The Stepford Wives are symbolic characters, representing the perfect wife. Everything associated with that concept is part of their makeup, including compliance to their husbands, and a commitment to a clean home, good food, and happy children. They are not given any characteristics that are not related to this role, nor is any of the imperfect reality of true-life wifehood allowed to creep into their personalities.

  Other examples are the Common Man in A Man for All Seasons by Robert Bolt, and Everyman in the medieval play of the same name, who represent the ordinariness of people.

  Many villains, as well as many superheroes, also are symbolic characters. The Joker from Batman represents evil, while Superman stands for "truth, justice, and the American way of life."

  The creators of symbolic characters purposely do not add a great many details—just enough to communicate the idea.

  When you place these characters on the continuum, you may decide that Clark Kent and Bruce Wayne are purposely more dimensional than their Superman and Batman per-sonas, but purposely less dimensional than characters such as Rick, Scarlett, Shane, or Rose. The order might look like this:

  One- Multi

  dimensional dimensional

  symbolic character

  character

  Mars Stepford Superman Clark Kent Scarlett

  EXERCISE: Create a character who represents Justice. Begin by listing the qualities of justice. A partial list might include fairness, neutrality, being color blind and gender blind, a sense of both the letter and spirit of the law. You should be able to come up with twenty to fifty characteristics of Justice. To further develop this idea, think about Justice's parents. Perhaps one is a lawyer, representing Legality, and another is a philosopher, representing Wisdom. If you are creating a god or goddess character, you could stop here.

  Now begin to give this character more dimensionality. Add related qualities that are not contradictory. Compassion, wisdom, insight, and the ability to negotiate are all possibilities.

  Think about the difference between Justice as a symbolic character versus a realistic character in which justice might be a dominant quality, but the character would also contain the contradictions and ambivalences and paradoxes that are part of the fully dimensional person.

  Symbolic characters, conveying one clear idea, can be helpful to express the theme of your story. Care must be taken,

  however, that their limitations don't make them seem like cardboard characters.

  THE NONHUMAN CHARACTER

  Most of us grew up reading about such nonhuman characters as Black Beauty, Lassie, Charlotte in Charlotte's Web, Bambi, Dumbo, or the Black Stallion. But nonhuman characters are not limited to children's stories. As adults, we may be fascinated by George Orwell's Animal Farm, or Caliban in The Tempest, or Harvey from the play of the same name.

  Occasionally nonhuman characters are simply human characters with a bark, a bite, or a fluffy tail. They are anthropomorphic animals. Although the characters in Animal Farm are certainly not as dimensional as human characters, they purposefully are meant to remind us of humans. We might say they are humans in pigskin.

  The creation of a nonhuman character may begin by emphasizing the animal's human side. Lassie is very loyal and gentle. Rin Tin Tin is very smart. Napoleon, the pig in Animal Farm, manipulates and tyrannizes others. But these qualities can do only so much for the characters. Simply watching a smart dog week after week or reading about a gentle horse is not going to be satisfying. A different approach is needed to create most workable nonhuman characters.

  A human character achieves dimensionality by adding to, and emphasizing, its human characteristics. But emphasizing the nonhuman aspects of a character will rarely strengthen a nonhuman character. Emphasizing a dog's doglike characteristics (such as a louder bark or running faster to the food dish) is not going to make the dog more endearing to humans.

  So a personality for the character needs to be created. A process for achieving this identity might include:

  1. carefully choosing one or two attributes that will begin to define the identify of the character

  2. emphasizing the associations that the audience brings to the character in order to expand on this identity

  3. creating a strong context to deepen the character

  Realistic characters are difficult to categorize compared to the clarity of nonhuman characters. Realistic characters may be loyal, but under certain situations, a threat to their survival could weaken their loyalty. They may be optimistic in outlook, but a tragic situation could change their viewpoint.

  The nonhuman character, on the other hand, has clearly defined attributes that never change. Although these attributes may be based on human qualities, they won't have the shading, or the variety, that human characters have. Lassie will always be loyal, Rin Tin Tin will always be smart.

  Al Burton, producer of the new "Lassie" series, says: "I would like to think that there is a constancy in Lassie that is rare within humans. The constancy is protective, loyal, trustworthy, courageous, a security blanket for a child."

  These attributes, by themselves, will not give the characters enough variety and interest. Audiences need to project associations on to them. How do associations work? Let's look at the method used by the advertising industry to create a character for products such as cars, vegetables, or beers.

  Michael Gill, vice president at the J. Walter Thompson advertising agency, explains their method of creating brand identity, which can also be used to create character identity: "Most consumers cannot tell the difference between beers, or washing detergents, or even Pepsi or Coke. So the job of the ad is to make it clear that this is a brand with a personality and an identity. It's similar to the brand on cattle—you see that brand and get an instant flash of recognition because that brand is used to differentiate cattle that all look alike. So Mercedes becomes the car of engineering, Ford stands for quality. Certain trucks stand for power and toughness. This nonhuman character—whether a car or a computer—becomes a personification of certain qualities. By associating the car with the quality, you get the rub-off, or the halo effect."

  In advertising, this halo effect causes the consumer to want to buy the product. When applied to the creation of nonhuman characters, it increases the feeling of identity between the audience and the characters.

  Sometimes the personality of the character in an ad comes from analyzing the properties of the product. The Pillsbury Doughboy makes one think of the way that dough is kneaded and rises. Snap, Crackle, and Pop, as everyone knows, come from the sounds of Kellogg's Rice Krispies. Spuds MacKenzie capitalizes on our associations with dogs as best friends, and in this case, a feisty and fun party animal.

  At other times, the character identity comes from the added associations. The dancing raisins that advertise California Raisins have little to do with the properties of raisins. The creators didn't emphasize their wrinkles, or their small size, or their health properties. A greater leap was made. Seth Werner, who created the California Raisins, explains the beginning of that idea:

  "The client had said to us, 'I'd like a celebrity campaign because I'd like my campaign to be bigger than just raisins. I figure a celebrity will give it personality and give it bigger presence than we can give with our product alone. ' We said we thought we could make a celebrity out of the raisins themselves by giving them a personality. Our original idea (with my partner Dexter Fedor) was to have a bunch of raisins dance to 'I Heard It Through the Grapevine.' And then we started to think about what the raisins would look like. We decided that we wanted the raisins to be cool and a bit intimidating. In contrast, other snack foods would be less cool, less hip. We began creating a relationship between the raisins and other characters—such as the potato chips that wilt, th
e candy bars that melt, or gum that gets his shoe stuck to the table. And while the raisins were dressed in high-top sneakers with the laces untied and sunglasses, looking cool, the pretzels had wing-tipped shoes, a candy bar had desert boots—anything that would look less hip by comparison.

  "We wanted the consumer to believe in the realism of these characters. It had to be anchored in reality or else you didn't buy it. That meant we had to create, not only the broad strokes, but also the subtleties and little touches that make it special."

  All of these characters achieve their personality through associations. We bring certain feelings to the viewing of the character, and the character exemplifies these feelings. These associations can be strengthened by clarifying the character's context.

  Lassie is defined by the family context. She exists in relationship. Steve Stark, the coproducer of the "Lassie" series, says, "We consider the dog as part of the family. She's really a best friend to the family, a best friend to the son. The new 'Lassie' series is not a kids' show, it's a family show. Lassie complements that by being part of the family, so when she's sick, our family's at her side; and when the family's sick, Lassie's at their side—just like a real family. Rin Tin Tin was the rescuer, Lassie is the confidante and the friend."

  Producer Al Burton says, "The family context is a carryover from the old show, and emphasized in this series. We've added a girl to the show who also relates to Lassie. The value of Lassie to the family is that Lassie knows that she's needed. The family doesn't make a lot of moves without the audience feeling, 'Oh, boy, I'm glad they have Lassie.' Lassie is a much more sensitive animal than Rin Tin Tin, more relational, she seems to be automatically tuned in to the spirits of her family.