by Will Dunne
8. Think about where you live now and whom, if anyone, you live with. How would you describe your home life today?
9. If there were a fire in your home, what three things would you save first?
10. How do you feel about your current job or the type of work you do?
11. What is your current financial status, and how does this affect you?
12. What would you do if you suddenly inherited a fortune?
13. What is the biggest lie you ever told? To whom did you tell it, and why?
14. What makes you angry?
15. When are you the happiest?
16. What is your greatest fear, and what has it stopped you from doing?
17. What turns you on sexually?
18. How would you describe your current love life?
19. When is the last time you cried, and why?
20. On an everyday basis, which do you tend to live in most: the past, present, or future? Why?
21. What trait do you admire most in others?
22. Who is your closest ally?
23. What about your closest ally do you most dislike?
24. Who is your worst adversary?
25. What about your worst adversary do you most admire?
26. Living or dead, what famous person would you most like to meet, and why?
27. How would you sum up your spiritual beliefs?
28. What would you never do under any circumstances?
29. What illegal or immoral act would you consider if the price were right?
30. For whom or for what would you be willing to give your life?
31. Who, if anyone, would be willing to give his or her life for you?
32. What is the scariest experience you’ve ever had, and how has that affected you?
33. When you think back about your life and the things you have done and not done, what are you most proud of?
34. What are you most ashamed of?
35. What is the greatest loss you have experienced, and how has this affected you?
36 What are your three greatest secrets?
37. If you could have a second chance in life, what would you do differently?
38. What is the most important lesson you’ve learned in life?
39. If you could ask God one question, what would it be?
40. How would you title your autobiography?
■ CHARACTER SUMMARY
Using what you’ve discovered during the exercise, sum up who your character is by writing two simple descriptions:
• Literal description that identifies the character factually. From the play Doubt: A Parable by John Patrick Shanley, for example, Sister Aloysius might be described literally as the principal of a Catholic elementary school in the Bronx.
• Figurative description that uses a poetic comparison, such as a metaphor or simile, to sum up the essence of the character. For example, Sister Aloysius might be described figuratively as a guard in a tower overseeing a prison yard.
WRAP-UP
You can use a variety of techniques to flesh out your characters, such as developing a biography that focuses on major events of the past, writing a typical day in their lives around the time the story begins, and imagining them in other situations not related to the story so you can see how they behave without the encumbrance of a dramatic plot. Character interview is an especially valuable tool when it is emotionally based. By interacting with characters directly, you can not only learn more about their lives but also gain a working sense of each one’s unique perspective and dramatic voice.
Related tools in The Dramatic Writer’s Companion. From “Basic Character Builder” to “In So Many Words,” any exercise in the “Developing Your Character” section can help you learn more about your characters. Be sure to try “Defining Trait,” “The Secret Lives of Characters,” and “Character as Paradox.”
BEYOND BELIEF
THE QUICK VERSION
Flesh out a character’s personal credo
BEST TIME FOR THIS
Anytime you need to know a character better
CREDO: WHAT A CHARACTER BELIEVES TO BE TRUE
A dramatic character’s belief system, or credo, evolves from his or her life experiences, both positive and negative, and consists of the various conclusions the character has reached as a result of what has happened. The credo reflects what the character believes to be true—even if it’s not. It is often a character’s credo that explains why he or she behaves a certain way under certain circumstances.
Since this credo is so closely tied to the character’s individual identity and life, it is unique. Even in the case of twins, such as Myrna and Myra in The Mineola Twins by Paula Vogel, no two credos are alike. More often than not, a character’s credo is also dynamic. It changes as the character enters the new, uncharted territory of the story and begins to acquire new experiences.
ABOUT THE EXERCISE
Use this exercise to explore the credo of one of your characters: what types of beliefs this credo includes, how these beliefs arose, and, most importantly, how they might affect the character’s emotions and behavior during the story.
Examples are from August Wilson’s play The Piano Lesson, which received, among other honors, the 1990 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Set in Pittsburgh in 1934 just after the Great Depression, the story centers on a fight between brother and sister about what to do with the family piano. The brother, Boy Willie, wants to sell it and use the money to buy land where their ancestors once worked as slaves. The sister, Berniece, wants to keep the piano, which she views as a sacred family heirloom. Exercise examples focus on Berniece.
To begin, choose a character from your story whom you would like to know better. As you explore this character’s credo, keep looking for a new belief in each round. Do not repeat a response you’ve already given.
■ TOPICS
Through character traits, dialogue, actions, images, events, and other dramatic elements, The Piano Lesson addresses certain topics about which Berniece has certain opinions and beliefs. In random order, such topics include historical legacy, family, ghosts, murder, racism, slavery, making a mark in the world, vengeance, reparation, self-worth, memory, and music. Think about the character you chose to explore. In a word or phrase each, identify at least a dozen topics that your story addresses and that are important to your character at some point in the dramatic journey.
■ SHARED BELIEF
You and your character most likely have some important beliefs in common. These similarities can help you understand the character.
1. Topic. Review your list of topics and choose one to explore. Trust your first instinct and mark your choice—for example, historical legacy.
2. Belief. Your character may have a number of different opinions and beliefs about the topic you chose. In regard to historical legacy, Berniece believes that it is important to remember the past and to protect and honor the memory of one’s ancestors. Think about the topic you marked. Identify a strong character belief about this topic with which you agree. This is an example of how you and your character are alike.
3. Trigger. Berniece’s belief about historical legacy was taught to her by her mother, who is now dead and who bequeathed the family piano to Berniece and her brother. The piano bears the faces of their ancestors carved in wood. Think about the character belief you are exploring. Recount an experience from any time in the character’s life, past or present, that led to this belief or reinforced it.
4. Emotion. Strong beliefs tend to arouse strong emotions. Berniece’s belief about historical legacy inspires reverence. What is your character’s emotional connection to the belief you are exploring?
5. Action. Strong beliefs can also lead to decisive action. Because of her view of historical legacy, Berniece will fiercely resist her brother’s plan to sell the family piano. Her resistance fuels the central conflict of the story. Think about the belief you are exploring and what it might motivate your character to do. Identify an important ac
tion your character could initiate at any time during the story as a result of this belief.
■ UNIQUE BELIEF
Your character most likely has certain important beliefs that you do not share. These differences help make your character unique and may sometimes require you to do research to understand the character’s perspective.
1. Topic. Review your list of topics and choose another to explore. Trust your first instinct and mark your choice—for example, ghosts.
2. Belief. As before, your character may have a number of opinions and beliefs, right or wrong, about the second topic you chose. Berniece believes actively in the presence of ghosts. In fact, she believes that there is one living upstairs in her house. She also believes that the spirits of her ancestors reside in the family piano. Think about the second topic you chose to explore. Name a strong belief about this topic that your character holds but that you do not share. This is an example of how you and your character are different.
3. Trigger. Berniece believes that her house is haunted because she has seen a ghost at the top of her stairs. (She thinks it is the vengeful spirit of a man whom her brother murdered.) She believes that ancestral spirits reside in the family piano because this is what her mother taught her. Think about the second belief you’re exploring and how your character came to this conclusion. Recount an experience from any time in the character’s life, past or present, that led to this belief or reinforced it.
4. Emotion. Berniece’s belief in ghosts makes her feel fearful. What is your character’s emotional response to the belief you are exploring?
5. Action. Because she believes her house is haunted, Berniece asks a preacher to bless the house and exorcise the ghost. Because she believes that ancestral spirits reside in the family piano, she refuses to cooperate with her brother’s plan to sell it. This belief also keeps her from playing the piano, for fear that it will wake the dead. Think about the belief you are exploring and what it might motivate your character to do. Identify an important action that your character could initiate at any time during the story as a result of this belief.
■ MISTAKEN BELIEF
Not all of your character’s beliefs are accurate. These mistaken views and delusions can often lead to trouble.
1. Topic. Review your list of topics and choose another to explore. Trust your first instinct and mark your choice.
2. Belief. Identify an important character belief about this topic that is inaccurate within the world of your story. This is a belief that reflects wrong thinking. It might be the result of delusion, ignorance, error in judgment, a lie that someone told, or some other deception or misinformation. Without repeating a previous response, state one of the character’s mistaken beliefs.
3. Trigger. Think about how your character came to this conclusion. Describe one experience from any time in the character’s life, past or present, that led to this mistaken belief or reinforced it.
4. Emotion. How does this belief make your character feel?
5. Action. What might this mistaken belief motivate your character to do at some time during the story?
■ HIDDEN BELIEF
For one reason or another, your character may keep some beliefs hidden from most others in the world of the story.
1. Topic. Review your list of topics and choose another to explore.
2. Belief. Identify a belief about this topic that your character tends to keep secret. From the character’s perspective, this hidden belief may be too unusual, too unpopular, too shameful, or too painful to share publicly. Without repeating a previous response, state your character’s hidden belief and explain why he or she keeps it secret.
3. Trigger. Think about how your character came to this conclusion. Recount an experience from any time in the character’s life, past or present, that led to this hidden belief or reinforced it.
4. Emotion. How does this belief make your character feel?
5. Action. What might this hidden belief motivate your character to do at some time during the story?
■ BELIEF THAT WILL CHANGE
Some of your character’s beliefs may change as a result of what happens during the dramatic journey.
1. Topic. Review your list of topics and choose another to explore.
2. Belief. Identify a belief that your character has early in the story but not later. State the belief that the character brings into the story.
3. Trigger. Recount an experience from the character’s life that led to this early belief or reinforced it.
4. Emotion. How does this belief make your character feel?
5. Action. What might this belief motivate your character to do? This will most likely be an action that your character initiates early in the story.
■ NEW BELIEF
Your character is likely to develop many new beliefs as a result of story events.
1. Belief. Think about the belief you explored in the last round and how it might change during the story. State the new belief.
2. Trigger. Think about how your character comes to this new conclusion during the story. Identify the experience that results in this new belief.
3. Emotion. How does this new belief make your character feel?
4. Action. What might this belief motivate your character to do? This will most likely be an action that your character initiates late in the story or after the story ends.
■ MOST IMPORTANT BELIEF
Right or wrong, what is your character’s most important belief? This might be a belief that you’ve identified during the exercise or a new one. It might be about the character himself or herself, or about someone else or something else in the specific world of the story. Or it might be a universal belief about humanity, nature, or life in general. It is “most important” because it will have the greatest impact on how the story unfolds. Identify this critical belief and how it affects the dramatic journey.
WRAP-UP
Belief systems evolve from what the characters have experienced in life, what they have been taught by others, and how they have responded to all of this over time. Knowing each character’s credo is an important step toward understanding his or her desires and motivations during the dramatic journey. The credo of the main character is often a link to the story’s main subject and theme.
Related tools in The Dramatic Writer’s Companion. To continue exploring a character’s credo, go to the “Developing Your Character” section and try “What the Character Believes.”
THE EMOTIONAL CHARACTER
THE QUICK VERSION
Use different emotions to discover new truths about your characters
BEST TIME FOR THIS
Anytime you need to know a character better
THE EMOTIONAL LIVES OF CHARACTERS
Drama is primarily an emotional experience. As a result, dramatic characters tend to be emotional beings who experience a wide range of feelings as story events unfold. To know a character’s emotional identity and emotional point of view is to understand the character where it counts most—at a gut level.
ABOUT THE EXERCISE
Use this exercise to uncover new truths about the characters in your story. Examples are based on an interpretation of Topdog/Underdog by Suzan-Lori Parks. Recipient of the 2002 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, the play explores the competitive relationship of two African American brothers—one a thief, the other a reformed card hustler—who live together in a seedy furnished room.
During the exercise, you will be asked to think about different emotions and name the character from your story whom you most associate with each one. You may choose some characters repeatedly during this process and other characters not at all. In each round you will explore one of your emotional associations in more depth.
To prepare, list the characters from your story so you can see them all at a glance. For best results, include at least six characters. If you have fewer than that in your story, find the rest from the offstage world. For example, Booth and Lincoln are the only onstage
characters in Topdog/Underdog. Offstage characters include their Moms and Pops, who abandoned them years ago; Booth’s ex-girlfriend Grace, whom he is trying to win back; and Lincoln’s ex-wife, Cookie, who will have nothing more to do with him.
■ FIRST EMOTIONAL FOCUS
Learn more about your characters through their dominant emotions.
1. Three associations. Identify the character from your story whom you most associate with
• love—for example, Booth, who wants to win back his ex-girlfriend Grace
• sorrow—for example, Lincoln, who has lost almost everyone important in his life
• hate—for example, Cookie, who kicked Lincoln out for being unfaithful
2. Primary association. Choose one of your three emotional associations to explore in more depth—for example, Lincoln and sorrow.
3. Credo. Emotion and intellect are closely linked. Feelings affect how the character thinks. Thinking affects how the character feels. For example, Lincoln’s sorrow has led him to conclude that loved ones are not to be trusted: they inevitably betray and abandon you. Translate your primary emotional association into a belief, right or wrong, that could affect the character’s behavior at an important time in the story.
4. Desire. Know what the character wants and you’re on the way to understanding who the character is. As a result of the sorrow in his life, Lincoln wants to protect his relationship with his brother, his only remaining family member and friend. Translate your primary emotional association into an important desire or need that the character might experience at some time during the story.