Character, Scene, and Story

by Will Dunne

Each scene in the story is a step toward trying to achieve the superobjective either by reaching for it directly or by tackling obstacles that stand in the way. Desire at this level translates into a scenic objective: a need to accomplish something important here and now that, if successful, will move the character closer to the overall goal. The scenic objective may be aroused prior to the scene or during it. Either way, it drives most of the character’s actions during the scene and causes a dramatic event to occur.

  Just as a story is made up of scenes, a scene is made up of beats, or units of action. Desire at this level translates into the strategies and tactics that the character tries in pursuit of the scenic objective. Whether successful or not, these beat actions bring variety to the scene and keep it from growing stale.

  Most character objectives, particularly at the scene and beat level, are behavioral. They reflect a desire to affect another character in an important way and fall into four general categories: to make the other character feel good; to make the other character feel bad; to find out something important; or to convince the other character of something important. At the beat level, some objectives may be physical—for example, to complete a physical task, such as finding a house key that has been misplaced.

  ABOUT THE EXERCISE

  Use this exercise to identify what a character wants in the story, in a scene, and in two beats of the scene. Then explore how these levels of desire affect the scenic action.

  Examples are from scene 9 of Water by the Spoonful by Quiara Alegría Hudes, recipient of the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The story focuses on a returning Iraq War veteran’s search for meaning. His dramatic journey runs parallel to that of four recovering drug addicts who connect through an online chat room. All of the characters are trying to heal from something that has harmed them.

  Scene 9 focuses on two of the recovering addicts. Character 1—who drives most of the action and makes the scene happen—is Orangutan, an Asian American teacher in her thirties who was born in Japan and adopted in infancy by an American family. Character 2 is Chutes&Ladders, an African American man in his fifties who has worked a low-level job at the IRS for two decades. Their relationship: online friends who have never met in person. The main event of the scene: Chutes&Ladders derails Orangutan’s plan to find her birth parents, a potential stressor that could trigger a drug relapse.

  To prepare for the exercise, choose a scene you wish to develop, identify the two most important characters—Characters 1 and 2—and define their relationship. Then sum up the main event of the scene as you see it now: what happens overall.

  ■ SCENIC CONTEXT

  Begin by fleshing out the context for the dramatic action.

  1. Setting. The Hudes scene takes place in two locations connected by the Internet: an IRS office in San Diego, California, where Chutes&Ladders works, and a train station in Sapporo, Japan, where Orangutan waits for a train. Define where your scene occurs.

  2. Time. The year is 2009. In the IRS office in San Diego, it is late afternoon. At the train station in Sapporo, it is early morning, twenty minutes before the train departs for Kushiro, the city where Orangutan was born. Define when your scene takes place.

  3. Given circumstances. Though Orangutan and Chutes&Ladders have been online friends for three years at recovertogether.com, she recently disappeared from the site for three months and then returned with the news that she is now sober and living in Japan. Her absence from the site has deepened her friendship with Chutes&Ladders to the extent that she has asked him to join her—in person—in Japan, but that has not happened because he is averse to taking risks that could lead to a drug relapse. Think about what’s happening in the world of your story when your scene begins. Identify any given circumstances—physical, psychological, social, economic, political, or spiritual—that might influence the dramatic action of your scene.

  ■ DESIRE AT THE STORY LEVEL

  Now that you have a working sense of how the scene fits into the throughline of the story, begin to explore the wants and needs of your Character 1 at the story level.

  1. Superobjective. Orangutan’s quest—her superobjective—is to feel connected to humanity. Think about the desire that drives most of your Character 1’s dramatic journey. What is the character’s superobjective, or quest?

  2. Measure of success. The more specific the character’s objective, the more focused the character’s actions will be. Objectives tend to work best dramatically when their outcome is measurable—that is, when a specific sign will indicate whether the objective has been achieved. This sign might be a certain statement, action, event, or other outcome that would signal success. For example, Orangutan wants to feel connected to humanity. She will know this has happened if she can develop a meaningful, in-person relationship with Chutes&Ladders without smoking crack. How will your character know if the superobjective has been achieved? Identify the measure of success.

  3. Trigger. Orangutan’s desire to feel connected to humanity stems back to her adoption at the age of eight days by an American family. She has never known her birth parents or, until now, seen her birth country of Japan. What experience triggered your character’s superobjective, either during the story or prior to it?

  4. Contributing factor. Orangutan’s need for connection has been reinforced by years of feeling like an outsider. Japanese by birth, she grew up in Cape Lewiston, Maine, where there was only one other Asian American. She chose the cyber name Orangutan because, unlike other great apes, orangutans do not live in groups and thus symbolize solitude. Think about your character’s superobjective. What is a contributing factor from his or her life that has reinforced this desire?

  5. Conflict. Orangutan wants to feel connected to humanity. Her biggest obstacles are internal: her feelings of alienation, an impulsive nature that often gets her into trouble, and her relentless desire to smoke crack. At the story level, what are the main obstacles that will make your character’s superobjective difficult to achieve?

  6. Motivation. At stake for Orangutan are her survival and well-being. What is at stake for your character overall?

  ■ DESIRE AT THE SCENIC LEVEL

  Focus next on Character 1 in the scene you are developing.

  1. Objective. The main event of the scene will occur here and now because Character 1 will pursue an important objective and either succeed or fail. Orangutan has a feel good objective. She wants Chutes&Ladders to approve her emotionally risky decision to find her birth parents. What does your character want most in your scene? Choose a general behavioral objective: feel good, feel bad, find out, or convince. Then translate it into the specific terms of your scene.

  2. Measure of success. Orangutan wants to get Chutes&Ladders’ blessing. The measure of success would be certain words appearing on her computer screen—for example, his telling her that he supports what she’s doing. How will your character know whether the scenic objective has been achieved?

  3. Trigger. Orangutan made a vow to find her birth parents in Japan if she could stay sober for three months. Having reached that milestone, she is now in Sapporo, waiting for the train to Kushira with the address of her birth parents in her pocket. Her need for Chutes&Ladders’ approval is triggered by the fear that she cannot accomplish this feat without his support. This fear is heightened by the fact that the train is about to depart. What triggers your character’s scenic objective during the scene or prior to it?

  4. Contributing factor. Orangutan’s participation in an online community of addicts—the family she found—has fueled her desire for connection to the family she was born into. Chutes&Ladders is the closest member of her online family, so his support matters most. He’s also older and wiser than her, and that adds to the value of his approval. What contributing factor has fueled your character’s scenic objective?

  5. Relation to superobjective. By involving Chutes&Ladders in a critical decision, Orangutan is taking steps to strengthen her friendship with him. This action directly supports her superobjectiv
e: to feel connected to humanity though a meaningful, in-person relationship. It is thus a sound, logical step for her to take. How does your character’s scenic objective relate to his or her superobjective?

  6. Conflict. Orangutan wants to get Chutes&Ladders’ blessing for her trip to Kushira. Her main problem is that he wants her to stay off that train. What obstacles will make it difficult for your character to achieve the scenic objective?

  7. Motivation. For a recovering addict, any major stress can trigger a relapse. As Orangutan tries to get a friend to support her at an emotionally difficult time, her sobriety is at stake. What is at stake for your character?

  ■ DESIRE AT THE BEAT LEVEL

  Now look more closely at the scene to see what your character wants at the beat level. Ideally, each beat is a unit of action that centers on one topic, one behavior, or one emotion. Working together, beats bring variety to the scene and determine its structure and rhythm.

  1. Early beat action. One of Orangutan’s early tactics in scene 9 is to amuse Chutes&Ladders by telling him a funny story about how the Japanese, in an effort to create jobs in the early 1980s, had all of the rivers in Hokkaido straightened out and how now, to create more jobs, they plan to put all the rivers back to the way they were, starting with the Kushiro River. This is a feel good tactic. Identify a tactic that your character might try early in the scene as a step to achieve the scenic objective.

  • Measure of success. Orangutan wants to make Chuter&Ladders feel good. She will know she has succeeded if she can get him to respond online with a happy-face emoji or words that show he finds her story amusing. How will your character know whether his or her early tactic has succeeded?

  • Why this. Orangutan chooses to tell a funny story because she thinks that Chutes&Ladders will be more open to her risky scheme if he is in a good mood. The story also provides a way to get the name of her birth city, Kushiro, into the conversation so she can get to the subject she really wants to discuss. Think about your character’s early tactic. Right or wrong, why might he or she try this?

  • Relation to scenic objective. Putting Chutse&Ladders in a good mood is a smart step toward bonding with him and getting his approval. Orangutan’s tactic thus supports her scenic objective. How does your character’s early tactic relate to the scenic objective?

  2. Later beat action. Orangutan tries a number of tactics to get Chutes&Ladders’ approval. Later in the scene, after he has learned her plan and condemned it, she tries to make him feel guilty about not supporting her. This is a feel bad action and quite different from her earlier tactic. Identify another tactic your character might try later in your scene. Look for an example that is clearly different from the earlier one.

  • Measure of success. Orangutan wants to guilt-trip Chutes&Ladders for not supporting her. She will know she has succeeded if she can get him to apologize. How will your character know if the later tactic has succeeded?

  • Why this. Attacking Chutes&Ladders is an impulsive act of retaliation. Think about your character’s later tactic. Right or wrong, why might he or she try this?

  • Relation to scenic objective. Antagonizing Chutes&Ladders runs counter to Orangutan’s objective and is thus a bad tactic that leads to her failure to win his approval. How does your character’s tactic relate to his or her scenic objective?

  ■ SUBCONSCIOUS NEED

  Some characters at the scenic level have a subconscious need that is different from the conscious one. Orangutan wants to get a friend’s approval for her plan to find her birth parents. Her behavior suggests, however, that she might subconsciously want him to talk her out of this plan because of the risks it involves. The deeper desire to be defeated could explain why her tactics work against her and why she ends up not getting on the train after she fails to get his blessing. If your character had a subconscious desire in the scene, what would it be, and how would that affect the dramatic action?

  WRAP-UP

  Different levels of desire work together to drive character behavior as a dramatic story unfolds. As you write and revise, keep in mind that each character’s scenic objective is not only a step toward an overall goal in the story but also a source of beat actions that can reveal different sides of the character and bring more variety to the scene.

  Related tools in The Dramatic Writer’s Companion. For more about character objectives, go to the “Causing a Scene” section and try “What Does the Character Want?” For more about dramatic action at the beat level, try “How It Happens” or “Thinking in Beats” in the same section.

  MOTHER CONFLICT

  THE QUICK VERSION

  Explore sources of conflict for a scene

  BEST TIME FOR THIS

  During scene planning, writing, or revision

  PROBLEMS, PROBLEMS

  To understand conflict in drama is to know what characters want and why they are having a hard time getting it. Objectives and conflict thus go hand in hand. Suppose that a man has no food in his kitchen. If he just returned home from a restaurant and wants to sleep, the lack of food is currently not an issue. However, if he just woke up hungry and wants to eat, the lack of food becomes a conflict. It is precisely his objective to eat that establishes it as such. And if the man is not just hungry but starving, the lack of food becomes an urgent problem that cannot be ignored.

  When we think of conflict, we may think of characters arguing: the bigger the argument, the more dramatic the scene. However, character objectives and motivations can turn anything into a problem. It is the objective that defines what the problem is and the motivation that determines how urgently it must be addressed.

  ABOUT THE EXERCISE

  Use this exercise to explore potential conflicts that your character may face while pursuing an objective in a scene. Examples are from scene 3 of Bent by Martin Sherman, nominated for a 1980 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and Tony Award for Best Play. The story deals with the persecution of gays in Nazi Germany. Sherman later adapted the story to film for a 1997 release.

  Character 1—who drives most of the action and makes the scene happen—is Freddie, a middle-aged gay man who pretends to be straight in order not to alienate his wealthy family, on whom he relies for money. Character 2 is Max, in his early thirties, an openly gay man who, with his lover, is being pursued by the Gestapo after a raid of his Berlin flat. The character relationship: Freddie is Max’s uncle and the only family member with whom Max has had contact over the past ten years. The main event of the scene: Freddie and Max make a deal to get Max and his partner out of Nazi Germany.

  To prepare for the exercise, choose a scene you wish to develop, identify the two most important characters—Characters 1 and 2—and define their relationship. Then sum up the main event of the scene as you see it now: what happens overall.

  As you proceed, keep the main focus on your Character 1.

  ■ SCENIC CONTEXT

  Define the context for the dramatic action.

  1. Setting. Sherman’s scene takes place in a park in Cologne, Germany, near a forest where Max and his lover are currently hiding from the Gestapo. Define the setting for your scene.

  2. Time. The action occurs in 1936 a few days after Max called Freddie and asked for his help in escaping the country. Their meeting now is the first time they have seen each other since Max fled Berlin two years ago. Define when your scene takes place.

  ■ SCENIC OBJECTIVE AND MOTIVATION

  Before you can identify possible conflicts for a scene, you need to know what your character wants and why the character wants it now.

  1. Scenic objective. Ideally, the main event of the scene will occur here and now because Character 1 wants something important and will either succeed or fail in getting it. Freddie has a convince objective: to persuade Max to accept a set of fake identification papers and a train ticket to Amsterdam so he can escape the Gestapo before it’s too late. Think about how your Character 1 wants to affect whoever else is here now. For example, is Character 1 trying to make the o
ther character feel good or feel bad? Or is Character 1 trying to find out something or convince the other character of something important? Pick a general behavioral objective and translate it into a specific need.

  2. Trigger. The character’s scenic objective may be incited before the scene or during it. Freddie’s objective was incited prior to the scene when he received Max’s call for help. Freddie has now come to a park in Cologne for the express purpose of giving his nephew the means to get out of Nazi Germany. Think about your Character 1’s scenic objective. When is this objective incited, and what triggers it?

  3. Motivation. If difficult obstacles stand in the way of what characters want, they need compelling reasons to deal with that trouble instead of walking away from it. What’s at stake for Freddie is his nephew’s life. Identify what’s at stake for your Character 1. This is what will be gained if the objective succeeds or lost if it fails.

  ■ SOURCE OF CONFLICT: SELF

  A character’s pursuit of an objective generates dramatic action when it is difficult to achieve. The problems that contribute to this difficulty can come in many different forms and arise from many different sources. In some cases, characters are their own worst enemy. They defeat themselves as they struggle to satisfy their desires. Their problems may stem from any of the following:

  1. Personal traits. Whether positive or negative, a character’s own physical, psychological, or social traits can be a source of conflict. Freddie wants to help his nephew but is without much gravitas. He lives on the purse strings of others and hides his true nature. This has made him a weak character who has trouble asserting himself. Think about what your Character 1 wants in your scene. What personal traits could make this objective hard to achieve?