We've all heard the reports, "Your characters are one-dimensional; your characters lack dialogue diversity; I didn't relate to them, or I didn't find myself rooting for your characters.
Did you know a character's "signature" is a coined phrase by your character, and, a "hot item" is something your main character carries around with them, has on them, goes back to, or is known for? "I'll be back" is the "Terminator" character's signature, and a cane, brand of cigar, a green light saber, or even a life-saving inhaler like character Trevor kept in his pocket in "Pay It Forward" are character hot items. Do you write 3-4 good page descriptions and character biographies on your characters BEFORE you set pen to paper or finger to keyboard—ie. Your characters' idiosynchrocies and quirks, what course of action they take to reach their goals, how this action is uniquely different to other character approaches after the same goal in your story. How your characters talk differently (not accents), and their relationships to one another, along with your characters' obstacles. How do they overcome them? How does your protagonist character transform? How do his/her skillsets aid them in their new world? How do they hinder? Does your character have a unique and original signature line that will have audiences saying for years to come? You won't believe how this aids in preventing your character from being one-dimensional. I'm sure you have other ideas. Feel free to share your character-building process.
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Thank you for posting this. It's really useful. I'm going to go back through my pitches and scripts and add some more details about my characters' quirks and start working on creating "signatures" for them!
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Samantha, well, that will make them interesting for sure, but of course there's more. Want to know one of the most rooted-for characters ever onscreen? It was Old Yeller. Yup, a dog. But it was how writer Fred Gipson positioned his dog character. People sobbed in the theatre when the boy had to shoot that Old Yeller. Why? Because what the boy was shooting was the fact that his dog had saved him and the entire family from a charging bear and then got distemper for its love and good deed. Bring out the heart of your character, and we will love them for it and root for them all the way to the credits. A heart-stopping deed or mention that incites in us a visceral response; something we can all relate to. Remember when Rocky brought home a goldfish from the pet store and put it in a bowl next to his turtle in a bowl? Clink. Then, said, "Now neither of you have to be lonely anymore," revealing just how lonely he was and having us identify with him while we thought about the times we found ourselves lonely in the world.