Screenwriting : Character Development by Joshua Adams

1 is a tough one because what one person finds unbearable, another can manage. As for 2, I think it's really a question of each scene. What is that character trying to accomplish in that scene, where is he/she coming from in the previous scene. Those kinds of things will determine their tactics in a conversation, whether it's subconscious or deliberate. Maybe consider how the character would tackle different obstacles and that might guide each specific situation. It's similar to how some actors approach scenework so ask actors to because it may give you another angle on how to encompass a more fully realized character. In the end, I find it depends on the specific scene (therefore contradictions can happen regularly, but believeably depending on how the characters attacks problems) and people rarely say everything they have on their mind. It's at least a place to start. As for character work, I'm all over the place, but I've found the characters that have had the most resonance tend to come from people I crib in real life, even or especially when they are wacky.

Most scripts I read I always evaluate the intent of the character from scene to scene(like would this person really do this and is their actions true to how they react to their environment). If its not honest then normally it does not work. What I mean by that is some writers have a tendacy to sensationalize a scene just to make a character interesting or a scene come to life. If that is your intent then in my opinion you simply trying to hard to sell someone on your characters(hello hollywood...lol). Its always best to do as much research as you can on a character before you develop them as well especially if you are writing about someone you "think" you know about. That can help make the process easier and give you more tools to play with.

Hey Joshua, I tend to go by the old addage write what you know and if you don't know research. You need to have the parameters of the character profile before you can proceed with their actions and dialogue in my opinion. You may not know someone exactly like these characters but you should know what kind of character traits you want and apply these traits to the characters you are developing. They don't have to be a complete rip offs of people you know per say because you are in fact creating them. So decide who and what your characters are about and proceed from there. I mean i am writing a feature about a serial killer right now, I have never met one in real life but I have researched the common character traits of one and have used those and added some of my own traits to make the character of my own creation. Remember you are creating these characters and not just mimicking people you already know. Good Luck!

It sounds like you're not someone who spends much time with others. Or at least not talking with them, beyond small talk. Take a few weeks 'off' from writing during the day and visit with people. There are a lot of people who would love to have someone listen to their stories. If you're not comfortable buying someone a cup of coffee, volunteer at a rest home. Retirees are often lonely and willing to bend your ear. Plus, they have lots of stories and life experience. Tell them you're a writer and they'll really want to dish. At the end of each day make rough notes about who you spent time with and what they told you. You don't even have to be accurate. If you can't remember details make something up, as long it works from a cause and effect point of view. In a few weeks you should have a better understanding of real people and how to write fictional ones.

Thank you to all for your extremely valuable input. There's definitely a lot of things mentioned that I'm a hundred percent sure will help me get my characters up and breathing!

Don't let all this break you! The actors job is to do a lot of the R an D. I'l prove it to you. When a producer asks you for you story does he ask for. your script???? Nooooo he asks for you logline and Synopsis, He wants to know the general idea of the story. That's first. He can change, Brad Pitt can change your character development., They won't change the idea, much, that's what they bought!!!

Even superheroes have flaws, angst, and doubts. We don't trust people who are perfect. Flaws advise us about characters, teach us ow to cheer them on. Seeking out a critique group is a great way to advance your skills.

The mistake many people make is to confuse a character with facets and a character with depth. Your character could have many, many traits and still be shallow. Depth comes from contradictory traits and the character’s struggle to reconcile them. In my own writing, I deepen characters through the following method: Both the central conflict and the resolution should be the impetus of the protagonist and/or relate to a unique quality of the protagonist. Everything inbetween should be an expression of the protagonist’s relationships with others, their world and themselves. That way you have a protagonist who truly owns the story. Because I think that’s what people really mean when they talk about compelling characters: protagonists who have made the story their own.

You are in a good spot so far. Sounds like you just want to refine your skills to improve character dialogue. I always make a list of main characteristics of each of my main characters, showing their personality traits, past events that almost broke them, what they want vs. what they need, their desires in this script, etc. Then, AFTER I've written the script, I do a dialogue pass for each individual character making sure their words are consistent with my notes on them.

Hope this helps! Good luck!

Characters are what they do, what they say, and how the react and interact with the world around them -- that informs the viewer with everything they need to know but wanting more (as long as you don't do a dump all at once).

A professor of mine once wanted us to write the characters bio from birth to the moment the story starts but I always thought that was a bit much. My advice would be to just spend a lot of time with your character to find out what makes them tick. When did they start to come in to their own, what's the second most significant event in their lives (assuming your story is about to be the number one significant event), things like that. This year I found that writing is asking questions.

This post is from eight years ago, but the challenge remains eternal.

One day I will run into an old post here from years ago and argue with myself.

Character and Story are connected and can not be pulled apart. So if you have a story, you also have your lead character.

Though this comes at it from the Character side, it illustrates the connection, so that you can easily start from your story and find the character.

http://www.scriptsecrets.net/tips/tip166.htm

One of the things that you need to think about is how everything you write is autobiographical whether you know it or not - so it's better to know it and use that knowledge. Which means acknowledging and using your flaws as part of the story. That makes the story personal and emotional.

There's a quote that is attributed to at least a dozen writers that writing is easy: you just open a vein and bleed on the page.