how to write great characters

7/28/2019 How to Write Great Characters

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On Creating Character

by Syd Field, teacher and best-selling author of Screenplay, The Screenwriters Problem

Solver, The Screenwriters Workbook, and many others.


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Creating character is a process that will be with you from the beginning to the end, from

fade in to fade out. It is an ongoing educational progression, an experience that contin-

ues expanding as you go deeper and deeper into your characters lives.

There are many ways to approach writing character. Some writers mull over their char-

acters for a long period of time and then, when they feel they know them, they jump in

and start writing. Others create an elaborate list of characterizations. Some writers list

the major elements of their characters life on 3 x 5 cards; some write extensive outlines

or draw diagrams of behavior. Some use pictures from magazines and newspapers to

help them seewhat their characters look like. Thats my character, they say. They may

tack the pictures above their work area so they can be with their characters during

their work time. Some use well-known actors and actresses as models for characters.

Anything that makes it easier for you to create your character is a good tool. Choose

your own way. You can use some, all, or none of the tools mentioned here. It doesnt

matter. What matters is whether it works. If it works, use it; if it doesnt, dont. Find your

own way, your own style in creating character. The important thing is that its got to work

for you.

One of the most insightful character tools is writing a Character Biography. The charac-

ter biography is a freeassociation, automatic-writing exercise that reveals your charac-

ters history from birth up until the time your story begins. It captures and defines the

forces -- both physical and emotional, internal and external -- working on your character

during those formative years that fashioned his or her behavior. It is a process that re-

veals character.

Start at the beginning. Is your character male or female? How old is he when the story

begins? Where does he live? What city or country? Where was she born? Was she an

only child, or did she have any brothers and sisters? What kind of relationship did she

have with her brothers and sisters? Was it good or bad? Confiding or adventurous?

What kind of childhood would you say your character had? Would you consider it

On Creating Characteris brought to you by Final Draft, Inc.

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happy? Or sad? Was it physically or medically challenging, with illness or physical prob-

lems?

What about his relationship to his parents? Was he a mischievous child getting into a lot

of trouble or was she quiet and withdrawn, preferring her own inner life instead of a so-

cial one? Was she stubborn, willful and have a problem with authority? Do you think she

was socially active, made friends easily, and got along well with relatives and other chil-

dren? What kind of a child would you say he was? Was he outgoing and extroverted or

shy and studious, an introvert? Let your imagination guide you.

THE EXERCISE

Write character biographies for two or three of your main characters in about seven to

10 pages. More if you need to. Focus on their early years. Where was the character

born? What did his/her father and mother do for a living? What is his relationship with

his parents? Does he or she have any brothers or sisters? Whats the relation-

shipfriendly and supportive or angry and combative?

Define the other relationships the character has in his or her second and third 10 years

and see how these relationships formed his or her character. Remember Henry James

Theory of Illumination: Every character sheds light on your main character.

Before you begin writing your biography, think about your character(s) for a few days,

then set aside a time where you can work two or three hours without interruption. No

phone calls, no TV, no e-mail, videogames, or visits from friends. It may help to lower

the lights or turn on some soft music. Then start throwing down thoughts, words, and

ideas about the character. Just let it come out. Dont worry about grammar, punctuation,

spelling, or bad writing. Just get your thoughts down on paper, and dont worry about

anything else. Youre not going to show these pages to anyone; it s only a tool for you to

use while you discover your characters and get to know them. If you want to include

parts of your character biography in your screenplay, fine. But just get your character

down on paper. Free-associate. Let your characters discover who they are.


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Do the same with the professional, personal, and private lives of your character. Write a

page or two about what your character does for a living, his or her relationships and

hobbies. You might even go into day in the life of your character and write what his or

her day looks like? What does she do from the moment she gets out of bed till she goes

to sleep at night? Write it in a page or two. If you need to write more, write more. If you

can do it in less, do it in less.

If you discover any areas in a characters life you feel unsure or insecure about, write it

in a page or two. Do some research if necessary. Free-associate. The relationship be-

tween you and your characters is like the relationship between two best friends. You de-

cide what you need then define it.

If you dont know whether you should write something or not, write it! It s yourscript,

yourstory, yourcharacters, and yourdramatic choices. When you have completed your

assignment, you will know your characters as if they were good friends.

If you enjoyed this article by Syd Field, consider subscribing to

the print or digital version of Script Magazine. Published six times

per year, Script Magazinehas exclusive articles from the best

screenwriters and teachers in the world. Or visit

www.scriptmag.com to read more articles on the craft of screen-

writing, interviews with top industry insiders, and the latest

screenwriting news.


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ABOUT SYD FIELD

Acclaimed as "the guru of all screenwriters"(CNN), SYD FIELD is regarded by many

Hollywood professionals to be the leading authority in the art and craft of screenwriting

in the world today. The Hollywood Reporter calls him "the most sought-after screenwrit-

ing teacher in the world." Syd Field has sold over 1,000,000 copies of his books. His in-

ternationally acclaimed best-selling booksScreenplay, The Screenwriter's Workbook,

andThe Screenwriter's Problem Solver have established themselves as the "bibles" of

the film industry. They are used in more than 395 colleges and universities and have

been translated into 19 languages.

Field chaired the Academic Liaison Committee at The Writer's Guild of America, West, is

currently on faculty at the USC Master's of Professional Writing Program, has taught at

Harvard, Stanford, UC Berkeley, UCLA, the AFI and many other noted institutions.

Field's former students include Anna Hamilton Phelan(Girl, Interrupted, Gorillas in the

Mist), John Singleton(Four Brothers, Boyz N the Hood), Randi Mayem Singer(Mrs.

Doubtfire), Laura Esquival(Like Water For Chocolate), Michael Kane(The Color of

Money), and Kevin Williamson(Scream, Scream 2 & 3), and he has been a special

script consultant to 20th Century Fox, the Disney Studios, Universal, and Tristar Pic-

tures. In May 2011, Syd Field will launch his first iPhone and iPad application Script

Launcher, and will take to the stage for major headlining seminars in Los Angeles, To-

ronto and London in the Fall of 2011.


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How to Use Final Draftto Write Great Characters

CHARACTER FORMAT

The CHARACTER element in your screenplay must be CAPITALIZED and indented 3.5

inches to the left. You dont want to stop writing your story so you can toggle the CAPS

LOCK key and tap the space bar. Final Draft formats it for you automatically.

Normally you can just hit the RETURN or TAB key on your Mac or PC. Final Draftwill

automatically set you up to start writing a CHARACTER line. But there might be times

when you want to change the order of an element. That s just as easy.

You can use a drop-down menu on the toolbar or use a Keyboard Shortcut to switch to

the different elements in your screenplay. The default Keyboard Shortcut in this exam-

ple is Command-3 or Control-3. If youd like to change a shortcut, just open Final Draft

and go to Format > Elements. You can customize almost anything in Final Draft.

A screen shot of customizing Final Draftfrom going to Format > Elements is presented

on the following page.


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EXAMPLE: CUSTOMIZE ELEMENTS BY GOING TO FORMAT > ELEMENTS

SMART TYPE

Why type the same Character names over and over? Use SMART TYPE in Final Draft.

When you first type a Character name in Final Draft, that name becomes part of Final

DraftsSmart Type database.

Then as you write your script, you only need to type the first letter in a Character s name

and Final Draftwill automatically start to fill in the blanks for you. If that Character is inthe SMART TYPE database, then just hit Return once and the rest of the Character line

is completed for you.


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Heres an example from Toy Story. After the line from Mr. Potato Head, we only need to

type W-O and - voila - Woody appears. Just hit Enter or Return and keep writing.

Of course, if youre introducing a new Character, thats no problem. Just type it like

normal. That Character will now be in the Smart Type database ready to go. And, like

almost every tool in Final Draft, you choose whether to turn Smart Type on or off.


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NAMES DATABASE

Final Draftincludes a Names Database with over 90,000 names. Find that perfect char-

acter name by just brainstorming a few letters in the name. You can also instantly add

that name to SMART TYPE so Final Draft remembers it for you.

CHARACTER REPORT

Once your script is finished, you can run a report for each Character. You can view how

many lines each Character has. You can also print out each Characters lines of dia-

logue. This report is invaluable for the actor learning his or her lines. It also helps you,

as the writer, make sure that each Character maintains his or her own voice.

To view this report, first open a script in Final Draft. Then, in the Final Drafttoolbar, go to

Tools > Reports > Character Report.


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