Lesson 20

[Susan]

Part of instructions:

Put Jack’s distrustful trait against Locke’s mystical trait in a
decision making situation and you’ve got an instant conflict and a
guaranteed split. These give us subtext.

OK, so what subtext does it create? How does it create subtext? Maybe it’s just the 101F fever I have, but I don’t get it!

Any clues from anyone else? Thanks. 😜☕

[Christi Falk]

Oh no! Feel better soon!

I read that Subtext is the secret they’re keeping from the other. In the case of Jack and Locke, I’d say Jack is keeping the secret that he thinks all that mystical stuff is crazy(and knows there’s something off with Locke, medically) While of course Locke is keeping that he used to be in a freaking wheelchair! And of course they’re all dead. And it was the most sexist, misogynistic set at the height of it’s power and nobody cared. lol.

So, think of the things each character isn’t telling the other. Atleast, that’s how I did it.

[Susan]

Thanks for your response Christi. I think that’s one form of subtext, and I usually think of subtext as a true goal of the person underneath everything else, not just something they are hiding, but something they really want and need and/or are striving for. What was it Hal asked us for previously, for subtext early on? E.G. in Lesson 5 we had:

CHARACTERS

Robert
Traits – Smooth – Secretive – Gregarious – Low Self-esteem
Subtext: Robert loves creating gossip about other people and watching it take them down.

Trent
Traits – Conspiring – Aggressive – Meticulous – Needy
Subtext: Trent pretends he is wealthy to get people to do the things he wants — at their expense.

I’m not sure how the above traits are creating each of those subtexts? How do you get from the traits clashing (or other) to CREATE the subtext. I do not understand the process. I would like further instructions. I emailed support. I hope there is a response, because I want to actually have an example of how it is done. Like in the above example, how are any of the traits of Robert or Trent clashing creating their subtext? Their subtext here appears to be global, not individual. Anyway, I would just like a 1,2,3,4 = subtext. 🤪

[Christi Falk]

Just had to wait out a DoS attack and now it’s too late to watch the video. Anyone who thinks computers are the future of anything should have their head examined.

Susan and Mike, and to whomever makes it this far, my email is christifalk1@gmail.com. Message me so we can chat the next outage.

[Susan]

What video?

[Christi Falk]

It’s after this assignment. Lol, or it’s the other class I’m taking. Either way, I was shut out during the time I saved up. Maybe when Mike shows up we could plan a chat next week about this assignment? I’m a bit confused about my characters too. It would be great if we helped each other. I’m in Mountain Time, where are you guys?

[Susan]

I’m also on Mountain time in AZ.

[Susan]

Are you talking about the upcoming skills audio?

[Susan]

Susan McClary’s Character Relationships

What I learned doing this assignment was….
I have a lot more than 4 personality traits for each of these characters, and they are already being used in my story so I’m going to be stubborn and not give any up. I added a new one for Baldo, Covert (but he was doing this in a more covert way 🤣 before), and for Fabio (suspicious), but he was doing this subtly in the story already (as this was in the back of my mind), and I see how I can make everything way more active and create more comedy. What I can see VERY clearly, is that I can play the traits against each other in even more ways than I was doing earlier, to create more conflict, more moments of rapport & competition, and more comedy through contrast as well as through rapport, conflict, contrast and competition. I also learned that I have absolutely no clue how this is creating subtext! Is Hal talking about goals and needs showing up or showing up more because of the trait-play? I would LOVE someone to clarify this for me.

Character Traits:
Fabio: Generous, Romantic, Obsessive Collector, Show Off, Horror Victorianorum, Incorruptible, Purposeful, Suspicious (added)
Baldo: Unscrupulous, Slothful, Gutless/Chicken, Buffoon, Gourmet, Thief, Obsessive, Egyptomania, Covert (added)
Violetta: Perfectionist, Angelic, Musical, Elegant, Determined, Mysterious/Secretive, Suppresses Impulsive/Impulsive in Spurts
Signore Volpe: Proper, Fussy to the Extreme, Procedural, Whimsical (lighthearted and casually cheerful), Delightful (providing a sense of ease and relaxation), Strict, Commanding

Fabio/Baldo:
Rapport: Obsessive Collector/Egyptomania = Both like Fabio’s Collection
Conflict: Thief Baldo steals from Fabio Collector, Baldo’s Unscrupulousness clashes with Incorruptible in Fabio, Baldo’s Slothful clashes with Fabio’s purposeful
Added Suspicious for Fabio to determine Baldo’s (and others’ behaviors)
Contrast: Baldo’s Unscrupulousness clashes with Incorruptible in Fabio, Baldo’s Slothful clashes with Fabio’s purposeful, Fabio’s Romantic clashes with Baldo’s Slothful &Buffoon,
Competition: Fabio’s Obsessive Collector clashes with Baldo’s Thief… will Fabio save his stuff before Baldo wrecks it?
Subtext: “?”

Fabio/Violetta:
Rapport: Violetta Perfectionist/Fabio Incorruptible/Purposeful, Violetta Angelic, Musical, Elegant/Fabio Romantic, Violetta Determined/Fabio Purposeful, Violetta Angelic/Fabio Incorruptible
Conflict: Fabio Horror Victorianorum/Violetta Perfectionist, Fabio Purposeful/Violetta Impulsive in Spurts, Fabio Suspicious/Violetta Mysterious/Secretive
Contrast: Fabio Purposeful/Violetta Impulsive in Spurts
Competition: Fabio Show Off/Violetta Elegant, Mysterious Secretive
Subtext: “?”
Violetta surprises Fabio/Romantic with spurts of impulsiveness, and also her sudden outburst of cursing and he becomes suspicious,

Fabio/Signore Volpe:
Rapport: Fabio Incorruptible/Volpe Proper & Commanding, Fabio Show Off/Volpe Whimsical
Conflict: Fabio Purposeful/Volpe Procedural & Whimsical
Contrast: Fabio Romantic/Volpe Fussy, Fabio Horror Victorianorum/Volpe Procedural & Strict,
Subtext: “?” Volpe’s procedural nature slows down the investigation which clashes with Fabio’s purposefulness, but his Delightfulness calms Fabio down after he annoys him.

Baldo/Violetta:
Rapport: Violetta Mysterious-Secretive/Baldo Covert (added), Violetta Musical/Boldo Gourmet
Conflict: Baldo Slothful/Violetta Perfectionist & Elegant, Baldo Gutless/Chicken/Violetta Determined, Baldo Unscrupulous & Thief/Violetta Determined & Angelic & Impulsive in Spurts
Contrast: Baldo Slothful/Violetta Perfectionist, Baldo Buffoon/Violetta Perfectionist
Subtext: “?”

Baldo/Signore Volpe:
Rapport: Boldo Gourmet/Volpe Fussy to the Extreme
Conflict: Unscrupulous, Slothful, Buffoon, Thief & Covert/Volpe Proper, Procedural, Strict, Commanding
Contrast: Unscrupulous, Slothful, Buffoon, Thief & Covert/Volpe Proper, Procedural, Strict, Commanding
Subtext: “?”

Violetta/Signore Volpe:
Rapport: Violetta Perfectionist/Volpe Proper, Violetta Angelic, Elegant & Musical/Volpe Whimsical & Delightful, Violetta
Conflict: Violetta Determined/Volpe Procedural, Violetta Mysterious & Impulsive in Spurts/Secretive/Volpe Strict,
Contrast: Violetta Determined/Volpe Procedural, Violetta Mysterious & Impulsive in Spurts/Secretive/Volpe Strict,
Subtext: “?”

• This reply was modified 1 year, 5 months ago by  Susan McClaryu. Reason: formatting
• This reply was modified 1 year, 5 months ago by  Susan McClaryu. Reason: formatting

[Christi Falk]

Christi Falk’s Character Relationships

What I learned doing this assignment was Google sucks. There’s no way to find character traits online. I’m going to the library this weekend and find a book. Take that 50 billion dollar AI industry!

1. Anne: Introvert, Caring, Intelligent, Scrupulous

Harry: Loner, Passionate, Aggressive, Charming

Eustache: Sociable, Powerful, Rascal, Narcisistic

Suzanne: Outgoing, Blunt, Shameless, Benevolent.

Anne and Harry

Rapport – Introvert/Loner and Caring/passionate

Conflict – aggressive/scrupulous

Contrast – charming/intelligent

Competition – scrupulous/agressive

Subtext – He’s hiding who he is and she’s hiding her lack of past.

Anne and Eustache

Rapport – Scrupulous/rascal

conflict – narcisistic/caring

contrast – sociable/introvert

competition: narcisistic/scrupulous

Subtext – Anne hides her yearning for her distant father(and in a way Eustache models him) while Eustache hides his sinister nature.

Anne and Suzanne

Rapport: benevolent/ caring

conflict – blunt/scrupulous

contrast – outgoing/introvert

competition – intelligent/shameless

subtext – Anne has never had a female influence and secretly loves the attention while Suzanne knows Anne’s path has been dark and secretly dotes on her as a mother even though she bristles at the very thought of being thought of as that old.

3. Well, that’s the thing. Where be the Character helps? I’d say to elevate certain traits, I’d change:

Intelligent, narcisistic(mainly because that’s a tough one to spell) and benevolent(Probably blunt as well). Of course, what to change them to. My kingdom for some new words!

EDIT: Thanks for the book recommends, Susan! Okay, some better pairings:

Anne: Introvert, Caring, Scholarly, Scrupulous

Harry: Loner, Passionate, Aggressive, Charming

Eustache: Sociable, Powerful, Rascal, Scholarly

Suzanne: Outgoing, Cosmopolitan, Shameless, Softhearted.

Anne and Harry

Rapport – Introvert/Loner and Caring/passionate

Conflict – aggressive/scholarly

Contrast – charming/scrupulous

Competition – scholarly/aggressive

Subtext – He’s hiding who he is and she’s hiding her lack of past.

Anne and Eustache

Rapport – Scrupulous/rascal

conflict – Egomaniac/caring

contrast – sociable/introvert

competition: egomaniac/scholarly

Subtext – Anne hides her yearning for her distant father(and in a way Eustache models him) while Eustache hides his sinister nature.

Anne and Suzanne

Rapport: Softhearted/ caring

conflict – Cosmopolitan/Introvert

contrast – outgoing/introvert

competition – Scholarly/shameless

subtext – Anne has never had a female influence and secretly loves the attention while Suzanne knows Anne’s path has been dark and secretly dotes on her as a mother even though she bristles at the very thought of being thought of as that old.

I can see better options for scenes with these updates!

• This reply was modified 1 year, 5 months ago by  Christi Falk.

[Susan]

If all you want are new words you can go on WordHippo Thesaurus, but the point is to make the scene more dramatic so brainstorm what type of character traits would elevate the drama of the each of the character interactions and see what would happen. So just as an example, say you changed the intelligent trait in Anne to OCD/hyperesthesia (now I’m now sure if you could call this a character trait or not) and she is like the detective character Monk. How would that change her interactions with Harry who is Passionate, Aggressive and Charming? They would change enormously. Anyway, go back over all your characters and brainstorm what trait changes would dramatically heighten their interactions and see what you get that works with your story, because it has to work with your story.

[Christi Falk]

Love it! I’ll actually be on vacation next week so I can spend some time thinking on that last part.

[Michael Jones]

Mike’s Character Relationships

What I learned doing this assignment is that a lot of practice is needed to understand and master traits (and I am only in the practice stage). It shows holes that can weaken conflict but I do suffer from somehow being able to justify and nuance a myriad of traits to suit any occasion, which can serve a script poorly and sabotage the purpose for the story by creating flat, one-dimensional characters.

RAEGAN: Curious, introvert, fearful, reluctant

CAYDRIN: Confident, extrovert, selfish, impulsive

KEEVA: Adventurous, risk-taker, seeker, independent

ZILLAH: Outsider, snobbish, defensive, brave

RAEGAN/CAYDRIN:

As brothers and Caydrin the older of the two, their parents govern their village and they share the privilege that position naturally offers. That said…

Put Raegan’s introvert trait where he doesn’t like attention or the spotlight with Caydrin’s extrovert/impulsive trait and the two will always be at odds.

Raegan’s curious trait combats his own fearful trait and when on the biggest quest of his young life, his reluctance doesn’t pair well with Caydrin’s confident/selfish/impulsive trait. Allows for a lot of rash decisions on Caydrin’s part that can have adverse affects on the group and make Raegan’s fearfulness really shine. This offers contrast and leads to competition in how they fight for leadership in the group.

Put Raegan’s curious trait with Caydrin’s impulsive trait where Caydrin’s confidence can satisfy what Raegan wants to see or know but in a way that could bring harm to Raegan and the others. Raegan won’t disclose everything he knows to try and reign in his brother where Caydrin cares for others but doesn’t want to appear weak. This guides his subtext and actions with the rest.

RAEGAN/KEEVA

Put Raegan’s curious trait with Keeva’s adventurous/seeker trait and they usually get along for it since Raegan loves to learn about things. It becomes conflicting when Raegan is actually involved in one of those adventures.

Raegan’s reluctant/fearful trait conflicts with Keeva’s independent/risk-taker trait because Keeva will take risks that Raegan’s afraid to take part in while still wanting to succeed, as well. Contrast, conflict.

Raegan’s curious trait also clashes with Keeva’s adventurous/seeker trait because Raegan likes to be more calculated and slow in decisions at first where Keeva just wants to go for it. Competition on how to acquire goal. Subtext used to manipulate the others to agree with them and follow a course of action they think best.

RAEGAN/ZILLAH

Raegan and Zillah didn’t often cross paths. Raegan’s introvert trait with Zillah’s outsider trait served each well, since Raegan only has a small group of friends.

Put Raegan’s introvert/reluctant trait against Zillah’s defensive/brave trait and the two will be at odds in tense situations, especially when Zillah calls him out for his parents’ being leaders doesn’t make him one.

Raegan’s fearful trait conflicts and competes with Zillah’s snobbish/brave trait because she will do what she wants and Raegan is scared of danger and harm. This will mean subtext for each through competition and contrasting views on how to pursue goal.

[Susan]

I think you did a good job. So with the subtext, I have been having a problem understanding exactly what Hal is talking about here, and what he wants. Hal puts global subtext in the scenes that he gives us prompts for that don’t appear to come out of the character trait prompts given between those characters. So here what do you believe Hal is looking for? Is it just the outcome of any desire/goal/issue that comes out of the two characters traits coming up against each other (either for help or hindrance)? Please if you’ve got what it is… please share! Thanks.

[Christi Falk]

Hey Susan, so as far as I understand, the subtext is part of the reveal. That means something hidden is about to come to light. Someone found out that a secret wasn’t kept. Someone knows another is going to get beaten up. I’m assuming if they knew the subtext, they would not be beaten up, etc. This is why I’ve made each subtext to show the thing that isn’t known.

[Susan]

Hi Christi,

Thanks for your response, however that would only happen when you are doing a reveal. Subtext is very important all the time for characters in scenes. The characters must want something for some reason during the scene, and a lot of that is invisible, or mostly invisible. That is the subtext. I still do not see exactly how the character traits bumping up against each other are CREATING subtext, which is what Hal was talking about here. Is it just the underlying feelings, new goals each character has at that time of bumping up against the other’s character traits? There appear to be a lot more definitions of subtext. I want to know how to CREATE it FROM the character trait interplay.

[Christi Falk]

Good point! Maybe ask the help line?

Also – I’ve asked the help line twice about our prompts and have received nothing. I think that means I’m correct and we can use it as everything we write is copywritten. Just can’t reveal his prompts so just change them. And the names. Credit Jumpers have been doing it for years.

[Susan]

Yes! I did write them several days ago when I first read the assignment, but there was no response.

[Michael Jones]

Subtext is an underlying meaning never directly stated. That said, the things mentioned in our subtext help guide the line of dialogue. So in the case with some of our writing prompts, Renee’s “devious and entitled to win at all costs” is an underlying meaning behind all her actions and dialogue. She feels this, wants this, but hides it from others. It wouldn’t come out, perhaps in every interaction, since other subtext for other traits/reasons could be involved. It’s a way of sharpening dialogue and making it more engaging for dramatic purposes. This helps prevent an overuse of “on-the-nose” dialogue.

[Susan]

Thanks Mike. That is like the global subtext in the prompts Hal gave us. What I am missing here is how to actually CREATE the subtext from the bouncing off of the character traits. So is that just what each character winds up wanting/needing because of how the other one is behaving with their trait/s in the moment? Or is it something else?

[Michael Jones]

I think that with the traits we’re revealing through the action and dialogue, the subtext is the drive behind it all. The traits make up who the character is, the subtext reveals what the character with those traits is trying get. So, in our dialogue and actions, the manner of the character traits can be discerned, but the subtext is the goal driving the dialogue and actions. I would even say that an audience won’t pick up on every trait exactly specified by the writer, it simply helps the writer give more dramatic interest to the character.

Traits reveal character; subtext the motivation of how they speak and act in a way consistent with their traits to get something. Aaron Sorkin summarized it simply as, “intention and obstacle.” Someone wants something, something prevents them from it. Subtext is a way of them trying to make something go their way without specifically saying it.

[Susan]

OK, thanks Mike. In the instructions for Lesson 20, Hal kept saying how the character traits interacting CREATE subtext, and he wanted us to include it in the assignment. So I guess it is the additional subtext related to whatever character traits are interacting between the 2 characters at the moment in any given scene. What they want or need due to their trait/s bumping up against what the other character wants/needs due to their traits.

[Michael Jones]

When the characters interact and they have opposing views/desires/goals/wants, in modern stories that conflict can be shown in numerous ways. It’s the indirect meanings of what a character really wants to do or say that can shape the interactions between characters. It’s also just a tool to help make more engaging characters. I think you have a good handle on it.

• This reply was modified 1 year, 5 months ago by  Michael Jones.

[Susan]

Thanks Mike. I also see it from an actor’s point of view, and what I would be doing in a scene, what I would want, what I would want from other characters in particular, and how much of that I can get from a script and how much of it I’d have to make up.

[Danielle Dillard]

What I learned the most about this assignment is exactly this assignment itself. It allowed me to look deeper into my characters to create more dramatic scenes.

Characters:

Robert: quiet, mysterious, caring, successful

Trent: watchful, cunning, vocal, sly

Renee: expressive, bold, sophisticated, funny

Maxine: introverted, shy, angry, withdrawn

Rapport: With Robert’s mystery and Trent’s ability to be sly, they can plan an outcome together or plot against an enemy of theirs together to creat rapport.

Conflict and Contrast: Renee’s boldness can bump heads with Maxine’s ability to be withdrawn.

Competition: Robert’s success in life can make Trent feel inferior to where he uses his cunningness to compete with Robert.

Subtext: Maxine’s withdrawal during an argument can cause subtext with Renee’s boldness.