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Lesson 3
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Margaret’s Character Profile Part 2
What I learned doing this assignment: Thinking about their character traits/flaws/irony before writing will help keep dialogue honest for the character when writing. I decided to expand the assignment to the minor characters as well to see how they would interact with the leads.
Jabe:
What draws us to this character? We feel sorry for this underdog, trying to survive in an alien world. The gentle giant.
Traits: Nurturing, gentle, flexible
Subtext: Makes jokes to cover up his discomfort
Flaw: Freezes when attacked
Values: Peace, beauty, a practical environment
Irony: Wants peace but can’t stand up to injustice. He wants to remain in the background but his size (tall, overweight) calls him out in a world where everyone is petite.
What makes them the right character for this role? His need to keep the piece will force him to grow as he confronts injustice.
Armann:
What draws us to this character? His charisma
Traits: Strategic, effective organizer, long-range planner, ambitious
Subtext: The background of every action is focused on what will benefit him, manipulating others.
Flaw: Arrogant. Doesn’t consider or value others’ opinions.
Values: Efficiency, a team that follows
Irony: He talks team but every move is about him, for his benefit.
What makes them the right character for this role?
Alo:
What draws us to this character? His love of “Taaba” and concern for his people
Traits: Perfectionist, theoretical, compassionate
Subtext: He struggles to compromise but chooses to be silent instead of talking out the situation
Flaw: Overlooks the details,
Values: Spirituality, the ways of Taaba, peace
Irony: He wants spirituality and peace but he is easily offended
What makes them the right character for this role? His profound way of looking at the world through spiritual eyes
Imara:
What draws us to this character? She is bold, full of life and energy
Traits: Impulsive, risk-taker, practical
Subtext: She disguises her inability to recognize the sensitivity of others with her blunt honesty
Flaw: She has difficulty following direct orders so seizes the moment to do what she wants
Values: Finding original ways to solve problems
Irony: It was her plan to go to Masada and she spends the whole time there trying to escape
What makes them the right character for this role? Her bubbly energy is a good foil for Alo’s seriousness. Her lack of sensitivity constantly rubs Jabe the wrong way.
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LESSON #3: TIM BARLEY’S CHARACTER PROFILE #2
“What I learned from doing this assignment is that I am THANKFUL that I have saved everything in a Word doc as I am going along, and that it’s fun to really dig into my characters.”
Character profile part 2:
LEAD CHARACTERS:
Martin Sterling
What draws us to this character? He’s got it all, doesn’t he? But, he’s conflicted now.
Traits: Mercurial, sanguine, introverted extrovert, all talk
Subtext: he talks loudly, fast and mean to disguise that he’s not ALL that bad, despite his rep
Flaw: he has to live up to what he’s created and he’s finding it harder and harder to do so
Values: happiness and money are the most important, part of his flaw that this will lead to more and more happiness
Irony: he knows that his ‘bad behavior” is a self fulfilling prophecy that eats away at his soul
What makes this the right character for the role? He’s got it all and he got it unfairly and now he doesn’t want it, does he?
The Devil
What draws us to this character? He’s the devil: suave, powerful, magnetic, articulate, the list goes on and on
Traits: evil, angelic, fair, tricky, funny
Subtext: double speaks, talks in deals and
Flaw: doesn’t want to be ruler of Hell anymore. He leaves himself open to revolt
Values: truth, honesty, love of God
Irony: he’s “evil” but does it for the good of people
What makes this the right character for the role? No other figure in history is more misunderstood (in his opinion) than the Angel that took one for the team…
Azazel
What draws us to this character? Deliciously, outright ruthlessly evil with no compunctions
Traits: brutal, really evil, conniving, driven
Subtext: menacing, physically dominant
Flaw: short sighted and tunnel visioned
Values: care about nothing but power and the throne
Irony:
What makes this the right character for the role? No other figure can stand against Lucifer than Azazel
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Assignment 3 – Who We’re Traveling With
Ed’s Character Profiles, part 1 and 2
What I learned doing this assignment is that good characters continually reveal themselves.
Protagonist is Dave Carlson. He’s a runner with overtones of fighter and dreamer. He fulfills that role by, first, running away from his crumbled, humiliating failure towards his only glimmer of hope. Along the way he puts selfishness aside and risks all to fight for something bigger than himself, while along the way framing a new dream of a genuinely fulfilling life.
Antagonist: Sam — an honest-to-God angel, from Heaven — is a change agent, who is initially Dave’s bodyguard, mostly good-natured, but projects a resolute, not-his-first- rodeo attitude rather than some bumbling dimwit “earning his wings”, or worse, tempted to indulge in earthly vices.
What other characters might be necessary?
Dave needs a roommate, a handful of fellow graduates, parents and relatives to visit on his road trip to the West Coast, some biker bad guys, and a few friends that Sam, the angel, has met on previous ‘vacations’.
Supporting characters: None, per se. This is primarily a road trip movie (though a life-changing one)
Minor roles:
In the opening, fellow angels in a diner, discussing their assignments.
Dave’s roommate.
A few of Dave’s friends at graduation.
Drivers and passengers in other vehicles who witness Dave’s crash.
Cops who bring him home.
Pawn shop owner who provides Dave with a new motorcycle.
Dave’s parents, aunt, uncle, cousin, etc who appear at various points.
“Special forces” angels.
Elvis impersonator and dancers in Vegas.
Various friends of Sam who they encounter along the way.
Background characters:
Crowd at Dave’s graduation.
Diners in various restaurants.
Biker bad-guys.
UFC good guys.
Genre — this is Drama / Comedy all the way, an OMG what’s gonna-happen-next drama with enough humor to keep it enjoyable.
Lead character profiles.
Role in the story:
Dave is a smart kid who just graduated college and had it all together… until his plans for everything collapsed through no fault of his own.Sam is a legit angel, sent to protect Dave while he travels cross-country.
Age range and Description: Dave is early 20s, Sam is of unknown age (he’s not a human who died and is trying to “earn his wings”), but appears to be a mid-40s Brit.
Internal Journey: Dave is smug, self-centered, and materialistic, he needs to let go and seek his God-given destiny. Sam doesn’t need to grow up, but each time he helps someone, he develops a greater appreciation for humanity’s redemption and is grateful to have a part in it.
External Journey: Cross-country road trip on motorcycles with some really interesting stops!
Motivation: Dave seeks significance and a rewarding life. Sam enjoys visiting Earth and helping people.
Wound: Dave’s carefully-planned life collapsed on college graduation day, betrayed by both his fiance and his best friend, and let down by a withdrawn job offer.
Mission/Agenda: Dave’s mission is to salvage his life, Sam’s mission is to get Dave to the West Coast safely.
Secret: None I can think of… yet. Maybe Sam failed once and is troubled by it.
What makes them special? They’re both enthusiastic motorcyclists.
ASSIGNMENT 3 ADDITIONS
Dave Carlson
What draws us to this character?
What draws us to Dave is his intelligence and ability to think ahead so that he’s not a victim of lack of planning.
Traits: Brilliant but critical of others. Good sense of humor, likes to joke.
Subtext: Hides his fear of letting go and risking things not working out the way he wants — ie, failure.
Flaw: Mistakes intelligence for wisdom, thinks he can figure everything out, doesn’t take failure well
Values: Loyalty, honesty, integrity
Irony: Thinks his high IQ should exempt him from suffering.
What makes this the right character for this role?
Dave is the son of a small town factory worker who settled. Dave wants to avoid that at all costs.
Samwell
What draws us to this character?
What draws us to Sam is the mystery of angels involving themselves with humans.
Traits: Confident, focused, humble.
Subtext: He’s not a human.
Flaw: Irritated by human ideas about angels.
Values: Completing his assignment
Irony: He volunteers his vacation time to help us, like we do to help people in other countries.
What makes this the right character for this role? Sam is a no-nonsense angel who genuinely enjoys visiting Earth to help people.
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