Steeped in nature and beauty, surrounded by writers willing to take a risk, for five days, I went through the process of creating and analyzing plot at both the scene and the overall story level.
Several writers at last week’s plot retreatwere local. The rest flew in from Nevada, Colorado, Mississippi and handful from southern California. Some of the writers knew me from plot consultations and previous workshops and retreats. Others were familiar only through my bookand/or other plot tools andYouTube Plot Series.
The focus on Character Emotional Development plot brings up opportunities to use the writing life as examples writers can relate to along with classic novels, memoirs, and screenplays.Â
It was an incredible five days. Thanks to each of you for taking time out of your busy lives and attending. You touched my heart in deep and wondrous ways.
Fill in the Character Profile below for your protagonist (the character who is most changed by the dramatic action), any other major viewpoint characters and, if there is one, the character who represents the major antagonist for the protagonist. If you decide to do it for yourself as a writer, too, I’d love to learn your answers. You do not have to include your name.
1. What is this character’s goal?
2. What stands in the way of the character achieving his/her goal?
3. What does the character stand to lose if he/she does not achieve his/her goal?
4. What is the character’s flaw or greatest fault?
5. What is the character’s greatest strength?
6. What does the character hate?
7. What does the character love?
8. What is the character’s greatest fear?
9. What is the character’s dream?
10. What is the character’s secret?
I'm so jealous of those who got to go to the retreat! This questionnaire is great. I'm definitely using it.
Great post and sounds like a fantastic retreat, lucky you. I've just bought the book Creating Character Emotions, by Ann Hood. I hope it's good.
I like your questionnaire: here are my answers. I should be NaNoing but this is helping:
1- My MC's goal is to find closure/revenge on the villain who has hurt her.
2- Obstacles – her parents, the police, the villain and his family.
3- She could end up in prison, She could be killed. She could feel frustrated forever.
4- Too independent.
5- Her compassion, her loyalty.
6- Ineffectiveness on the part of those who should be effective.
7- Her home, her BF, truth…
8- That she won't be successful in reaching her goal. Others may be hurt if she's not successful.
9- That she will be whole again.
10-That she feels she could kill if pushed hard enough.
Maybe next time, you'll get to come, too, Tamara! Glad you're finding the Character Profile helpful.
Hi L'Aussie, I'd love to see the answers you come up with for yourself as a writer, too. Thank you.
All right, here's me (the writer):
1. What is this character's goal?
To create a story of beauty that will move people and transcend them from this physical world. If just one person is touched, she will be happy.
2. What stands in the way of the character achieving his/her goal?
Her past: As a child, she was taught she wasn't good enough, she wasn't smart or creative enough.
3. What does the character stand to lose if he/she does not achieve his/her goal?
Her identity and her meaning in life. She feels this is her calling, that she was chosen as a conduit to deliver these stories.
4. What is the character's flaw or greatest fault?
An unwillingness to be social.
5. What is the character's greatest strength?
Her compassion, which may be innate but was also awoken by some tragic events in her past: the illness and early death of her parents, the loss of her house in a fire, etc.
6. What does the character hate?
Wasted effort, inefficiency, and thoughtlessness.
7. What does the character love?
Animals and people who are full of integrity.
8. What is the character's greatest fear?
That no one will understand her stories.
9. What is the character's dream?
That she can spend all day writing.
10. What is the character's secret?
She think she can really pull this off–if she can get it together!
hmmm, a thought that perhaps your answers are for you, L'Aussie….
Hi Anne,
I see you together, writing all day, appreciating that nothing is wasted and all effort is worthy. I really see you pulling this off.
Congratulations!
Thank you!
PS Anne,
Thing is, there is no beginning and no end to how great and smart and creative you truly are…
Hi Plot Whisperer: Thanks for your comments. Very intuitive of you. My character study was for my current WIP but maybe there is more than a bit of me in it!