Screenwriting : Character Development by Donald Selbe

I am new as well and made this list for character development. This is not from Aaron Sorkin he does a more focused targeted approach. Character Development List Surface Details Personality Details What do they want? What is in their way? How do they overcome? Where does the story take place? Ken

My advice on Character Development sheets - DON'T. They are a waste of time for the most part. New writer or not, you should know your main character like you know your best friend. If I ask you, what kind of food does your best friend like? You should be able to tell me without a Cheat Sheet. But If I ask, what do they like on their burger? You may not remember BUT how important is that fact? Sit down, write the story, IF you plan for a detail to become important later in the script, make a note not a Character Sheet.

Besides, you can alway fix everything in a SECOND DRAFT is the first one is that bad.

I don't do character sheets. I did before and never used them. I do make note of important things such as need, want, lie, goal etc. If you are writing a series for TV, you will need one as other writers will be involved in writing a show, but that could be done post de facto.

Follow your instinct.

I don't tend to get much out of character questionnaires, I get more from writing scenes, even if they're unrelated to your story. Often I'll surprise myself and learn something new about a character, even if it's just my character bumping into an old work friend (that they hate!)

Or perhaps write a letter as your character - a love letter? ransom note? getting out of a parking fine? etc.

It will help form your characters unique personality and voice. It's worth trying it out, maybe it will work for you too.

Similarly to what Anthony said, it depends on whether or not you've already started writing the screenplay because if you have, you may already know some of your characters' traits.

As a non-writer myself (I'm primarily an actress) I've heard billions of different stories and read tons of articles because I asked myself that very question when I started out and everyone gave me a different answer.

Truth is, I started writing my TV pilot without preparing ANY type of character sheet because I neither cared much for it nor knew how it was to be done -- when it was time to write the series bible two years ago, I first was at a loss because I was overwhelmed by how much character information it required and I was afraid I wouldn't even be able to fill half a sheet.

Long story short, I went through my pilot and all other individual scenes I had already written and realized that the information I could draw from those was more than enough to brief someone if they asked me questions about my characters.

So basically, my advice is to just go ahead and write your screenplay and cross the character bridge when you come to it. It'll also be way easier because you'll have 90-120 pages of character information in front of you.

Previously in this post I mentioned the list I am planning to use for character development (new writer). Aaron Sorkin goes a different route and I think it would be helpful to include his thinking.

This blog post features a comprehensive look https://screencraft.org/2017/08/31/7-tips-creating-memorable-characters-...

Sorkin sums it up this way in the article and on Film Courage...

“It all boils down to intention and obstacles. Somebody wants something; something’s standing in their way of getting it. They want the girl, they want the money, they want to get to Philadelphia—it doesn’t matter, but they have to want it bad. If they need it, that’s even better,” he states.

Thinking of a character’s physical characteristics “absolutely comes last, if it comes at all.” In fact, unless a scene involves gender, he sets even that aside. “I’m not thinking, you know, this is how a woman would do this; this is how a woman would talk. I just think that’s a generalization that’s impossible.”

I say, somewhere in this forest find a tree you like and make it into a ship that can float your story.

When I wrote my first few scripts, pre-development of characters wasn't high on my list, and the characters kinda just flowed with the plot. I personally missed out on a lot more depth in my stories. The characters were more like perfunctory and could have been developed a lot better. There would have also been better and more meaningful ironies and juxtapositions. There also would have been better character transformations, revelations, and discoveries. There also would have been more verisimilitude, less predictability, and better dialogues, too.

David Freeman and Dr. Linda Seger helped me understand the importance of creating rich and true characters whose decisions and actions guide the unfolding story. I know my stories usually start with a "what if?", but sometimes my stories start with a specific person. But now, if's just as important to me in a "what if?" story to understand my characters' personalities, psychologies, consistencies and paradoxes, cultural influences, living backgrounds, occupational backgrounds, religions/spirituality, socio-economic statuses, psycho-sexual beliefs and habits, physical health's, and any other impacting things that may have happened to them throughout their lives.

There's also "general research", and "specific research". It's very easy to create stereotypes without specific research. Like, I wrote an article in my youth about homeless people in Chicago, and went into that story with a lot of assumptions that I was just expecting to validate in a routine process. But when I lived on the street for a few days/nights, and got to meet some folks who had let their guards down around me because I wasn't viewed quite as much as an outsider, my views were altered, and the stereotyped myth of homeless people that I had was broken. My views and consequently my story was profoundly turned around. And the writer of Witness, through his specific research on the Amish, was able to dispel the myths of Amish people, and as a result wrote a much richer and a more truer story with some very memorable characters.

Many writers do that, and knowing my characters well helped to make my writing better. All great stories that I'm familiar with are about memorable characters, and I learned that lesson through the weaknesses of my early stories where character development wasn't as important to me as it is now. Doing it in less-refined ways or on-the-fly doesn't work for me, and more power to those who it does.

Best fortunes in your creative endeavors, Donald!

Donald, I don't do character sheets, either, but I develop characters by using a trick I found from reading Fred Bronson's "The 'Billboard' Book of Number One Hits."

When writing about how the Elegants' Number One pop hit, "Little Star," came to be, Fred talked about how a man from Phoenix, AZ, Sherman Cohen, used "Billboard" US pop chart astrology to determine what direction a person's life would take.

For instance, Michael Jackson was born on 8-29-1958...four days after "Little Star" inaugurated a one-week run at the top of America's "Billboard" pop chart.

Here's where I use "Billboard" astrology to find out how each of my main characters would (most probably) act.

I write with certain performers in mind...and one of the things I want to do this year is knock out a screenplay with China Anne McClain in the lead. China came into the world on 8-25-1998 (exactly 40 years after "Little Star" conquered the record charts).

America's top "Billboard" pop hit the day the "A.N.T. Farm" star was born: "The Boy Is Mine," Brandy Norwood's and Monica's remake of...Michael Jackson's and Paul McCartney's romp.

https://johnaugust.com/podcast

according to herzog ' character development ' is Bull S.

it is a term very much used in america... I disagree in part,

for in Brazil emotional narrative implies character change

of point of view...

but what is important is that this is a quality that only a few

tv channels and distributors want in a screenplay.

so, if you seek those, your screenplay must have it.

if you do not, it doesnt.

Hi Donald,

Generally I focus on choice and action. What does a hero DO? While histories can be useful, it's usually because they offer the writer a list of skills for a hero to use on his/her quest, and a "start-point" for a character to arc from.

Every action a hero or character takes springs from what they want most, and what they're most afraid of. If you can find those two things, they often propel a hero's ultimate quest. Here's a link to my screenwriting course. There's a free clip in the chapter on hero. Hope it helps somewhat: https://actbreakdown.teachable.com/p/beginner-and-advanced-hollywood-scr...

For whatever it's worth, paring down character traits generally becomes less opaque from script to script. At the end of the day, focus on verbs and action. Good luck!

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I personally just write and the characters reveal themselves and develop through the story. Helps to have a concept.

If you imagine yourself walking down the street, visiting a shop, then spending time in a bar. The people you pass in the street will all be different, as will the people you meet in the shop and spend time with in the bar. Would be difficult to imagine them all the same. So if that happens naturally for us I wouldn't worry too much about how they develop.

Especially as you seem like a really smart guy. Let your story develop them naturally.

Though I'm sure the books have alot more insightful insights than I do. :|

And I've done it again. Forgot to look at the date this was posted. :|

your difficulty seems to be articulating the notes into scenes.

start methodically: put each note from your cards into various scenes.

probably some notes would be better suitable in the beggining other in the end

of your screenplay. successive revisions will make the note blend into the scene.

ex. Poirot old guy with big moustache. hides keen observation skills.

note a: old guy w big moustache in page 3 'scene 3' Poirot appear on train station to get late into 'orient express'...

note b: poirot hides keen observation skills

scene 63 'poirot confronts lier'

Mr A tells he was not at the cafe at night, but poirot confronts him by mentioning that his shirt has a wine mark in the left hand...