Create the main character
Posted: Tue Jan 28, 2025 5:10 am
Is a story possible for storytelling without a hero? No, for storytelling, its presence is as important as a catchy idea. Through the main character, listeners or readers learn the story. A character for storytelling can be found in real life or invented by yourself. The main condition is that it is interesting to listeners and evokes a feeling of empathy.
To create such main characters, scriptwriters use different storytelling tools. Some write a character biography, others create a list of external characteristics and personal qualities.
There are two well-known effective methods for coming up with a character.
Mentally get stuck in an elevator papua new guinea email list with him and imagine that you are interviewing him. This approach helps to imagine the character's character and behavior in an unusual situation. How would the hero act if he were stuck in an elevator? Maybe he would panic, call the emergency services or calmly read a book at that time?
Interviewing - helps to get to know the character better in a relaxed environment. Here you need to imagine that you are talking to a person in a pleasant, relaxed atmosphere and trying to find out as many interesting details of his life as possible: where he was born, how he grew up, who his friends were, what his plans and dreams are.
A good protagonist resembles a real person, has strengths and weaknesses, and is recognizable in appearance.
So, initially the scriptwriters wanted to make one of the most famous characters of "Pirates of the Caribbean" Captain Jack Sparrow a secondary hero. But actor Johnny Depp managed to attract maximum attention to him, as he borrowed bright behavioral traits from the Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards.
The main character
Step 4: Determine the needs of the protagonist
A character's desires help to understand their character and aspirations. Their motivation drives them forward, and this is the fuel for developing storytelling.
Before moving on to practice, it is enough to ask a simple question: what does the hero want? To practice, you can ask this question to any famous characters from films and books. For example, Jack Sparrow wants to return the Black Pearl, Peter Pan - to always remain young, and James Bond - to deal with villains.
In good storytelling, the characters' desires often conflict with their needs. This makes the events more interesting to follow, and the characters themselves become more alive. Often, such a conflict becomes the basis for the entire story. Remember "Monsters, Inc.", where the main Monster wanted a promotion in the corporation, but events turned out in such a way that he realized his main need - to be friends with a girl named Boo?
To simplify the task of coming up with the needs and desires of the character, you can use Maslow's hierarchy of needs. It is often used in creating stories by writers and screenwriters. The meaning of Abraham Maslow's theory is that people, as a rule, first satisfy the main needs, for example, food and safety, and only then move on to more complex desires: to love, to achieve respect, to help others.
To create such main characters, scriptwriters use different storytelling tools. Some write a character biography, others create a list of external characteristics and personal qualities.
There are two well-known effective methods for coming up with a character.
Mentally get stuck in an elevator papua new guinea email list with him and imagine that you are interviewing him. This approach helps to imagine the character's character and behavior in an unusual situation. How would the hero act if he were stuck in an elevator? Maybe he would panic, call the emergency services or calmly read a book at that time?
Interviewing - helps to get to know the character better in a relaxed environment. Here you need to imagine that you are talking to a person in a pleasant, relaxed atmosphere and trying to find out as many interesting details of his life as possible: where he was born, how he grew up, who his friends were, what his plans and dreams are.
A good protagonist resembles a real person, has strengths and weaknesses, and is recognizable in appearance.
So, initially the scriptwriters wanted to make one of the most famous characters of "Pirates of the Caribbean" Captain Jack Sparrow a secondary hero. But actor Johnny Depp managed to attract maximum attention to him, as he borrowed bright behavioral traits from the Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards.
The main character
Step 4: Determine the needs of the protagonist
A character's desires help to understand their character and aspirations. Their motivation drives them forward, and this is the fuel for developing storytelling.
Before moving on to practice, it is enough to ask a simple question: what does the hero want? To practice, you can ask this question to any famous characters from films and books. For example, Jack Sparrow wants to return the Black Pearl, Peter Pan - to always remain young, and James Bond - to deal with villains.
In good storytelling, the characters' desires often conflict with their needs. This makes the events more interesting to follow, and the characters themselves become more alive. Often, such a conflict becomes the basis for the entire story. Remember "Monsters, Inc.", where the main Monster wanted a promotion in the corporation, but events turned out in such a way that he realized his main need - to be friends with a girl named Boo?
To simplify the task of coming up with the needs and desires of the character, you can use Maslow's hierarchy of needs. It is often used in creating stories by writers and screenwriters. The meaning of Abraham Maslow's theory is that people, as a rule, first satisfy the main needs, for example, food and safety, and only then move on to more complex desires: to love, to achieve respect, to help others.