Over at ScriptLab, they’ve posted a seven-day process to creating a complex and believable main character. (Possibly my favorite exercise is ordering a sandwich – or hot dog, perhaps – as my protagonist.) Check it out:
DAY 1 – Describe your main character. Do it as if you were telling someone about some very interesting people you met, someone that drives you crazy, someone you think the world of… Imagine being asked, “Why should I be interested in this person?” Share your excitement about them.
DAY 2 – Do CHARACTER EXERCISES. How are they different from you? What sort of imaginary body do they have? Where is the character’s imaginary center?
DAY 3 – Try the body principle with costume, props, or activity. Literally, be the character. Go shopping – at the mall, in the grocery store – as your character. Order a sandwich, not as you would, but as your character would. Maybe you’re lactose intolerant but you end up with a double cheese burger with grilled onions. Go to the Museum of Modern Art as your character. What does your character see or doesn’t see. What did you learn. Take notes after your session.
DAY 4 – Read the CHARACTER QUESTIONNAIRE – slowly. You don’t have to answer everything. Some things you’ll have an answer for immediately. Others will seem irrelevant. But be careful you aren’t just avoiding something challenging. What things would you like to know about your character but can’t answer? Let your imagination go. Take notes on anything that occurs to you, but don’t touch your description.
DAY 5 – Three things. Describe your main character again, incorporating anything new you’ve discovered, but don’t revise what you wrote the first time. Start anew. Try different CHARACTER EXERCISES. Have fun. After you’ve finished, ask yourself what your character is after. What do they want? What is their goal? What would make it most difficult for them to achieve it?
DAY 6 – Review the CHARACTER QUESTIONNAIRE. Have any things occurred to you? Look back at your first descriptions. Is a new person beginning to emerge? Different from those you first saw? What interests you most about them now? What are their strengths? What do you loathe in them? Where are they vulnerable? Remember: your character must have weaknesses. Describe them again, incorporating the new knowledge gained from the CHARACTER QUESTIONNAIRE. Once again, start from scratch.
DAY 7 – Review your work. Revise your description (1 PAGE SINGLE SPACED).