As I said in the previous post, forming a background for your character can help you have a better idea as to who your character is and what they might do. My rule of thumb is “always know the why behind the what”. Ask yourself, is there a reason my character is doing/saying this? Or is there a reason why my character is not?
What to include in a background
To give you some starting ideas on what should be included in your character’s back-story, Blake, a development executive with LA Film Lab Entertainment, listed some helpful guidance into creating a character. In his article How to Create Convincing Characters, he says to at least address “sex, drugs, music, parents, siblings, education, appearance and intelligence” to give your character a background.
If you would like a more in depth analysis sheet for your character, please see the Character Profile Form on DeviantArt.com. This profile form has been extremely helpful in my own writing experience.
How to form goals for your character
Blake’s article, How to Create Convincing Characters also had an excellent method for giving your character clear cut goals. He said to list out the desires and aspirations of you character. He lists examples such as “the desire to be intellectually brilliant, the desire to be famous, the desire to hide from the world, the desire to belong to a group, the desire to be loved, the desire to party, the desire to die.”
So how does this apply to an antagonist and why is it so important?
You apply these methods the same way you would a main character. If you want your story to be believable and have the readers form a connection with the characters, you need to have a well made antagonist. Tapply, who has written an entire book on creating antagonists says, “It takes a great villain to make a great hero.” So by making a good antagonist, it also reinforces the main character and storyline.
References
Blake, Corey (2006, July 01). How to create convincing characters. Writer (7), 31. Retrieved from
http://elibrary.bigchalk.com
Tapply, G, W. (2004, July 01). Creating a worthy villain. Writer (7), 34. Retrieved from
http://elibrary.bigchalk.com
You mentioned designing an antagonist with the same way you would design a main character. Should you design them with opposite characteristics? How does the design of the main character impact the design of the antagonist?
ReplyDeleteYou could design them with opposite characteristics, but its not a requirement. Sometimes it can help the story though, if they have opposite characteristics.
DeleteAs for your second question, I would say the antagonist is what impacts the design of the main character. The antagonist is often the one that allows the main character to be shaped and changed or take action. Without the antagonist, the main character wouldn't have an obstacle. Without an obstacle, there would be not much of a story.
I think the fact that you mention using a profile sheet is excellent. Not only does it give you a method to really develop the character, but it also keeps you from losing sight of the character's personality as you work through the story. I'm curious, what character character is your favorite antagonist and why?
ReplyDeleteThe profile sheet has really helped me, that's why I thought to share it. Glad you think it's good.
DeleteMy favorite antagonist (in movies at least) would be the Joker in the second of the Batman series. Besides him being insane and unique, I thought he was an excellent obstacle for Batman. The ideas that went into his making were genius.