Tuesday, June 7, 2011

CREATING A BAD DAY FOR YOUR CHARACTERS

Today  many writers say to make your characters have bad days, then chase them up a tree and pound them with rocks. This makes for a good story.

If your character is a politician, such as Anthony Weiner, whose career has just been flushed down the toilet, what could be done to make it worse?

Goal, Motivation, and Conflict
Every character has goals and motivation that drive them in a situation or scene. The problem creates the conflict. How they confront the conflict and problems they have is the characterization in the story.

Consider some of the following scenarios and create more obstacles.
Suppose two of the women he flirted with over twitter and face book are found dead.

And if we didn’t know he’d been tweeting and facebooking them, wouldn’t it be interesting if it were discovered by the police?

 What if he happened to be visiting the same city of the murdered women? Could he provide an alibi? What if he is questioned by the police?
What if his aides knew about his habit but were trying to cover it up. What if they didn’t know about it?

What if the murdered women were blackmailing him? What if he wouldn’t pay up and one threatened to send the information to a reporter before they were murdered?

Don't Stop Now. Add Some More Obstacles
What if his wife discovered his behavior, but he doesn't know she is aware he has continued his internet flirting and phone sex? What if he depends on her for his alibi, but she won't provide one because she doesn't have one herself?
What if she files for divorce?
What if he is arrested for murder?

What can you add to make a worse day for this character? What can this character do to keep from going over the cliff?

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