 Drama: July 11, 2007 Issue [#1821] |
  Drama
This week: Edited by: StephBee  
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Welcome to this week's Drama newsletter! Drama is:
#1 - The Greek word for "action."
#2 - A real situtation or succession of events having the dramatic progression or emotional content of a play.
Behind every good drama are great characters, rich and complex, who keep us riveted to the page.
As a writer, the trick is to make the character's complexity stand out. Over the course of my next couple of newsletters, I'll be taking a look at characters and their development in drama writing. |
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 Casting Your Characters
Once you, the writer, have established the type of story you want to tell, you can begin to create the characters that will bring your story to life.
There are several different types of stories a writer can tell. For example, you could tell a mystery, a social drama, or a coming of age story.
Things to consider as you craft your story:
 What appeals to your imagination?
What characters interest you?
Do you want to focus on a character who changes or one who doesn't?
A "changer" is a character who either grows better or grows worse by the end of the story. It's this dynamic which makes the character interesting.
With this in mind, where will the inspiration come from to help firm up your characters as you sketch them out?
Character Inspiration
Inspiration is all over. Inspiration can start with your own personality. For example, say you're writing a coming of age story. It's a modern piece that takes place during the recent Iraq war. One of your characters is a "go-getter," who, after a year of college, decides to enlist once war is declared. Maybe that's a personality trait you, like your character, has. The "plus" about this, is that you, the writer, know what it takes to be "go-getter." To round the character out, you've decided to add an element of naivety since this is a coming of age story.
Inspiration can also come from people you know. If your sister is a flirt and a bit unreliable, perhaps the "go-getter," meets this type of person in basic training and they become good friends.
Characters can also be inspired by people you've only heart or read about. Just remember, this peson is your source for inspiration, nothing more. For example, you create a training officer who is popular with their peers, but loathed by their suborinates. You could draw inspiration for this character from General George Patton, for example. Another person might be Hilary Clinton, she's a modern day example of a person who is either "hated" or "loved," with very little middle ground.
Another example: Just recently, Anna Nicole Smith has inspired several characters and even a story on "Law and Order."
So far, we've determined our story: coming of age. We've got a "go-getter," a likable, but unreliable pal, and a training officer that is either loathed or hated. What's next?
Putting the Cast of Characters together
Who do you want to be the protagonist? The protagonist is the person the story is mostly about, and usually the character who changes. Do you want the go-getter to become paralized with fear, doubtful of their ownself? Do you want the unreliable pal to learn a hard lesson and become reliable? Do you want the training officer to face death and realize their own faults and failures so they can grow into a better person? Any one of these characters can be the protagonist. So who do you want to play with? Who, in this cast of characters, interests you the most?
Once you determine who your protagonist is, and who the supporting cast is going to be, one last thing you can do to "firm up" your characters before you write is to put together a mini biography.
Keep in mind, the mini bio is only a tool, nothing more. Depending on your writing style, it can be half a paragraph with the basics, or it can be a formal sheet you can fill out. Some writers have a great memory and can keep the mini bio in their head. The most useful aspect of the mini bio is the fact it will help you keep your character's background consistant and you can refer to it as you write. Some items you can include in the mini bio:
Name
Age
Birthplace
Marital status
Children
Living Arrangements
Rank (since this is a military coming of age story)
Occupation
Degree of skill
Character's feelings about:
job
marriage
children
Family background
Now that you've firmed up your story and outlined your characters, you're ready for your readers to meet your characters.
 Next: Getting to know your characters.
Sources for this newsletter: "Characters, Emotion & Viewpoint," by Nancy Kress, published by: F+W Publications, 2005. "Writing Fiction," by Gotham Writers' workshop faculty, edited by Alexander Steele, published by: Bloomsbury, 2003.
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This week's picks focus on characters that change or don't.
Editor's Note: A man encounters a lady who has been mugged. (Taken from items submitted to the Drama newsletter)
Editor's Note: A woman meets a man who she's been seperated from. Has she changed or not?
| |  | Invalid Item
This item number is not valid.
#1283826 by Not Available. |
Editor's Note: Both characters experience a life-changing event. Has it made them better? Given them more insight?
Editor's Note: A period piece, has Lucius changed and become colder or harsher through his experiences? Are his good intentions corrupted?
|  | Atia's Rain (13+)
Fan fiction inspired by the HBO Series, "Rome." Atia confronts Servilia.
#1251780 by StephBee |
Editor's Note: Has Atia learned anything and changed from Servilla's death? |
Have an opinion on what you've read here today? Then send the Editor feedback! Find an item that you think would be perfect for showcasing here? Submit it for consideration in the newsletter!
https://www.Writing.Com/go/nl_form
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I'd like to share a couple of comments from my June newsletter, which took a look at "MacBeth."
williampadgett
Hi, StephB
Thanks so much for including my poem, "The Speaker" in the June 13 Drama Newsletter.
Always looking for new ways to capitalize on word play and thus adventures and overtones in poetry, I began a personal study of "The Art of Shakespeare's Sonnets" by Helen Vendler. She speaks of "the speaker" in depth pp. 17-21.
Yours,
-William
It sounds like a good book that Vendler has, but then I'm always interested by Shakespeare. Thanks for the head's up.
likenion
Great newsletter! Loved it! I like Shakespeare and this newsletter rocks big time! Keep up the good work!
Thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed it.
*******************
StephBee is a 911 Dispatcher for the LAPD. She recieved an Honorable Mention in the 75th Writer's Digest Annual Writing Contest in genre fiction for her short story, "The Music Box."
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