 Drama: April 06, 2016 Issue [#7565] |
  Drama
This week: Creating the Catalyst Character Edited by: Joy  
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“No. This is right. I feel it. I am the Catalyst, and I came to change all things. Prophets become warriors, dragons hunt as wolves.
Fitz in Assassin's Quest”
Robin Hobb, Assassin's Quest
“A catalyst by definition creates a reaction, but itself remains unchanged. Be a positive catalyst for a cause you are passionate about. I dare you to remain unchanged!”
Michele Jennae
“Why did people ignore the lessons of history and their own senses, deny a law of life immutable as the seasons, and erect twisted barriers against it in their minds? He didn't know why, but they did. They wept for the goodness of half-imaginary yesterdays, yesterdays beyond altering, instead of anticipating and helping to shape the good of possible tomorrows. They found things to blame for the flow of events they wanted to stop and could not. They blamed God, their wives, government, books, fanciful combinations of unnamed men--sometimes even voices in their own heads. They lived tortured and unhappy lives, trying to dam Niagara with a teacup.”
John Jakes, Love and War
“This tower, patched unevenly with black ivy, arose like a mutilated finger from among the fists of knuckled masonry and pointed blasphemously at heaven. At night the owls made of it an echoing throat; by day it stood voiceless and cast its long shadow.”
Mervyn Peake, Titus Groan
Hello, I am Joy , this week's drama editor. This issue is about when the catalyst in a story is a character.
Thank you for reading our newsletters and for supplying the editors with feedback and encouragement.
Note: In the editorial, I refer to third person singular as he, to also mean the female gender, because I don't like to use they or he/she. |
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Welcome to the Drama newsletter
A catalyst character, also called the impact character, is a supporting character who in some way does something to annoy or urge the main character to take action and start the show. He is also the Jungian archetype called the Magician. Although Jung may see him as a visionary, this character is usually the shaker-upper of the status quo. A catalyst in a work of fiction can surely be an event or another force other than a character, but in this editorial, we shall concentrate on when the catalyst is a character.
The catalyst character can be likened to the spark that lights the fuse. It is, therefore, a very good idea to create him before plotting the story extensively. One thing to keep in mind is: the catalyst character’s action hints at the psychological foundations of the story. This is because the true natures of the various characters are glimpsed during the catalyst’s action. On the other hand, while the other characters may change by the end of the story, the character arc of the catalyst character usually stays flat.
To choose a catalyst character we need to keep in mind these facts:
 The catalyst character connects to the other characters in some way. He may be a friend or a rival. He could also be a coach or a father figure. He could also turn out as an antagonist or the ally to the antagonist.
The catalyst character has to do with or relates to the inner conflict of the protagonist or the plot. For example, Dickens chose the ghosts to urge Scrooge out of being miserly and self-serving.
The catalyst does not change himself but urges the change in the other characters or the plot. In addition, he should be written out of the story once his role is finished.
We need to choose the catalyst character carefully and avoid forcing just any character into this role he is not meant to have.
The catalyst character’s possible traits may be:
 having different or higher standards than the other characters
having negative feelings toward the protagonist or some other aspect in the story
consciousness-raiser
mysterious, mystical, or idealistic in a good or evil way
Imaginative, clear, charismatic or antagonistic
does rarely change himself as the result of his change-making
As examples, some of the most famous catalyst characters in fiction are:
Gandalf in Lord of the Rings: a most capable wizard who persuades Bilbo to go on his journey.
Loki in Norse mythology: the trickster god who is sometimes malicious, sometimes reckless
Buffalo Bill in the Silence of the Lambs: a killer whose dastardly acts urge into action the novice sleuth Clarice Starling and another killer Hannibal Lecter
In closing, I am humbly adding my personal tip to the mix. List about twenty-five things about this character that will remain unknown to the other characters. This will add depth and more credible reasons for the action of the catalyst character.
Until next time! 
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A story of tragedy, madness, and death. Be careful how you treat your books.
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This Issue's Tip: Have the protagonist explain himself or look deeper into himself as the result of his wound, just before he changes. This is an important step that adds to the depth of a story.
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Feedback for "Making Readers Feel for Your Characters"
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Quick-Quill 
when what you write causes the reader to weep or laugh you have created empathy to a point.
Yes, and thanks for the input.
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willwilcox
Very good newsletter, Joy, and thanks for featuring one of my stories 
Thanks, Bill. I just fell in love with the last paragraph of your story. You certainly knew how to leave a reader electrified with the clearest choice of words..
"Sal removed his hat and banged desperately on his lamp trying to get it to work. It blinked, then flickered momentarily just as he saw something rush toward him from out of the dark."
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