CREATING CHARACTERS WHO ARE: BEST FRIENDS, MENTORS, CAREGIVERS AND MORE

Power of Love characters fear being useless, unnecessary, unwanted or unappreciated. They believe that if they aren’t hypersensitive to others’ needs they will be rejected and abandoned. They define their own self-worth by how much others need or are dependent on them. These characters believe the way to get love and keep love is to be helpful, useful, loving, kind and, above all, necessary to the other person. They fear that if you don’t put others first you won’t have good relationships. If you don’t have close personal relationships, then life isn’t worth living.  Read more about the Power of Love here.

CREATING CHARACTERS WHO ARE: POWER BROKERS, GANGSTERS, MASTERS OF WAR AND MORE

Power of Will characters fear showing any sign of weakness or vulnerability. They fear that remorse, compassion, empathy, compromise or forgiveness leaves them soft and open to possible attack by others. These characters believe there is no mercy in the jungle that is the world. There is only survival of the fittest. The biggest, toughest, meanest dog wins. Might makes right. Speak decisively and back it up with a big gun.  Read more about the Power of Will here.

CREATING CHARACTERS WHO ARE: EXPERTS, SCIENTISTS, SERIAL KILLERS AND MORE

Power of Reason characters fear being overwhelmed, engulfed, contaminated or annihilated. This character’s greatest fear is getting caught up in chaos or taking reckless or ill-considered action that causes upheaval or bedlam. They fear being inadequate to the task at hand or not having enough resources (or data) to deal with a situation in a rational or logical manner. These characters need time and distance to process their emotions or calm their inner turmoil. They experience the rush and intensity of deep human feeling as annihilating.  Read more about the Power of Reason here.

CREATING CHARACTERS WHO ARE: EAGER STRIVERS, POPULARITY SEEKERS, IMPOSTORS AND MORE

Power of Ambition characters fear failure in the eyes of others and in the eyes of the world.  The worst thing that could happen to these characters is being publicly “unmasked” for the fraud or fake they are or fear that they are.  They are terrified of any kind of public embarrassment, becoming  unpopular or appearing to be of no public or social  importance.  They are always keeping score and worry that they will fall behind somehow and become socially invisible or of no consequence.  Image is everything to these characters.  Read more about the Power of Ambition here.

CREATING CHARACTERS WHO ARE:  DETECTIVES, SECRET KEEPERS, SKEPTICS AND MORE

Power of Truth characters fear being unable to distinguish truth from lies or being unable to spot or prove cover-ups, conspiracies, hidden pitfalls or the secret agendas of others. They suspect and try to detect what someone’s real motives might be or what is hidden from an initial or superficial assessment of a situation.  They test and probe any inconsistency or uncertainty. Their greatest fear is misjudging people or circumstances and being tricked, deceived, getting hurt or being betrayed as a result.  They can be paranoid, anxious, worried or skeptical in the extreme.  Read more about the Power of Truth here.

CREATING CHARACTERS WHO ARE: RELUCTANT HEROES, VISIONARIES, CALLED TO A QUEST AND MORE

Power of Imagination characters fear conflict, confrontation and change.  They hate to argue, row or fight.  These characters will do almost anything to smooth over disagreements and to keep the peace in a group. They sometimes are tempted to compromise too much to keep discord at bay.  Their worst nightmare is to take an action that has terrible unintended consequences for others. These characters want to help others toward a common goal, in realizing a unified vision or in a group quest. Read more about the Power of Imagination here.

CREATING CHARACTERS WHO ARE COMING OF AGE, EPIC HEROES, SEPARATED LOVERS AND MORE

Power of Idealism characters fear being or becoming inferior, shallow, ordinary or mundane.  They fear living a life without extreme drama, intense passion or magnificent sacrifice.  Deep pain is preferable to dull boredom. These characters want to find their special place in the word, be extraordinary in what they do, be called to some great destiny (often as a warrior) or make a lasting artistic impression.  They are misfits, mavericks and rebels. These characters reject popular opinion or the demands of authority to maintain and protect their own individuality, personal freedom, individual honor or special sense of distinctiveness.  Read more about the Power of Idealism here.

CREATING CHARACTERS WHO ARE: ADVENTURERS, PLAYBOYS, PARTY GIRLS AND MORE

Power of Excitement characters fear being boxed in, cornered, trapped, limited, contained or domesticated.  They want to remain free spirits and untamed “wild things.” These characters dodge deep attachments or responsible commitments fearing these will lead to emotional suffocation, lack of freedom, no options and extreme boredom. Power of Excitement characters also avoid people and situations that create any sense of claustrophobia, loss, longing, suffering or sadness.  Read more about the Power of Excitement here.

CREATING CHARACTERS WHO ARE: MORAL HEROES, LONE AVENGERS, JUSTICE SEEKERS AND MORE

Power of Conscience characters fear not living up to their own internal standards or sense of propriety and decency.  They are afraid of being or becoming unworthy and must continually prove their own “goodness.”  These characters don’t fear failure in the eyes of the world; they fear not living up to their own (often impossibly high) moral or ethical standards. Read more about the Power of Conscience here.

FINALLY FINISH YOUR SCRIPT IN JUST ONE HOUR A DAY

This comprehensive 200+ page eBook takes you step by step through the whole process of writing your screenplay—from idea to finished first draft in just one hour a day.  Finally finish your passion project even if you have a full-time job, a heavy course load at school or demanding family obligations at home.

Research shows that the most productive writers experience intense creativity in short bursts. The One Hour Screenwriter eBook explains how to write your screenplay in one-hour blocks of sustained effort. You will be expertly guided day-by-day and hour-by-hour.  Never be blocked, stymied or stalled.  You will know EXACTLY what to do next until your script is finished!

THE DEEPEST MOST PROFOUND CONFLICTS ARE ALWAYS WITHIN A CHARACTER.

The Character Map eBook helps you create a visual map for your character’s emotional journey and your screenplay’s dramatic structure.  Learn to chart your character’s internal conflicts and emotional transformation. This process takes you deep inside your character. It is a proven way to develop characters that have a rich compelling emotional journey and a dynamic set of personal conflicts.  Use a Character Map you to pull story from character rather than forcing a character to conform to arbitrary plot points or story structure beats. Your story will connect with your audience because it reflects an authentic emotional journey.  Your character will feel “true” and will leap off the page and into the reader’s imagination. Use this simple but profound tool for screenplays, teleplays or novels.