Creating Unforgettable Characters
by Linda Seger
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Book Summary Information
Author: Linda SegerEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1990-07-15
ISBN: 0805011714
Number of pages: 256
Publisher: Holt Paperbacks
Book Reviews of Creating Unforgettable Characters
Book Review: CREATING MEMORABLE CHARACTERS
Summary: 5 Stars
In the preface, Linda Seger observes: "The concepts within this book relate to the creation of all fiction characters and are based on the principles I've discovered as a drama professor, a theater director, and script consultant.... For this book, I've interviewed over thirty writers who have articulated and affirmed these concepts; these include novelists and writers for film."
Her how-to book comprises ten engaging chapters, each concluding with a case study on a well-known screenscript such as "Ordinary People," "Gorillas in the Mist," and "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest." The chapters also provide a detailed application checklist to guide the reader during the character-creation process.
Some of the highlights of the ten chapters are as follows.
Chapter 1: Researching the Character. "Research can take longer than any other part of scriptwriting." Seger quotes William Kelley, writer of WITNESS: "I researched the Amish for seven years, and Earl and I wrote the script during the 1980 writers' strike, which lasted about three months" (p 17).
Chapter 2: Defining the Character: Consistencies and Paradoxes. "Shaping the clay of your character is a six-step process." One of these steps is "adding quirks, the illogical, the paradoxical" (p 46).
Chapter 3: Creating the Backstory. "Finding the backstory is a process of discovery. The writer needs to work back and forth constantly -- asking questions about the past to understand the present" (p 62).
Chapter 4: Understanding Character Psychology. Seger quotes Barry Morrow, writer of RAIN MAN, "Half of writing is psychology. There's a consistent core, or a consistent unity to behavior.... Every action has motivation and intention" (p 63). This chapter includes an insightful section on "how inner backstory defines character," citing Freud and Jung's theories. Also a section on "how abnormal behavior defines character," citing Woody Allen's HANNAH AND HER SISTERS among others.
Chapter 5: Creating Character Relationships. Seger notes that "some of the most successful films and television series have featured two stars, not one" (p 91), citing examples of THE AFRICAN QUEEN, ADAM'S RIB, LETHAL WEAPON among others.
Chapter 6: Adding Supporting and Minor Characters. Seger notes that "many of the best stories are memorable because of their supporting characters" and quotes James Dearden, writer of FATAL ATTRACTION: "Within the context of reality, you can make your little characters interesting...keeping people's eyes moving and their ears flapping and their brains working. It's those little details that make something come alive" (p 145).
Chapter 7: Writing Dialogue. "Great dialogue has conflict, emotions, and attitudes. It also has another essential component: the subtext. Subtext is what the character is saying beneath and between the lines. One of the most delightful examples of subtext comes from the film "Annie Hall," written by Woody Allen. When Alvie and Annie first meet, they look each other over. Their dialogue is an intellectual discussion about photography, but their subtexts are written in subtitles on the screen." Subtextually, "she wonders if she's smart enough for him, he wonders if he's shallow; she wonders if he's a shmuck like other men she's dated, he wonders what she looks like naked. Both understand the subtext of their conversation" (p 148). I found this chapter the most instructive of all.
Chapter 8: Creating Nonrealistic Characters. Examples cited include "E. T.,' "King Kong," "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," "Superman," and "The Phantom of the Opera."
Chapter 9: Beyond Stereotyping. Example of stereotyping: "Blacks are often portrayed as comical or as perpetrators of crimes" (p 197). "A character type is not the same as a stereotype. The doddering father or the braggadocio soldier are character types, not stereotypes, because the portrayal is balanced with other images of fathers and soldiers" (p 198).
Chapter 10: Solving Character Problems. "Writing good characters is a complicated process. Getting stuck happens to even the best of writers. Turning to some of these problem-solving techniques can lead to breakthroughs that can help make your characters work." Yes, indeed.
This outstanding book merits high priority on the aspiring screenwriter's craft-study list.
-- C J Singh
Summary of Creating Unforgettable Characters
In this book, Linda Seger shows how to create strong, multidimensional characters in fiction, covering everything from research to character block. Interviews with today's top writers complete this essential volume.
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