WORK | Character And Characterization with John Yorke Pt.2

Last month was the last week in John Yorke's Storytelling for Screenwriters Workshop through Media Xchange (and for me, also through Screen Nova Scotia). The week focused on characters and their development.

Takeaways

The most relatable and memorable characters are three-dimensional and, therefore, a true reflection of humanity's complexities.

Characters are innately as simple as they are complex.

Understanding the background and fundamentals of psychology can help us better understand why characters do what they do and what their next action may naturally be due to their coping mechanisms in both healthy and unhealthy ways.

Characters deserve to have us as writers, take the time to understand them better to deliver a holistic view of humanity.

Characters are and should be in constant movement towards a change, whatever that change may be.

What I am Revved Up About

A sincere desire to take the characters I develop, be them fictional or based on someone, (e.g. a current project on my paternal grandmother.) and give them the time and depth of understanding they deserve.

Often I focus on making sure I have the wholeness of a story down, but the gaps in the story or the parts that do not flow are resolved once the character themself are brought into the place they are going and need to be. It would seem that both character and story structure are equally as essential and feed each other.

A recognition that discussing characters with other writers and storytellers gives the insight and springboard I need to press on with the work.

At the end of this two-week journey, I feel more comfortable in story creation, inspired and left feeling connected to storytellers on a global scale. One does not have to live in the same country or time zone to share ideas, gain insight and find the gold in a character or the story itself.