Date: Sun, 27 Jun 1999 21:53:58 -0400
From: "David A. Syrotiak" <nmt-AT-sover.net>
Subject: Re: PUPT: Writing and Character


David (nice name!):

Glad you're doing this thread.  What you call 'round writing' I call 'fleshing
out the character' - same thing.  It's horrible to see a performance where the
characters are so two dimensional (flat writing) - it's impossible for the
audience to get involved in the character(s).

What also has to be kept in mind when writing a script for puppets is the number
of people who will be performing the show, where each person is (on/off the
marionette bridge) at any given time.  Person off the bridge is usually changing
hanging positions of the figures for the next entrance/scene, setting up the
lighting cue, getting ready for the curtain, etc.  It's never the luxury of just
'acting/puppeteering'.  So, unless you are fortunate enough to have tech. help
and because of the above realistic situation,'writing a script' is a little more
than writing a script.

Look forward to your next installment.

David Syrotiak (the elder)

David James Bender wrote:

> On Sun, 27 Jun 1999 08:08:13 EDT, LmBD1-AT-aol.com wrote:
>
> > Thank you! That is a challenge for alot of us just starting out! Lyn
>
> Lyn,
> I'm just starting out myself!  I hope with this series all of you will
> realize that you have something important to contribute...even if you, like
> Lyn and I, are just starting out (when exactly has one moved beyond
> 'starting out' to 'been there, done that'?)
>
> Here is the first section in my series on writing and character...Once
> again, I must credit my teacher at Harvard, Dr. Tom Bailey, for all the
> information and exercises contained within.  (On the other hand, I'm taking
> many liberties with his teachings, so don't hold him responsible if this
> stinks!)  Hope you enjoy!
>
> Part 1: Character - round vs. flat
>
> According to some authority I heard, there are only 36 plots that a writer
> can choose from.  How then can we explain the plethora of writings that
> exists?  If we recall stories we've read or seen performed, even similar
> stories, we can all call to mind the various characters we've
> encountered...no two identical.  This variety in the types of characters
> allow the same 36 plots to be told and retold without becoming boring.  They
> are the unique factor that can bring  new interpritations to old stories,
> rivit audiences, and charm critics.
>
> E.M. Forster, in his book "Aspects of the Novel," intoduced the term of
> 'round' and 'flat' characters.  Flat characters are 'stand-ins for ideas,
> merely good or too simply evil; they are caricatures of people.'  The
> Terminator is an example of a flat character: "I will kill you!" is his
> mode.  He is flat in regards to his emotions and also to the complexity of
> his motivation.
>
> Round characters, on the other hand, 'act in particular ways because of
> specific desires.'  Bottom in "A Midsummer Night's Dream" is a great example
> of a round character.  It is the discovery of and the possibility that there
> is another side to Bottom's character (than the side we meet at the
> beginning of the play) that makes him round.  Bottom is not only full of
> himself (Boy! is he full of himself!), but we discover that Bottom is also a
> frightened man, a man who feels he must be in charge of others to be in
> charge of himself, and also a giving man, who enjoys sharing with his
> companions the news that their play has been chosen to be performed before
> the Duke.
>
> How do we create a complex character like Bottom?  That will become more
> apparent in future lessons.  Until then, try, as my teacher explained, to
> write Vertically and not Horizontally.  What does this mean?  It means not
> planning ahead of time what characters will say or do or how they will act
> (a horizontal storyline).  Instead, let the interactions of the characters
> drive the story and let those interactions tell you how particular
> characters will act.  Work on building the characters and a story WILL form
> out of the interactions of those characters!  Try not to force the
> characters to do anything in particular, first work on the characters
> themselves (horizontal writing).  Be descriptive!  Try to understand the
> characters, but don't expect to know everything about the characters at this
> (or any) point.  Let the characters develop at their own pace and you will
> be surprised what those characters will do (without you pushing them to do
> any one thing)!
>
> Keep in mind that most stories have a combination of round and flat
> characters.  Primary characters work best when round (the Tin Man, Lion,
> Scarecrow, and Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, all of whom, we discover, have
> another side to their character).  But many Secondary characters function
> equally well when flat (the Wicked Witch of the West, the Good Witch, the
> munchkins, etc., all of whom never change during the story...always evil,
> always good, etc.).
>
> Here are today's exercises (from Dr. Tom Bailey):
>
> 1. 'If character is the single most important aspect of a story, why not
> begin by imagining a character? (I've found this exercise works best if you
> bring to mind people you know or have seen - or a kind of Mr. Potato Head
> mix of people - to mind.  Say, your cousin Jim Bo or your Great Aunt
> Gretchen.)  List everything you can about a character, from his or her name,
> to shoe size (9 1/2 EEE), to their first grade teacher, Mrs. Lawson, to the
> kind of ice cream they eat, Ben and Jerry's Double Fudge Chunk!'
>
> 2. 'Once you've made a list, try putting your characters into motion.  Have
> them do something as simple as walk into Angelo's, a dark, delicious little
> pizza joint in Boston, or give them engine trouble when they are alone on a
> windy little mountain road at night.  In a page or so, try to show as much
> of the above list as possible and probable, given their particular
> situation.'
>
> Good luck!  Have fun with it...
>
> Yours,
> David James Bender
>
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