Creating Unforgettable Characters by Linda Seger Read Free Book Online Page A

will lead her to make some un-Amish decisions, such as visiting her sister in Baltimore, wanting to delay remarriage, and even dancing in the barn with John Book.
    Characters have attitudes toward each other, toward themselves, toward the situation, toward particular issues. In the "Mama Said" episode of "Murphy Brown," written by Diane English, Murphy's mother comes to town, and everyone has an attitude.
    When Murphy introduces her mother to the staff, they convey their attitude toward Murphy through their surprise.
    FRANK
    Your mother? Wow, Murph. You've got a mother.
    Murphy's mother, Avery, conveys her attitude toward her ex-husband.
    JIM
    So tell me, Mrs. Brown. Is Mr. Brown here as well?
    AVERY
    No. Mr. Brown is in Chicago with a woman half his age. We've been divorced for 15 years. I got the house and a lot of money. He got his underwear and the asphalt on the driveway.
    Murphy conveys her attitude toward her mother's visit.
    MURPHY
    If we both made up a list of our favorite things to do, "visit each other" would be about tied with "eat head cheese."
    Corky conveys her attitude about what kind of relationships mothers and daughters are supposed to have.
    CORKY
    So tell me, what kinds of plans do you two have for your first night together?
    AVERY
    ... I thought Murphy would like to join me for dinner . . . then I'll just go back to my hotel.
    CORKY
    Hotel? . . . Murphy! You're making your mother stay in a hotel?
    Phil the bartender has an attitude toward Avery.
    PHIL
    Damn good-looking woman. . . . She's got good calves.
    And Avery has an attitude toward her daughter and herself.
    AVERY
    You are my greatest achievement. But somewhere along the line, I lost you and I never got you back. I know you must be surprised to hear your mother admitting a failure.
    Diane English says that attitudes are a key to the comedy— and the drama—of a situation. "We often ask, 'What attitude is that character bringing into the situation?' If the attitudes aren't clear, the script can be flat and bland. The funniness comes from heightened attitudes that emanate from a situation as it becomes complicated by events.
    "We wrote a scene that involved Miles and Murphy. He has to try to convince her to use the FYI lawyers and not handle the matter herself. When we first wrote it, it was quite dull. Miles had no attitude. He was simply a messenger of information and there was nothing funny about that. We couldn't find an attitude in that situation, so we had him walk into the scene having had a new haircut. He comes in trying to convince her to see a lawyer and all the time she's just staring at his hair. He's very self-conscious that he has to convince her to do this and he knows his hair looks horrible and he's trying to pretend that it doesn't. He had an attitude so we got comedy, and we got something out of the character instead of him just coming in and laying this information out on the table."
    EXERCISE: Think about the attitudes and perspectives from the last film you saw or the last book you read. Did you clearly understand the character's point of view about ideas, philosophies, or situations in the film? Think about other films. Do you understand how Karen Blixen feels about the Africans in Out of Africa ? Do you understand James Bond's sense of justice? Are you clear about Harry's and Sally's perspectives on love and friendship? Do you know what Rhett Butler thinks about the Civil War?
    Even though the story might not tell you a character's attitudes in a straightforward way, it should imply it—so you can sense the character's perspective.
    Values expressed by a character may be an opportunity for writers to express what they believe. Sometimes these values—and concerns, philosophies, and belief systems—are ones they've observed, which fit the character, but do not necessarily convey their own perspective.
    In this scene from Witness, notice how Rachel carries a personal value (in this case, about guns in the house) as well as