Category Archives: Characters

This category covers characters from practical tips to psychological theory.

Browse through the articles or use the search box at the top of the page to find just what you are looking for, and may the Muse be with you!

What Is Truth? (The Character’s Dilemma)

Posted on November 16, 2018 by Melanie Anne Phillips

Characters reflect real people in a purified or idealized state.  And so, we can see in them qualities and traits that are hard to see within ourselves.  One of the most difficult challenges we face every day are exemplified by … Continue reading →

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What Drives Characters?

Posted on November 12, 2018 by Melanie Anne Phillips

As writers, we all know that characters need drive or their actions will come across as unmotivated.  But what is drive, and where does it come from? At a minimum, every character needs a reason to explain the choices they … Continue reading →

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Archetypes vs. Stereotypes

Posted on October 17, 2018 by Melanie Anne Phillips

Archetypes represent human qualities we all share, such as Reason, Emotion, Faith, Skepticism, Conscience, and Temptation.  Stereotypes represent the different kinds of personalities we encounter in life. In story structure, archetypes, by definition, are characters defined by their plot function, … Continue reading →

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The Four Throughlines in To Kill A Mockingbird

Posted on October 9, 2018 by Melanie Anne Phillips

There are four throughlines that must be explored in every story for it to feel to readers or audience that the underlying issues have been fully explored and the message fully supported. Throughline 1: The Objective Story The Objective Story is … Continue reading →

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The Penance of the Lambs

Posted on September 30, 2018 by Melanie Anne Phillips

In the classes I teach on story structure I often point to Clarice Starling (Jody Foster) in The Silence of the Lambs as a great example of a Success/Bad story in which the goal (save the senator’s daughter from Buffalo Bill) … Continue reading →

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Your Influence Character is the Heart of Your Story

Posted on September 27, 2018 by Melanie Anne Phillips

What is an Influence Character?  It is the one who has an opposite philosophy, morality, or personal code to that of the Main Character.  Over the course of a story, the Influence Character continually pressures the Main Character’s core beliefs, … Continue reading →

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Characters: Cogs in the Machine?

Posted on September 25, 2018 by Melanie Anne Phillips

From a structural standpoint, characters are just cogs in the machine.  They have a job to do in the story as a protagonist, antagonist or any one of the functional roles that must be filled for the story to make … Continue reading →

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SECRETS of the Protagonist…

Posted on September 25, 2018 by Melanie Anne Phillips

The Protagonist is one of the most misunderstood characters in a story’s structure.  It is often assumed that this character is a typical “Hero” who is a good guy, the central character in the story, and the Main Character (the … Continue reading →

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Protagonist & Antagonist – Who ARE These Guys?

Posted on September 21, 2018 by Melanie Anne Phillips

The protagonist and antagonist may not be who you think they are.  For one thing, a protagonist is not necessarily the hero of a story.  Structurally speaking, the protagonist is the one who shakes up the status quo – that’s … Continue reading →

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Choosing Your Main Character’s Resolve

Posted on April 18, 2018 by Melanie Anne Phillips

The Main Character represents the audience’s position in the story. Therefore, whether he or she changes or not has a huge impact on the audience’s story experience and the message you are sending to it. Some Main Characters grow to … Continue reading →

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