The two ways to write more interesting characters (hint: it has nothing to do with their back story)

Photo by Vladislav Babienko on Unsplash

I watched the film Palm Springs last night. It’s a great time-loop rom-com and I highly recommend it if you’re into that kind of thing. But the writer does something really cool with the film that illustrates an important screenwriting lesson, so I wanted to share here (no spoilers).

One of the biggest recurring issues I see in screenplays is a misunderstanding of what makes a character interesting. A lot of times characters are saddled with these intricate back stories or they are defined by their jobs or relationships or upbringing or social standing.

Well, in Palm Springs, you learn nothing about Andy Samberg’s character. He is simply defined by his worldview and his choices. And he’s a fascinating, likeable character who you are invested in the entire film.

Think about the script you’re writing. How is your character defined? Is that character interesting simply because of the way they’re described? Are you trying to get your “off-screen” story do the heavy lifting? A traumatic experience in their past maybe? Try clearing all that out. If the audience didn’t know what your character did for a living, if they didn’t know the character’s back story, if they didn’t know what their home-life was like, are they still clearly defined?

Try focusing on these two things: Worldview and Choices.

1. WORLDVIEW: The easiest way to define this for your character is to figure out “What is one thing my character ALWAYS does and what is one thing my character NEVER does?” This will guide your character in every situation. (This gets really fun because at some point in your story you’re going to put your character in some situations where they HAVE to do the thing they’d never do or NOT do the thing they always do. — This is especially helpful in showing the character’s arc and how they change from beginning to end — one key choice in the beginning and one opposite choice in the end.)
2. CHOICES: If your characters are defined by their choices, you need to have them making a choice in every scene. You need to make those choices difficult. The more difficult the choice, the more it tells us about the character when they choose it. They should surprise us.

Try mapping out each scene of your script and see how your character’s worldview and choices are explored in each scene.

As a side note, but one that is even more important, this goes for YOU as much as it does your characters. You are not defined by your past or your circumstances, you are defined by your worldview and choices. And every day when you wake up, you have a new chance to redefine those things for yourself. How can you choose a new path for yourself today?

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