Character Development Circles: Adding Depth Through Conflicting Relationships

Description

It takes a Goliath to form a David. It takes an antagonist for the character of the protagonist to shine through. One of my favorite illustrations of this interplay between characters comes from Robert McKee’s screenwriting book, “Story.” McKee has a little diagram I’ve reprinted here that shows that in order for a character to be multi-dimensional, they must be surrounded by other characters that each play off different aspects of their personality. This curriculum will help you learn to acknowledge and authenticate the value of the people around us, both in real life and in the stories we tell; allow others to expose our weaknesses and inconsistencies, forcing us to become something more and better than what we already are; and cultivate tension, reward drama, and hope for ultimately positive outcomes.