45 Master Characters (42 page)

The Pessimist in action:

This character shows up a lot in historical stories where people do things above and beyond what has been done before.
Elizabeth
and
Malcolm X
had characters in them saying how dangerous and foolhardy it was for the main characters to continue on their paths. Robert the Bruce (Angus MacFadyen) is an example of a pessimist in
Braveheart
.

A Negative Psychic:

At her worst the Psychic knows it all or at least thinks she does. She has a very superior attitude about everything. She tries to come across as calm and all knowing in every situation but often looks ridiculous. She tries to predict what will happen next, good or bad, and tells the hero what the antagonist is planning next.

Occasionally she is in the role of a detective, psychic or a psychologist who thinks she knows everything about human behavior. If her predictions turn out to be wrong she'll always have an external factor of some sort to blame. She feels that she should be in the hero's place because she is superior to her.

Most of the time she's just a character looking for power and a special place to be held in high regard as compared to the other characters. Being smart or mentally gifted makes her different, unique and sought after.

The Negative Psychic in action:

Oda Mae Brown (Whoopi Goldberg) in
Ghost
stole money from people as a fake psychic, putting on elaborate shows for them.

The Positive Psychic:

At his best the Psychic is like an oracle who gives advice and information to help the hero on her path. He does what is best for the hero, not his own ego. He may not want recognition for his actions and can choose to stay behind the scenes, anonymous.

The Positive Psychic in action:

Oracle (Gloria Foster) in
The Matrix
freely gives advice to all the characters and expects nothing in return. She's committed to the cause and fights for the greater good. She gives Neo the wrong advice because that is what he needs to hear.

The Psychic can cause conflict for the hero:

By withholding valuable information so she has more to contribute later.

By trying to take over part of the mission and messing up the hero's plan of action.

By insisting that she knows better than the hero and causing other characters to doubt the hero's plan.

By scaring the hero or other characters with her predictions. She may tell the hero she has “seen” or “knows” that a certain action won't work and now the hero has more doubts to battle.

S
ymbol characters symbolize something important to the hero. They can be a symbol of the hero's past, the hero's faults or of who the hero is trying to become.

Sometimes a friend or enemy can take on the role of a symbol character, such as the Best Friend who mirrors the hero's flaws.

There are three types of supporting Symbols:

• The Shadow
  

• The Lost Soul
  

• The Double
  

The Shadow mirrors the hero's character flaws or dark side so he can confront and overcome his shortcomings. The hero will try to avoid the Shadow because he has to face his faults and fears around him. The Shadow is very much defined by his and the hero's shortcomings.

If your character has a hard time facing his fears, the Shadow can be the most fearful person in the universe. Shadows are usually exaggerated, fighting to be recognized and healed. If the hero is afraid of going crazy, the Shadow can be an insane person. If the hero is always angry, the Shadow can be a rageful person.

The Shadow also states what others are afraid to say. In horror films he's the one who shouts, “We're all gonna die!” In dramatic stories he's the father or mother figure the hero doesn't want to become.

The Shadow can cause conflict for the hero:

By causing the hero emotional turmoil as he faces himself in the Shadow.

By being a force equal to or greater than the hero so he can put up roadblocks until the hero acknowledges him. If the hero is angry, the Shadow's rage can interrupt the plan of action toward the goal.

The Shadow in action:

All the terrified characters next to Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) in
Halloween
.

The Cowardly Lion (Bert Lahr) in
The Wizard of Oz
who symbolizes the courage Dorothy needs to find within herself.

The Lost Soul symbolizes the hero's past, reminding her where she came from and why she chose to change. The hero will fall back into being like the Lost Soul if she doesn't attain her goal. The Lost Soul is the before image, the one who has never reached her goal because she probably never thought about goals at all. She often lets life push her around, reacting to events instead of creating them. She doesn't know how to change her life and is terrified to take the first step. It isn't until she sees the hero that she realizes how far she hasn't gone in life. This may depress her. Often the hero may pick up on this and try to play down her accomplishments around the Lost Soul.

She's the old friend from childhood who hasn't changed a bit and all the hero can talk to her about is the past.

The Lost Soul can be the man who gave up his ambitions to support a family and isn't happy with his choice.

He can be the kid on drugs who has grown up to be a man on drugs while his friends have gone off to college to build careers.

The Lost Soul can also be the woman who gave up her career to raise kids and support a family while the hero gave up having kids for her career, or vice versa. The hero may have once been jealous of her but she now knows the Lost Soul's life isn't for her, and she couldn't imagine being her.

“There but for the grace of God go I” is what the hero thinks when she sees the Lost Soul. If she had chosen to remain passive and not go after her goal, she would be the Lost Soul. This supporting character can motivate the hero to accomplish her goal out of fear of becoming a Lost Soul herself.

The Lost Soul can create conflict for the hero:

By trying to convince the hero that her life is great and the hero made a big mistake in choosing her path in life.

By constantly being a reminder of who the hero was and still may become if things don't work out.

By making the hero feel guilty about her accomplishments.