Therapist Not Included

Jeff Cohen

I believe there's nothing as important to writing a story as character. You can have an amazing plot and strong settings and punchy prose, but if your characters aren't fully realized human beings, you have something less than what the story can become.

I tell that to my screenwriting students all the time, and it's possible that some of those who are listening even believe me. But I absolutely center my writing on character and will continue to do so until enough people tell me to stop.

The thing about characters, though, is that there's a danger you're only seeing them from one point of view. As a writer, you have a concept of a character. That character's function in the plot is to act a certain way. And if you have your character react with only that emotion or attitude every time something happens, you run the risk of having a boring person in your story, which is the last thing you want.

Remember: Each character walking into your story has a life outside the story. Each one has multiple roles in life, as do we all. And if the writer doesn't see those shadings, those alternate points of view, the character will be flat and two-dimensional.

So this week I've decided to stage an experiment in character. I asked 10 people I've known in various different roles in my life to describe in six words the personality (no physical descriptions allowed) of someone they all know.

Me.

The idea is to see the character (in this case, yours truly) through a number of different prisms. So I asked people who would hopefully not have the same perspective. The only "doubles" in terms of relationship to the subject are my children, because you can't ask one and not the other. I invited 10 to participate and got back eight responses before I posted here. And this is what we saw from each observer:

Charles Cohen, my brother, who has known me literally all my life

Generous, dependable, loving, inside a protective shell.

(Charlie says "a" doesn't count as a word and I gave people leeway in the word count because hey, it was arbitrary to begin with.)

Hank Phillipi Ryan, fellow crime fiction writer and friend

Thoughtful, compassionate, loving, curious, funny, talented 

Josh Cohen, my son, 26 

Funny, sardonic, caring, musical, irritable, smart

Shannon Jamieson Vazquez, as loyal visitors know, editor of the Double Feature and Haunted Guesthouse series

Kind, Funny, Eeyore-like, Talented, Modest, Proud New Jerseyan

Jane Neff, cousin by marriage, whom we see about once a year like starting tomorrow for five days

Candid, Witty, Smart, To the point, Honest, Knowledgeable about many things

Shelly Goldstein, good friend I've met only a couple of times in person, terrific screenwriter and cabaret performer

Funny, Kind, Jewish, Persevering, Father, Husband

Jennifer E. Beaver, journalist, writer, and friend

Honest, loyal, funny, does not suffer fools gladly, compassionate, persistent

Eve Cohen, my daughter, who will be 23 tomorrow--Happy Birthday, Evie!

Sarcastic, Self-deprecating, Cuddly, Determined/Stubborn, Anxious, Loving

 

Okay, let's analyze:

If this mysterious person described above were a character in your story, the most obvious traits, the ones that would first define the character for the reader, would be the most often mentioned, because they would be the ones the character displays most often. Keep in mind that your character, when in a scene alone, is not trying to impress other people and might act differently.

So there are four mentions of the word "funny" and one "witty," which is a variation on the theme. That's what your character wants people to see. There are three "loving"s, so that's a close second. (Keep in mind, too, that these people are all friends or relatives and despite being encouraged to be brutally honest, probably didn't want to say too much that's negative.)

It's where the differences lie that show you the sides of the character based on different roles, so let's look at the single mentions.

To my online (almost exclusively) pal Shelly Goldstein, I'm "persevering." Shelly has known me a long time and we've discussed writing and selling writing a lot. She knows how long I've been at it. So she's seen me have to persevere. The same is true of Jennifer Beaver, a pal from all the way back in my brief days as a newspaper reporter. She knows about my struggles trying to sell screenplays because Jenny and her husband Alan would put me up on periodic trips to Los Angeles when I was pitching scripts (and getting no takers). So she'll say I'm persistent, and note that I "do not suffer fools gladly," which is, alas, also true. 

Someone like Hank Ryan met me only after I'd been published (and changed from screenwriting to novel writing), so she's not going to see that side. Hank, being the warmhearted and generous person she is, will use words like "thoughtful" and "compassionate." I am floored when she says "talented." Hank knows talented. When she uses the word "curious," I am reminded that it has two meanings. 

My children have never not known me, but their experiences have come with me as a parent, and they're the only people on the planet who have had that experience, so their perspectives might have been similar. But they are two separate people, so from Josh we got "sardonic," (mostly because we have a running gag about how he can't figure out the difference between "sarcastic" and "sardonic") and "musical," because he's the one who is unfortunate enough to be home most often when I'm playing guitar. Sorry, Josh.

From Eve come some of the least complimentary (but never inaccurate or mean-spirited) words: determined/stubborn, anxious, sarcastic. But only a man's daughter can describe him as "cuddly" and get away with it. That's the value of perspective and insight into the characters' relationship. And remember, each person's choices reflects not only the character they describe but the observer's own personality, which is interesting by itself. You get insight into two characters for the price of one.

To Jane Neff, with whom my wife (her cousin) and I vacation about once a year, it's directness that makes the biggest impression: "to the point" "candid" and "honest" are all mentioned. If Jane is your main character, her relationship with the character being discussed will be one that will tolerate no bullshit. that's not mentioned by anyone else on the list, so you as the writer have to determine how this dynamic works.

Professionally, our character is best known by the editor who sees his work before it is "fixed." So Shannon's chosen words are interesting. We have a few variations on "modest" throughout, but only Shannon offers anything even approaching "Eeyore-like." This is no doubt a comment on my sunny, glass-half-full attitude, but then that's getting back to Josh's "sardonic" comment, isn't it? And "proud New Jerseyan." I certainly wouldn't dispute that, but what does it say about conversations these two characters must have had before? That's something you can use.

The most unexpected comment, though, comes from Charlie, who writes that the character is "inside a protective shell." (And the fact that I just referred to myself as "the character" might indicate he has a point.) No one else even hints at that perspective, which makes it interesting. Since it comes from the person who has known our character the longest, it bears some consideration and might point the writer toward the way that relationship will work in the story.

And after all that analysis, I need to go lie down for a week or so. But very sincere thanks to all who participated in this weird experiment, and thanks to those who were asked and decided not to do so. Trust me, I get that too. It was very brave and generous of our participants. Which leads me to offer these words to describe them:

Courageous, giving, compassionate, thoughtful, honest and... wonderful. Thank you all.

 

And here's where you can donate money to help Erin pay her horrendous medical bills.

Comments

[Patty]

Since I love your books, I think I would love to "know" you. I love both sardonic and sarcastic and it is your funny/humor that draws me back again and again to your work.

Great blog, it made me think.

[Barb Goffman]

This is great, Jeff. (I would have called you a mensch.)

I'm going to refer some of my clients to this blog, as well as try to keep it in mind myself.

[Jeff Cohen]

Thanks, Barb!