Activity

MY FAVORITE SUBJECT. Mainly because no one EVER gives characters the good relational development they deserve.

I was recently watching an old British Navy show (A&E’s Hornblower, guys, it’s amazing) and I thought it was interesting how the main character was developed. He’s a serious, practical, reticent guy by nature, but when interacting with different members of the supporting cast, his personality shifted just a bit. When with the stern, fatherly old captain of his ship, he was humble, quiet, and dutifully staunch, but when with a younger, more naive officer friend, his attitude softened and he became more empathetic and gentle. Likewise, when interacting with the men under his command, he was chipper, optimistic, and a no-nonsense drill-sergeant. His underlying personality was still present in each relationship, but different people brought out different sides of him, and tossing up the variables gave a more complete and complex picture of who he was in all circumstances.

I think that’s really interesting. I know there’ve been times when I was so focused on developing characters by themselves, I didn’t even think about how other characters would affect that development.