EVOLUTION OF CHARACTER

APPROPRIATE LEVEL OF CHANGE?
See also Logical levels and Transformation of Character

NB Hir is intentional

The internal or external factors and forces that our characters have to deal with are as important to our creation as the Characters themselves. Those forces will determine any changes in the Characters’ thoughts, feelings and actions - and thus hir development and transformation.

The Logical levels model offers a framework for understanding and deciding which level(s) we need to focus on, tune in to or grapple with.

Our decisions will be determined by the type of Characters we want to create, the challenges we set them, the story or plot line itself, and whether they are reactive or proactive personalities. It also depends in what sense, if at all, we want our people to develop or grow.

The (bracketed words) below refer to different Logical Levels.

These levels form a hierarchy, and the relationship between them is highly significant, and extremely helpful for Creating Convincing Characters – and for developing more cohesive stories.

Typically, in ‘real’ life as well as in fiction, impulsive gut reactions (behaviour) may prevent hearing or acknowledging the beliefs and values that underpin other people's limiting or limited behaviours.

Your protagonist may, thus, appear a cold, callous and calculating schemer who, frankly my dear, doesn’t give a damn!

Are other Characters impulsive? Reactive? Myopic? Deaf to anything that doesn’t fit their world map? Pathologically spontaneous? Are they the effervescent, fun loving, life and soul of the party or the wilting wallflower who neither has nor goes to the ball? Is s/he warrior or wimp? Whinger or winner? Liberator or loser?

Does hir tenacious hold on opinions, beliefs or values lead to or stem from arrogance and aggression to exclude other viewpoints? (identity and relationship).

Does low self-esteem (identity/ value) prevent hir from learning (behaviour) the skills (capability) required to improve the quality (beliefs/ values) of life and relationships?

When Destiny or design brings Bubbles (him) and Brainy (her) together, how do they affect each other? Is this one wiser and that one weaker? Is one stronger, and the other, enigmatically, stranger? Does one grow in stature as the other shrinks?

Do you want your Characters to transform slowly and tortuously, or will you, they, the audience, be delighted - or downhearted - by a short, sharp shock?

Changes will happen or be required either to remedy, generate or evolve some aspect of Self, Other or Situation.

REMEDIAL

Changes on the levels of environment and behaviour will usually be remedial as we, or our Characters, attempt to adjust what is awry, mend what is broken or heal what is wounded. Obviously some changes will build on what is already good, other changes will make for improvement, and yet others will be made proactively in anticipation of, rather than in reaction to problems.

Hints and clues in act two may be the first signs of the Character’s potential transformation. Assuming the three-act structure, problematic attitudes, assumptions and actions that have been set up in the first act will need to be addressed in the second act to generate plot and people possibilities. The issues will then need to be redressed, loose end tied, in the third act so that key Characters are seen, heard and felt to have evolved, or at least to be in the process of evolving.

GENERATIVE

Changes in capabilities, beliefs, and values will generate new possibilities, either plus or minus, desirable or not, in environments, individuals and relationships.
Act-two, or the middle section of the story, will be more satisfying if the Protagonist has some awareness of the benefits - or at least the necessity - of change, although s/he may resist or be stymied at every attempt.
Hir assumptions, hir horizons, hir aspirations and attitudes must expand. Even though s/he may not yet be ready to grow as a person, we see that it is possible – and if we like hir, we may also hope that s/he makes it - or doesn't suffer too much!

EVOLUTIONARY

Changes in identity, relationship, and spirit enable Characters to evolve and to develop their full potential as individuals and in their relationship to a world of people, things and ideas.
Of course, they must still face obstacles, deadlines, self-doubts and other people's scepticism.
They may recognise that basic needs have gone too long unmet, or only been met at terrible expense to others; or they may have learnt that a hovel in Huddersfield with the One True Love is preferable to a Mansion in Manhattan or Mayfair with Old Money-Bags (Get Real). Or they may realise that, by settling for Ms, Miss or Mr. Right Away, they have lost Miss, Ms. or Mr. Right!

Yeah, Right!
Anyway, if all goes well, by 'Act-three', if you want to mock or mimic Reality with a happy ending, the Characters will be more fully rounded. They may be poorer but wiser. Knowing more, they may be less sure of themselves - and nicer for it. Our audience, and our bank manager will be well satisfied with our creation - and our audience well pleased by our Characters.

And if that sounds like a happy ending, doesn't it just show how life can imitate art?

go well
MM