Often, as I'm writing a character, they don't do what I want them to do. They don't keep going in the direction I want them to go. It's ridiculous. I want my character to succeed in life. They've told me that they WANT things, and that they're willing to do the work, but somehow, they just... get distracted.
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Erin wants to leave. She has to. This sharehouse was fun four years ago, but she is feeling a rising sense of desperation now. Nothing is changing. She's surrounded by friends who are happy to just coast in life, but she's feeling older, and she's feeling like she's losing her power in the world. She's beginning to feel trapped.
She searches for apartments. She Googles "rooftop pool." She grabs her sketchbook and shimmies up the tree beside the house, clambering less than gracefully onto the garage roof. There are two beachchairs and an ashtray, and she gets comfortable, and starts to draw New York City rooftops, at dusk, with pools and gardens and those cool water tanks silhouetted against the clouds.
Hours later, she holds a pretty pencil sketch of Manhattan, and some random song lyrics written down the side of the page. Tobias has appeared on the other chair, and they've finished two beers apiece. He's idly strumming his guitar.
Erin lies back and closes her eyes, feeling the breeze on her skin, listening to the rustle of the leaves, the laughs of her friends inside the house. "It's not so bad here." she thinks. "I’m enjoying my life."
Tobias cracks open another beer.
•
I'm not even kidding, this is where my characters end up, even though I'm in charge of writing their story. It's not even their fault. Erin is waiting for me to write her a better story, but with what I've given her, she'll OF COURSE choose the path she chose. And she'll do it again the next day, even though she's feeling trapped.
We're already a whole month in to a new year, and some of us may be feeling a little like Erin. How do I get going? How can I stay focussed? How can this year be one of change, growth and transformation, and not another "nothing-year"??
Here's what a storyteller would do to keep their character focussed and moving forward:
1: Want something. My character needs to WANT something. The more specific the better. It's their North Star amidst all the distractions of life.
2: Make a plan. What's the very first step to take? And then the next step? Then the next? Characters won't move if they're in a fog. Get some clarity, write some steps down.
3: Expect conflict. Without conflict in a story, nothing changes. Characters don't grow, audiences don't care, the story doesn't move forward. Writers know this, and characters try to avoid it, but the truth is, if you want anything worth anything, there will be barriers you must overcome to get there. Antagonisms that force the growth you need to get where you're going. And the writer must deliberately write these barriers in, or the story won't work. As the lead character in our own story, we can predict the conflict, and be ready for it. Would a gladiator step in to the ring and be surprised that there were battles to be fought?
4: Gather tools, skills, allies. What will a character need, in order to overcome the forecasted conflict? And where will they find this support?
5: Build habits. My character is going to need to build the habits that will keep them going. What will they do when they receive their first knock-back? We can practice these responses. For example, when I feel tired, I'll take a walk. When I feel low confidence, I think of clients who I've helped. When I catch myself doom-scrolling, I swipe the screen closed and immediately type a new note that reads "I am a character who wants ________."
6: Kickstart the story. A character will naturally choose comfort over conflict, so their writer needs to force them into a better story. And they do that by designing an inciting incident. An opportunity for change. A door that, once entered, locks behind you.
An inciting incident can generate action in two directions: a discomfort to avoid (run away), or an aspiration to attain (run towards). Psychologically, discomfort is twice as motivating as aspiration, and writers know this. Here are a some examples:
Discomfort to avoid: Set a meeting or deadline, make a promise, book an event, announce a release date. You'll now work hard to avoid the embarrassment of not being ready.
Aspiration to attain: Set an intention, create a mood board, manifest the dream, write down your destination daily, place your "north star" goal absolutely everywhere in your daily life - sticky notes, phone reminders, etc.
So, back to Erin, on the rooftop in her quiet desperation.. How do we get her moving into a better story?
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Relaxed and beer-buzzed, Erin barely registers Tobias sliding her sketchbook off her lap. He begins to hum, and soon has a rudimentary song going. She recognises her own lyrics, paired to the same punk riff that Tobi always falls back on when he's been drinking.
"the simple life is beautiful. all i need is beer here.
the other me, the one that's free, is far away i fear.
don't tell me i need something else, I'm fine, I'll die alone,
the fireworks of life can dance across my brittle bones."
Erin opens her eyes, jolted back to reality. A single tear makes its way down her temple and into her ear. She feels a dark panic rising in her gut, fermenting the beer with waves of nausea and hopelessness. Did I really write that? Am I so far from my own self now?
Tobias stumbles over her next lyric, and begins the song again, but Erin doesn't want to hear any more of her own prophecy. She rolls away and clambers down the tree, missing the last branch to land hard on the earth. Oof. The fall at least takes the nausea away, so she stays there in the dirt, and takes a deep breath. "It's going to be okay.." she mutters to herself.
What a dumb mantra.
Marah opens the door then, arms full of plates, phone jammed between shoulder and ear. "I'm sorry, hon, I really am. We just have no more rooms. I know, I know, it's the greatest place. But until one of us leaves - which, let's be honest, will never happen - I just can't help ya. Okay, yeah, of course I'll let ya know. Okay, bye love..." She shuffles past Erin, still in the dirt at the base of the tree, and clatters the plates onto the bench table. "You okay down there hon?" She peers down at her friend with mild concern.
Erin just stares back. Eyes wide, muddy tear streaks from eye to ear. Marah squats down in front of her, offering her full attention. "Hey, Erin. How you doing?"
Erin blinks, realises she's been holding her breath, and gasps in some air. "I.. Who was that? On the the phone just then?" Her voice was a whisper.
"Oh that? Just a friend. Looking for a place, and of course wanting to be here. Who wouldn't, right?"
Erin draws another breath, this time more slowly, deeply. She realises the panic has gone from her gut, and it's replaced by something new. Something like fear and hope, mashed together.
"Marah? Give your friend my room." As soon as she says it, she feels the fear and hope explode inside her. The fireworks of life, she thinks wryly. "Take my room, Marah. I need to go."
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How would a storyteller write your life?
The Storytellers Guide explores how a storyteller might approach everyday situations, in order to deliver a compelling character who experiences meaning and transformation. Read more at www.thestorytellersguide.com