Characters with potential

Mimi and Eunice

So you know better who your character is and why from Wrangling your character into story worthiness. You've identified some weaknesses and delved into backstory and future obstacles that could prickle those weaknesses with Strong flaws and flawed strengths. Now the question you want answered is Who will he become?

My character has the potential to be _____.

If he has lots of potential, make a list!

If you can't think of how he could possibly be cooler, greater, better than he is, you may have created him too close to his full potential. Begin with who he was before he cleared out all the baggage that weighed him down.

Test his greatness. Push him beyond his limits. If he's happy and content, what can you take from him, put beyond his current reach, that would bust his balloons? If he's confident, what could rattle that confidence? If he's found his niche in life what would make him realize he's wrong?

Take him in the opposite direction. If he's a moral person, what could push him to become immoral? What threat to what he loves would he betray his values for, break his moral code for? What could cause him to do evil for morally-justified-to-him reasons? What would he kill for to get, to keep, to protect?

Once you have some ideas of who he could be, push who he is at the beginning -- his profession, his personality, his belief or value system, his personality, his station in life -- further away from that.

Who is as much different than who he could be at the end? Make him work hard to get to his potential!

Next: Preventing him from reaching his goal and potential. (Next Friday hopefully.)