Happy Friday!
With all of the various awards (Golden Globe, Critics Choice, Oscars) and nominations being handed out this past week, I asked myself what award I would want to win, and what for. Then I asked myself what the character in my current project, a gangster, would want to win. I found that using a classic exercise technique revealed a lot about the character and also gave me an idea for an episode of the series I’m working on.
The What Award Does Your Character Want exercise:
1. Set a timer for 5 minutes.
2. Write as if you’re the main character, and describe in the first person, what award you’d want to win. Then describe why “you” should receive the award.
3. Reset the timer for 5 minutes.
4. Write as if you’re the villain or obstacle, and describe in the first person, what award “you’d” win and why.
5. Reset the timer for 5 minutes.
6. Now be honest: write about what award you’d want to win, and why.
Don’t worry about how silly or grandiose your characters sound.
Every scrap of information that reveals the desires of your characters furthers your writing.
On a sadder note, a beloved theater is closing. I believe that movies are a collective experience, and hope to see more of them in a movie theater.
Here’s to your successful writing!
Professor Marilyn Horowitz
