I was reading about Lou Dobbs’ political aspirations today and it dawned on me that even people who have reached the heights of their profession are looking for the new adventure I discuss in The Four Magic Questions of Screenwriting.
Dobbs has stated that he’d be interested in running for a senate seat from New Jersey, or even for the presidency.
As an exercise, consider what level of government your main character would pursue. Would they run for a senate position like Robert Redford in The Candidate or Jay Billington Bulworth in Bulworth? Or something more local like Kevin Kline’s character at the end of Dave or Tracy Flick in Election?
By determining which level of government your character aspires to, you can figure out just how ambitious they really are and how much time and money they’re willing to spend to get what they want.
Let me know what you come up with for your own character.
