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Marilyn Horowitz

Marilyn Horowitz

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Why Is Your Character On The Roof?

March 24, 2010 by Marilyn Horowitz

Yesterday I noticed a number of nude male statues on top of buildings around Manhattan. The 31 body form sculptures are part of an art installation by Antony Gormley and will remain in place until August.

While reading about the project, I learned that many of the people who had seen the statues had mistaken them for suicide jumpers. I found this interesting because when I first saw the statues I was reminded of Batman, surveying the city he has sworn to protect.

As an exercise:
Imagine your main character is standing on the roof. Why is he or she up there? Are they distraught and considering suicide like Michael Douglas in The Game? Or preparing to stop a crime like Spider-Man? Maybe he’s unpacking a gun like in The Professional or The Merry Gentleman.

Now think about how the scene will end. Does the jumper end it all or get talked down by a cop? Does the superhero swing to the next building or suddenly lose his powers and fall? Does the sniper kill his target or only use a paintball?

There are limitless possibilities and I encourage you to try out as many as possible before settling on one.

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