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Commentary
Discussing cellphone filmmaking in Africa
So your character need not be actively seeking to acquire wealth from the start of the story. But at some point he must realise he needs to change his ways in order to realise his aims.
So now we have situation, setting, conflict and other characters around your protagonist that will help him grow and achieve his aim.
Realising the character
It is also the best to keep the story attached to your character's point of view. Everybody has an opinion or something.
It may differ from other people's opinion, or be the same. You may reach the same conclusion about the same thing but for different reasons.
Your character's point of view, the way s/he sees the world has to be the governing rule of the story. As a writer you decide whether that point of view is to be challenged or reinforced, or modified in some way.
As humans we change our point of view as many times as our circumstances change. A good character has to reflect those human attitudes if s/he is not to be merely a mouthpiece for the writer.
And always ensure your character's wants are concrete, e.g. to win the lottery, or to marry the girl next door. Or, he wants to win the lottery so that he can marry the girl next door.
Oladipo Agboluaje: Plays & Screenplays
> Early Morning (2003)
> God is a DJ (2006)
> The Estate (2006)
> The Christ of Coldharbour Lane (2007)
> Areaboys (Short film, 2007)
> For One Night Only (2008)
> The Hounding of David Oluwale (2009)
> Iya Ile (2009)
When I think of developing a character I think of myself. I think of a situation. I ask myself what would I do if I were placed in such and such a position, or if I had to make a choice, which would I choose and what would be the consequences of that choice.
It is at that point that I realise I have the makings of a story. At its most basic, a story is about a character placed in a situation where s/he must act in order to achieve an aim.
And whether or not s/he achieves the aim is reserved for the end but it is the twists and turns on the journey that develop a character.
Developing the character
I think of action and reaction, cause and effect. These combinations help to select which aspects of the character I wish to emphasize, for it is impossible to show all of a person's character.
So as a writer, like my character (protagonist), I have to make choices. If, for example, I start with a layabout protagonist who wants to be a millionaire, I must first find which quality of this indolent creature might help him achieve his aim, e.g. he might be lazy but he might have an incredible sense of humour.
He then might have characters around him that bring out the best and the worst in him (conflict). The character that brings out the best in him might also be the one who holds him back, while the character that brings out the worst in him might do it at a time when the worst is what is needed for my indolent protagonist to succeed. What is required here is the right setting.
Creating the right setting
So my protagonist is at his best when he is in a seedy bar with a drink in his hand. But is this the best thing for him as a person? Will this help him achieve his aim?
We have an internal conflict for he must know at the back of his head that spending all his time in the bar will not help him get rich. This is him at the farthest position of reaching his aim.
His journey to get to his aim will take longer but will also be more exciting as he has to acquire the skills to learn that one can only be rich by working hard. This is the theme of the story.
