Plot Consultant

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For examples of the 2 most common templates for developing characters I wrote about earlier in Characters in Action-Driven Novels and Those in Character-Driven Stories, I turn to the movies. 

A few nights ago, engrossed in The Hundred-Foot Journey directed by Lasse Hallström from a screenplay written by Steven Knight and adapted from Richard C. Morais’ 2010 novel The Hundred-Foot Journey, I was struck how perfectly Hassan exemplifies the character-driven profile while Papa Kadam assertively personifies the action-driven profile.

2 Classic Character Types

1) Reflective of a character-driven character profile
Hassan, before moving on when faced with failure / challenges / obstacles :

  • Slows down
  • Reflect how he’s doing while being sensitive to others
  • Evaluates his behavior and reactions 
  • Examines at what went wrong from all angles
  • Learns from his mistakes

2) Reflective of an action-driven character profile
Papa Kadam, on the other hand, classically impulsive and, when faced with failure / challenges / obstacles (until the very end):

  • Doesn’t stop to evaluate what went wrong
  • Thinks less
  • Acts / reacts faster 
  • Multi-tasks
  • Focuses on the achieving the goal not how his behavior affects others

For all the steps how to plot and write the rough draft of a story,
join me as I re-film the
27-Step Tutorial: How Do I Plot a Novel, Memoir, Screenplay?