Writing Right with Dmitri: Who Knows/Thinks What?

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Writing Right with Dmitri: Who Knows/Thinks What?

Editor at work.

We all have our personal passions and areas of expertise. FWR knows more about motorcycles than all of the rest of us put together. Bluebottle is a walking encyclopedia on the Isle of Wight. I know a fair bit about music, history, and language, and probably more than the rest of h2g2 about Pennsylvania and the US South – except for Florida, but Florida Sailor's got that covered. This knowledge often translates into choice of subject matter for Guide Entries and even fantasy stories, which is part of what I want to address today.

All of us know Stuff. But when we write about other people, whether those other people are real or imaginary, we need to ask ourselves: what do they know? What do they think about what they know? This is not only important in terms of accuracy, but as a way to make our characters interesting to readers.

Characters that all talk the same way are only interesting in Tarantino films. Ditto characters that all prefer the same foods, music, clothing styles, etc. Or that have the same opinions, or the same knowledge base.

Figuring out where your character or subject's knowledge and opinions are coming from is not only good mental exercise: it will help you be a better writer. And no matter how good you think you are, you can get better.

Exercise One: Examining Personal Habits and Attitudes

Better Call Saul is the ongoing prequel to the series Breaking Bad, and features many of the same colourful characters in Albuquerque. The clash of these characters is what makes these series so fascinating: Jimmy McGill, aka Saul, the ethically-challenged lawyer with a heart of gold, Mike Ehrmantraut, the retired cop turned parking lot attendant/hit man, Gus Fring, the nattily-dressed fast food tycoon/drug lord, etc. Without their quirks, the story would be dull as ditchwater.

It is safe to say that the actors in these series are not drug lords or lawyers. They probably don't know any drug lords, though maybe they know some lawyers. (They probably don't know any lawyers with Saul's taste in office décor. At least, we hope not.) The actors pin their characterisations on two things: the written dialogue and their characters' personal tics. The writers, in turn, learn by watching the actors. They write to those tics.

A recent promotional effort featured each of the actors doing something 'in character' that demonstrates a side of their character not directly related to their function in the plot. Watch and see.

  • Giancarlo Esposito's character, Gustavo Fring, is a meticulous dresser and a ruthless seeker of personal vengeance. Watch him as he teaches us how to iron a shirt. He radiates menace in just the right places.
  • Jonathan Banks' approach to Mike Ehrmantraut is to make him the smartest person in the room. Mike knows he's surrounded by idiots. He explains things with barely concealed impatience, like your granddad being grumpy. Watch him as he demonstrates how to make a pimento cheese sandwich. (Do not do this: that stuff's nasty. That's only my opinion: Mrs Hoggett loved it as a child.)
  • Comedian (and writer) Bob Odenkirk's Jimmy McGill changed his name to Saul Goodman for very complicated reasons. He's a cross between Harold Hill and Clarence Darrow. Watch him tell US citizens how to get out of jury duty.

Exercise Two: What's Underneath?

Now watch this interview with Michael McKean, the actor who played Jimmy's brother Charles McGill. McGill was a super-successful and very reputable lawyer who was constantly embarrassed by his younger brother. But, as McKean explains here, there's really something going on with Chuck at a deep level: sibling rivalry, personal jealousy, and a lot of pain. Watch this brief interview to learn how the actor parsed the character.

Writers can learn a lot from good actors. They can learn how words on a page translate into representation in action, for one thing. Another thing they can learn about is process: how did the actor figure out what the character was like? The third thing you can get from an actor as a writer is motivation. If an actor puts in all that work to create a believable character, you need to do at least that much work, if you want the product to be worth anything.

Exercise Three: Now You Try

You probably haven't seen the series I've been using as a demonstration. Tastes vary, as I believe I said before. For this next exercise, you absolutely cannot assume we've watched or read what you've watched or read. And you cannot bully us into it, either, so don't even try, Bluebottle. (Private joke.) That's why this is going to be a two-step process. Pay attention.

  1. Pick a story you like: graphic novel, television series, film, novel, whatever suits your fancy. Pick a character from that story. Describe the character and his/her/its circumstances to us, succinctly, in a short paragraph. Remember that we don't know anything about it, but will become confused by extraneous detail. Don't tell us why you like the character. We'll figure it out, because we know you.
  2. Now, write a short piece about that character doing something ordinary in a way that shows that character's typical approach to a situation. You may highlight their personal preferences and habits. You may demonstrate their problem-solving strategies. You may illuminate their inner struggle with an everyday example. Just do it.

Quit when you think you've got there, but get there before 1000 words are up, because I want to go and watch Better Call Saul. Or Babylon Berlin, but it's in German so I didn't use any examples.

Well, okay: here's an example you may not need that much German for. Gereon Rath is the dark-haired man. He's a policeman in the series, but he's also a veteran of the Great War with PTSD. The veterans are commemorating an event of particular trauma to their unit, and reading out the names of the dead. They're also teaching their sons to hate the Social Democrats, whom they blame for losing the war. The song 'Ich hatt' einen Kameraden' is of as much significance to Germans of the era as, say, 'It's a Long Way to Tipperary'. The lyrics also remember the dead. See if you can figure out what this scene tells us about Gereon Rath, without knowing anything else about the series.

Now, go write like that, and I'll be proud of you.

Writing Right with Dmitri Archive

Dmitri Gheorgheni

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