Creating an Intriguing Protagonist: The Circle of Being
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According to Syd Field in his book, Screenplay, the Circle of Being is an event that happens to a character between the ages of 10-18 that parallels the plot of the screenplay. This event must involve the main character in some way and have significant impact on him/ her.
This intriguing concept could work to dig deeper into a character’s backstory and motivations in any style of writing, however. From screenplays to novels, understanding your character, what he or she wants and why, as well as what keeps him/ her from getting it are critical story issues.
Any number of events could function to trigger a circle of being incident. Some might include: divorce, losing a loved one, being bullied, getting into trouble, losing someone’s trust or respect, illness (mental, physical), parents’ job loss, significant life changes- mentor dies or moves on or isn’t who the character believed him/ her to be, best friend moves on (status changes), getting dumped or hurt/ rejected in love, family secrets exposed, abuse (physical, mental), substance abuse (child or close relative/ adult), accidents, neglect/ abandonment, poverty, war, violence, etc.
Although this event actually happened in the character’s past, it may or may not be directly mentioned in the story. Regardless, it will have some kind of dramatic impact on the way in which the character responds to the situation that is happening NOW in their story world.
Understanding this event will help you know your character more fully, and it will help you predict with better accuracy their natural response to the situation at hand.
So as you write, ask, what is this protagonist’s circle of being (if he/she has one)? How might this reveal itself during the course of their story?
Happy writing!
