Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash
In the posts for days 66, 68, and 69, I’ve been looking closely at the protagonist and antagonist of Treasure Island, Jim Hawkins and Long John Silver respectively, to show how the fundamental characteristics of these characters and their character stacks can help us write a better story. This process is getting to the heart of the conflict that drives the action in the story.
The conflict forces the protagonist to decide to transform (prescriptive tale) or not (cautionary tale). Random conflict does not make for a coherent story. We could get lucky, but who wants to leave success of a story to luck? To increase the chances of success, we ground the conflict (and all the other story elements) in our story’s essence, our North Star, the aspect of the story idea that is the most important to us. In this series of posts, I’ve worked through the path to move from story premise (the person, place, and problem of the story) to story essence, and from the essence to the expanded premise through which we create the cast of characters, story world, and the story’s plot.
The posts I referenced above have been about creating the cast of characters who will populate the world and enact the plot. This starts with the protagonist and antagonist and understanding their essential characteristics by asking questions to find out what qualities the characters must have to embed the essence in the story. We use the characteristics to build the character stack (worldview, goals, strategies, tactics, and tasks). These tools are interrelated: The characteristics help us understand why the character can execute the character stack; the stack shows how the essential characteristics function and are manifest through actions.
To off a glimpse of what’s to come, we use the similarities and differences in essential characteristics and character stack to understand the nature of the conflict in the story. From there, we can identify which plot forms from Norman Friedman’s “Forms of the Plot” are operating in our story. The plots are a bridge to generalized story events from which we can build or analyze our stories.
For now, let’s return to the stacks for the two most important characters in Treasure Island: Jim Hawkins and Long John Silver to see what’s revealed (the stacks can be found in the posts for days 68 and 69).
When we analyze these two stacks, we look closely at the differences in relation to the similarities. They show us different perspectives on solving a particular problem that add complexity to our story.
Worldview
This is the individual’s model of the world, which shapes their understanding of the goal.
Both characters recognize the world's complexity and are able to alter their mental models based on their experience.
Jim seeks to integrate complexity through his moral framework
Silver exploits complexity for personal gain
Goals
This is what the individual is pursuing consciously and unconsciously. Goals and worldview inform the strategies they employ.
Both characters consciously seek adventure and treasure (external goal) for different ends.
Jim: Uses it as means to maturation
Silver: Uses it as a means to gain superiority
Strategy
This is the character’s theory of victory. This is how they think they will achieve the goal given their worldview and, therefore, guides their tactics.
Both characters move between social worlds but have different reasons.
Jim: To test and develop judgment
Silver: To manipulate and control
Tactics
These are context-specific methods used to carry out the strategy, which are executed through tasks.
Both maintain multiple connections but with different results.
Jim: To learn and grow
Silver: To exploit and survive
Tasks
These are measurable units of work that implement tactical choices that can be broken into actions.
Both navigate complex social situations but for different ends.
Jim: Building trust for mutual benefit
Silver: Building trust to exploit
Comparing these aspects of the character stacks reveals how perfectly they function as protagonist-antagonist pair. When thrown together, their conflict is inevitable. Every similar capability points to opposing choices, which presents clear conflict between their approaches to life. It also shows how easily without the right guidance, Jim could end up living a life like Silver’s. Because their parallel skills lead to divergent outcomes, the reader gets to consider what their choices would be and see how they might work out. The relationship between Jim and Silver creates maximum tension around Jim's central choice for an engaging story climax.
This post is part of a 75-day writing challenge and experiment. From September 9 through November 22, I'll be posting daily thoughts on writing, storytelling, and creativity based on recent readings or reflections. While my intention was to keep them very short—250 to 400 words—I've found that this range doesn't give me enough space to cover these topics adequately. I aim to keep them brief enough to be read quickly, but they will often be longer than 400 words.
At the end of the challenge, I will organize and revise the material with intention. For now, the object is to explore and share.