Today on the Go Teen Writers Book Club, we’re discussing “Status,” chapter twenty-one of Story Trumps Structure by Steven James.
Chapter Recap:
The subtitle of this chapter is: “What no one is teaching you about characterization” and it’s so true! I never, ever thought about this as I’ve written my books. I’ve never heard anyone speak of it at all of the many writers’ conferences I’ve attended and taught at. The idea that no character in your book should ever upstage your protagonist is kind of groundbreaking to me. What I’ll do with this information remains to be seen, but I have to admit, I’m kind of excited.
This whole topic reminds me of an episode of Seinfeld in which George is dating a woman and complains to Jerry that he has no “hand” in the relationship. He has no power. She calls all the shots, makes all the decisions.
Now, I’d like to add a caveat to this entire “status” discussion, and that has to do with genre. The brilliance of a show like Seinfeld was how it purposely put its characters in situations where they had no “status.” That’s what made it so very funny. So, if you’re writing comedy, I think you can ignore this “status” rule—or abuse it—for the laughs.
The rest of us, however… We’d be wise to listen.
This doesn’t mean bad things can’t happen to our characters. On the contrary! We want bad things to happen and lots of them. It’s how our character reacts to trouble. The decisions he or she makes. How tough they are. How cool. That is what will keep our characters from losing their status—from losing the respect of the readers. Mr. James says that readers won’t empathize with a weak protagonist. They expect the main characters of the books they read to be noble, courageous, to turn the other cheek, to stand up for the oppressed, to make sacrifices for the good of others.
I also liked his bit about villains. That villains are scarier when they’re calm and indifferent rather than the cackling villains who find joy in the pain of others. This is something I will remember the next time I write a villain.
What Stood Out:
Mr. James says, “When readers complain that a character is one-dimensional, flat, or ‘cardboard,’ they may not realize it, but they’re actually noting that the character…always has the same degree of status.”
This was kind of earth-shattering to me. When I wrote my first book, I was told over and over that my characters were cliché. For far too long I didn’t know what that meant. And it really stressed me out! Over time, I learned how to make them more flesh and blood. But it never occurred to me that my characters were always behaving in the same way. Looking back, I realize I hadn’t given them enough depth. I didn’t let them react differently to different things. Every character needs strengths and weaknesses. Likes and dislikes. Something to overcome. Even if they’re that annoying character that does everything wrong, they need a strength to give them balance.
Tip of the Week:
This week’s tip is the chart Mr. James included at the end of the chapter. I typed it up with a tweak here and there. You can use this chart to check the actions of your protagonist (and your villain too). If you ever have them behaving in ways that are listed in the Low Status column, change it. Find a way for them to behave in ways listed in the High Status column, and it will go a long way toward making your hero even more likable.
Questions/challenges:
• Are there places in your book where your main character behaves in any of the ways listed in the Low Status column? Do you see an idea in the High Status column that could strengthen his behavior?
• Are you guilty of writing villains who wring their hands with glee at the suffering of others or monologue to share their dastardly motivation with the hero? If so, do you think you could rewrite those behaviors to give your villain a Higher Status?
• Any questions?
Note: Next week I’m taking the week off to complete and turn in my state teaching assessment. We’ll have a fabulous guest post from author Taylor Bennett that I think you’re really going to enjoy. See you in two weeks! ~Jill
Since I have spring break next week, I can finally catch up on our bookclub reading! I’m a few weeks behind (I think). See you in two weeks when you are done with your project and I am finally caught up!
Hooray! I can’t believe how close we are to finishing this!
One of my characters in my WIP is a total narcissist, but I kind of did that to add some humor in the storyline, as well as give a few of my characters some conflict with him.
Is there any way I can get the Story Trumps Structure book free online?
I don’t think it’s free anywhere, but you could try to get an ebook copy from a library, perhaps?
What if I use a low status trait as a flaw/quirk?
I do see why a character should react differently sometimes though. I’ll have to keep that in mind, thanks! Good thing working on your characters can be fun!
Hope your project goes well. 🙂
I’m no expert, but I think having a low status main character is fine. I actually think that would be really interesting! The trick is just to figure out which characters have higher status compared to each other. For instance, say Sally is your main character. Let’s also say that Sally’s status is lower than Klint and Patty, so in interactions between Sally, Patty, and Klint, you get to see Sally’s lower status traits come out. Yet Sally may have a higher status than Jeffry, so in their interactions she is the less response character, and you can find some high status in her. Most characters won’t be just high or low. Different people and situations give you the opportunity to express each character’s status variation. Maybe try creating a list of characters and put them in high to low status order? I hope this is helpful! I’ve never written with status in mind before, (I’m just trying to get words on paper, 😉 ) but I have used it in acting.
That was my thinking! I totally agree. It was just the last part that confused me. I DO love this list for my characters, and I think the post, list, and what you said will be helpful. Status plays a part in my story, although I never thought of it that way either. So I get worried about keeping my MC likable but with low status traits, if that makes sense.
Hey, getting words on paper is important, I’m still working on that too.
Acting sounds like it could be pretty good experience for parts of writing. And thank you for responding! 🙂 Good luck with your writing!
As always, the rules are made to be broken, so if you have a reason for making a character low status, do it and trust yourself with the story you’re trying to tell. Every story is different, and if you’re writing about a low-status character, that’s okay. Keep in mind, however, the Hollywood screenwriting trope called Six Things That Need Fixing. See this post: https://goteenwriters.com/2014/03/05/does-your-character-have-six-things-that-need-fixing/
When you tell a story, your character starts out with at least one major flaw, but sometimes there are more. The goal is to help that character change by the end of the story. The story’s adventure and challenge helps that character grow and overcome some sort of flaw. That flaw could also be a way of thinking. So by the end the character would think about herself or the world differently. The point is that the character grows and changes in some way because of the story. So she could still be low status as long as the story changes the character in some way.