6-Way Player Pull

Note:  This eFile is intended only to introduce and briefly describe the topic of Influence Characters.

When a writer begins to develop a story the first thing that should surface is the thematic question, what the Protagonist is going to slog through hell and high water to achieve/answer while the Antagonist exists for the thematic argument to counter that question. That has everything to do with who or what the writer is going to develop for these two main players. Next is to imbue with them with characteristics, but it is a boring story if they are the only two on the planet. To provide them with depth, successful writers suggest no less than six more characters that will influence how they act and how the reader perceives them.

These “Influence Characters” are more like Devil’s Advocates to the Protagonist and Antagonist affording perspective by illumination, the light and shadows within the journey. These players are not voices inside the Protagonist’s and Antagonist’s heads, but actual entities with distinct identities.

As Phillips and Huntley have said, “Entertaining the opposite point of view shines a light in the shadows of our initial take on the issues. This is why the inclusion of an Influence Character in any narrative is essential not only to fully represent the totality of our mental process but to provide a balanced look at the issues under examination by the author.”

Melanie Anne Phillips and Chris Huntley popularized the pairings of six players that should be considered in a story (See: Dramatica: A New Theory of Story by (Burbank: Screenplay Systems Inc., 1993) which is available free on their website, Storymind.com.  Jeffrey Schechter, My Story Can Beat Up Your Story: Ten Ways to Toughen Up Your Screenplay from Opening Hook to Knockout Punch, Amazon.com, also discusses these players with excellent examples, but uses slightly different labels. It’s not what these players are called that is important, but what they do. While these players are archetypes, the characteristics you give them will change their actions. (I attach characters from Star Wars IV because I love the movie and the characters are so blaringly clear in their roles.)

1.  Reason or the Thinker: is calm, cool, and collected, organized and seemingly cold to the point of lacking humanity, making decisions, and taking action wholly on the basis of logic. (Princes Lea) This player is paired with:

2.  Emotion or the Feeler. The opposite of #1, this player is disorganized, driven by feelings with their heart on the sleeve. They are quick to anger and quick to empathize with uncontrolled energy thereby wasting energy by flying in all directions and end up running in circles. (Hans Solo)

You can see how these two played off one another and affected the Protagonist and Antagonist on their journey.

3. The next set of players starts with the Sidekick or Believer, the loyal supporter attached to either the Protagonist or Antagonist. (R2-D2). This is paired with:

4. The Skeptic or Doubter who balances out interactions by opposing or disbelieving whatever  is proposed. (3CPO)

5. The last set of archetype players begins with the Guardian or Protector, the teacher or helper representing conscience. This player is protective of their charge, eliminates obstacles, and illuminates the path upon which the Protagonist or Antagonist is traveling. (Obi-won Kenobi and Yoda)

6. To make the journey more interesting is an opposite player, the Contagionist or Deflector who places obstacles and temptation in the path of the protagonist, does its best to hinder success, and try to change the Protagonist’s moral compass. So as not to confuse this player with the Antagonist, think of roller derby and this player giving the one they are supposedly helping a hip-check to knock it off course. This is not to be confused with the Antagonist who is placing a stone wall in the path to prevent success. (Darth Vader)

This is only a bare bones introduction to these six players. To better understand who they are and how they work, study the two references sited above, and then sit down with a bowl of popcorn and watch a couple of the more successful movies. You should be able to identify the characters assigned these roles to see how they work in the story. (Schechter charts some great examples and lists others.) However, the influence character does not necessarily have to be the same person through out the story.

In the current story under construction, A Pirate’s Legacy: Order of the Brethren, the first Deflector is the Protagonist’s wife, followed by his son, the ruler of an island, a hurricane (which does a nice job at deflecting), and a Native American chief, just for starters. The path to rescuing the kidnapped wife and son of his pirate mentor takes the form of a Sidewinder cruising the main drag on Saturday night. Fortunately, a Guardian and/or Sidekick arises each time to help correct the course.

Once these players are established, the dialogue and actions flow, pushing and pulling the Protagonist in all directions, and if you are writing from the viewpoint of the main character (not the Hero) you can develop similar players for the Antagonist as done in Batman-The Dark Knight.