By Laurie H. Hutzler

In a feature film the character builds up to the leap of faith over the course of the story. The character spends the first two acts chasing after the ego-driven want (or worldly goal or prize). At the end of the second act the character finds him or her self the farthest from this goal. At this point the character sacrifices either the want or the need.

Will the character sacrifice the want and embrace the need? Does the character have the courage to take the leap of faith and let go of the ego-driven want (and the worldly possessions, status, goals or prizes that go along with obtaining the want)? Can the character instead embrace the deeper inner need (to live authentically and to value genuine relationships, lasting friendships and/or true love)? Can the character live into the highest truest self and face his or her deepest fear? If so, the character completes the emotional journey successfully. If not, the character falls to the dark side.

How does a character fall to the dark side? If the character redoubles his or her efforts in pursuit of the want the character inevitably falls to the dark side. Will the character be driven by fear to pursue the ego-driven prize or goal at the expense of everything and everyone else? If so, the prize or goal will ultimately be empty. The character has had to sacrifice all (the true self, authentic relationships, lasting friendships and/or true love) to obtain it. Nothing is worth that great a sacrifice. In the dark side the character has only the fear as his or her constant companion.

In sit-coms the character chases round and round the upper part of the map. He or she moves just to the edge of the leap of faith before scurrying back in fear. Or the character dips a toe into the dark side but manages to pull back from disaster just in time. If or when the character actually makes the leap of faith (or falls definitively to the dark side) the story is over and the series ends.

In one-hour dramas, the character makes the leap of faith over and over as the stakes rise and the risks continue to increase. The character deals with the same value questions on successively more difficult and more deeply personal levels. After one story arc is completed the character begins another trip around the Character Map. Each journey and every leap of faith requires greater courage and requires the character to face a deeper manifestation of his or her fear. Likewise, each trip to the dark side is a successively greater fall from grace.

Are you ready for the next step? Now that you’ve mapped your own answers it’s time to map your fictional characters. Or go back and map yourself again. Try to be as precise as possible with all your answers. This is a process and it may take more than one map to get the traits in the best possible dramatic alignment for your story. Have fun and experiment with several choices!

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