Are your characters reacting impulsively or planning methodically? Understanding character transformation patterns changes how you build believable personalities. In this video, I explain my PAR (Plan-Act-Reflect) and RAP (React-Act-Process) framework from my Character Transformation Roadmap. You’ll discover which pattern fits your protagonist and how it drives story decisions.
In your character transformation roadmap, you talk about par and rap.
How do I decide which is best? Yes, my character transformation roadmap was introduced in my most recent book on the craft of writing. And I do talk about a way of actually mapping your character’s progression through your story. And I divide people into two broad categories.
There are people who are rap people and there are people who are par people. And it’s obviously a very broad generalization, but I do think there’s truth to it. If you are a rap person, you react and then you act, and only afterwards do you process what just happened. You are impulsive, you are ask forgiveness rather than permission person. You are not much of a planner and you might be the kind of person who’s a little on edge. So when something happens, you just react.
So react, act, process, that’s rap. The other kind of person is a par person. The par person plans, acts, reflects. This is a much more methodical person, a calmer person, a more systematic person. Some people might find them a little dull, they’re certainly not the life of the party. But other people might find them reassuringly stable, reliable, pleasant.
Now, is there overlap? I’m going to say probably not. Are people all of one thing? Yeah, probably not. Probably in some situations we rap it and other situations we par it because people are complicated. It might be that in dealing with people, I’m a rap. I want to please you very much so I react, act and then process. But when I’m dealing with things, the snow needs plowing or I have to get the books up to date for the accountant who’s coming in. These are things that I’m not interacting with people.
Well, in that case, I’m much more of a par. I plan, I act, I only then reflect. There’s no right or wrong, but this is yet another way to begin to know your characters on a deep emotional level. That’s the ticket to developing interesting 360 degree believable characters.
I know you can do it and I’d love to hear your thoughts. Are you sure protagonist or rapper or a par? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I do read all the comments.
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Thank you.
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