Writing Great Characters for the Stage and Screen: Part 2 – COMEDY

If you recall, in the last video, we talked about how your main characters need to have a strong “want” and then they are forced to deal with all of the obstacles in the way of achieving their goal. We also talked about how every compelling character has distinct personality traits – a combination of strengths, weaknesses and quirks that are often in conflict with other characters.

This is also true of comedy – only more exaggerated — especially the “conflict” part of it. Basically, there are three arenas of conflict that can add more humor to your story.

  • The first is the character’s conflict with his circumstances or the world of the story.
  • The second is his conflict with the other characters.
  • And the third is the character’s conflict with himself.

One movie that illustrates all three arenas superbly is “THE HANGOVER” (the first one)… Not only was it brilliantly written and uniquely structured by John Lucas and Scott Moore, but the characters were all so well defined with strengths, weakness and quirks, that combined with the outrageous circumstances they had to deal with, we are taken on one FUNNY ride!

So, let’s break down the characters:

Doug (the groom) played by Justin Bartha is the only “normal” guy in the bunch, surrounded by his pals who embody varying degrees of dysfunction. So of course, Doug is the one who gets lost so the more flawed characters can band together in their big “want” to FIND him before the wedding.

The most extreme character is Alan…Doug’s lovable loser future brother-in-law (brilliantly played by Zach Galifianakis). Alan is the oddball “fish out of water” character, amongst these other “cooler” guys, so half the comedy is their reactions to things Alan says and does… All Alan wants is to BELONG – “to love and be loved”. That’s why he puts what he thinks is Ecstasy into their drinks for the toast on the roof that fateful night so they can all bond. And it turns out to be ruffies instead, which creates major havoc that it takes the entire movie to resolve.

Then we have the cool, handsome, bad boy teacher Phil, embodied to perfection by Bradley Cooper – who is of course the total opposite of Alan. Big tip: Pairing opposites is always a terrific opportunity for comedic tension. One of the greatest examples was the pairing of the obsessive compulsive neat freak Felix, with the total slob Oscar as roommates in “The Odd Couple”.

Then there is Stu, the dutiful dentist, played superbly by Ed Helms… Stu has NO self esteem left after living with his ball-busting bitch of a girlfriend Melissa for three years. She is one of the all time great movie nemesis – Another tip: there always needs to be at least one great nemesis in comedy..

THE HANGOVER has several. The very first words that come out of Melissa’s mouth while he’s packing for Vegas is, “Don’t forget your Rogaine. And don’t forget to USE it.” Stu has to call her five times a day and he is forced to tell one lie on top of another so that she won’t know they’re in Vegas.

So in their ruffie induced night of debauchery, when Stu ends up marrying a stripper/hooker (Heather Graham) at a Vegas wedding Chapel, he is more afraid of Melissa killing him than the fact that he pulled out his own tooth to prove he’s a good dentist. Another great tip: Doing things that are totally out of character and that we don’t expect is also a great comedy booster..

One of my favorite characters is Syd, Doug’s future father-in-law played by Jeffry Tambor. As he hands Doug the keys to his prized Mercedes for the trip, he says with a wink, “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas – except Herpes – that shit comes home with you.” Another tip: Humor can be enhanced by taking old phrases or euphemisms, or even societal standards and adding an “odd or off color twist” to it.

It was so brilliant how they cut from their toast on the roof before their night on the town – to the next morning, and they all have horrible hangovers, with their $4,000 suite in shambles. Stu’s front tooth is missing, there is a huge tiger in the bathroom, a baby in the closet, Doug’s mattress is missing, along with Doug and they can’t remember how any of this happened.

So we have the pleasure of watching them follow one clue after another, which creates one OBSTACLE after another for them to overcome — which also introduces one more outrageous character or nemesis to interact with.

Another tip: A humorous character is just a normal character that expresses his personality or quirks in an exaggerated way.

In THE HANGOVER, we meet the sleazy but enthusiastic minister at the wedding chapel, the masochistic policeman who has kids on a field trip at the police station torture each guy by tazor gun for stealing his police car. We have the sexy stripper Stu marries and mother of the mystery baby, (played with enormous likeability by Heather Graham). Then there’s Mike Tyson who will beat the crap out of them if they don’t bring his Tiger back.

Just watching them get the tiger back is hilarious. Another tip: Creating predicaments that look impossible to solve and then coming up with some hair-brain solution that does or doesn’t work is funny to watch.

So in this case, they drug the tiger with 5 ruffies in a steak, cover him with a bed sheet and take him down on a baggage trolley. Of course the tiger wakes up in the car on the way back to Mike and they almost all get mauled. So they have to push the car with the tiger inside eating the seats!

Always look for ways to make an embarrassing scene more cringe-worthy, unique or bizarre. There are several in the movie. One is where we have the effeminate but psychotic Mr. Chow… He got locked in the trunk of the Mercedes naked, then leaps out and beats them all with a tire iron with nothing on but his socks. Then runs away bare-assed, only to hunt then down later to get his $80,000 back that they stole – “Or you don’t get Doug back”. This gives loser Alan a chance to become the HERO when he makes over $80,000 counting cards in blackjack.

Here lies another comedic TWIST – They think they’re getting their friend Doug back with the ransom and it turns out to be the ruffie drug dealer Doug. Bizarre twists are always good for comedy.

Ultimately, they all have to work together even harder to solve the mystery, which bonds them and forces them to grow as human beings. Stu grows some balls and breaks up with Melissa at the wedding, “You’re just a bad person.” And the audience cheers! Marriage-phobe Phil is thrilled to see his wife and daughter. And Alan gets to sing a happy song to his new pals, “You’re the three best friends that anyone could have, You’re the three best friends that anyone could have.” … And we believe it!

Because…Comedies always have a happy ending!

For more info about Writing Mastermind Groups or Private Coaching:
CALL: 310-923-2726 – or go to www.mbwritingworkshop.com

Writing Great Characters for the Screen, Novels and Stage Plays – Part One

So what comes first – the development of fascinating and compelling characters? Or creating the world (or the story) in which the characters participate? It can work both ways, but you have a big advantage if you start with some unique and complex characters to begin with.

So, let’s jump in and look at a great movie that has some really juicy characters – “Silver Linings Playbook.” The screenplay was adapted by David O’Russel from a novel written by Matthew Quick. And, it’s the first time in 32 years that the lead actors got nominated for the Oscar in all four acting categories: Bradley Cooper for best actor, Jennifer Lawrence for best actress, Robert DeNiro and Jacki Weaver for best supporting actor and actress. I strongly believe it’s because of the “characters” they got to embody and LIVE in, as well as interact with each other. Yes, all brilliant performances but it was delivered by a writer and director who created such complex, highly provocative, multi-layered, unpredictable, RAW, compelling and flawed, but oh-so-human characters to begin with.

There is NO story without these characters to propel it! If your characters are well defined enough they will help you inform and shape your story. They will start telling you how they want to behave, how they want to EXPRESS themselves and how they want to deal with challenges in the way of achieving what they want. Because every good character has a big “want”, something they want to accomplish, then they have to deal with all the obstacles and challenges in the way of them achieving that. So let’s take a look at these characters for a moment to see where all this “magic” stemmed from.

Let’s see, how complex can we make Bradley Cooper’s character Pat… hmm?? Let’s not just make him complicated – let’s make him bi-polar as well as obsessive compulsive! He has had to deal with emotional ups and downs his entire life, with WHITE KNUCKLE control of his anger, until he finds his wife in the shower with another man. BOOM, all his pent up rage explodes in psychotic fury and he almost kills his wife’s lover. That one outburst of fury destroys every aspect of his life; he loses his teaching job, he loses his home and he loses his wife. And that is all established at the beginning of the movie as he is getting discharged from a psychiatric ward!

So, naturally, he becomes obsessed with getting his emotions under control, getting healthy physically and emotionally, to focus on the “positive” and find the silver linings, so that he can get his life in order, so that he can get his wife NIKKI back. That becomes his driving force – his big “want”– Nikki, Nikki, Nikki. All that while dealing with the fact that he is bi-polar and not taking his meds. That character is just RIPE for one interesting challenge after another.

Since he is down and out, where else can he go to start his life all over? Into his parents house! So to add as much discomfort and conflict as possible, let’s make sure the father (Robert DeNiro’s character) has his own unique quirks and obsessions that keep him from being emotionally available to his complex son growing up. He’s obsessed with the Philadelphia Eagles and is a compulsive bookmaker who is no longer allowed in the stadium because he got banned after engaging in too many rage-filled fights at the football games. Like father, like son. Great set up. It’s also quite profound to see the walls between them gradually collapse as they bond in other ways, besides watching Eagles games together.

While Pat is obsessed with getting Nikki back – Life is making other plans… In walks Jennifer Lawrence’s character Tiffany, who has also dealt with emotional issues her entire life, along with the medications that go with them. She has no censor, says exactly what’s on her mind at ALL times, has even more rage and unpredictable behavior than Pat does, which of course scares him as much as it intrigues him. He is equally drawn and repelled at the same time, which always makes for a great love story, doesn’t it? If it was too easy, it wouldn’t be as fascinating to watch would it?

Many of the best writers draw from their own guts and real life. They not only know how to express their deepest feelings and desires, but they also know how to shine the light on their darkest thoughts and fears, as well as their own inadequacies and very human FLAWS. And Matthew Quick, who wrote “Silver Linings Playbook”, is no exception.

I am going to share a little excerpt from an interview with Mathew:

AND I QUOTE: “I always say that artists live on the fringe. I was a very good high school English teacher and I was a very good counselor of teenagers. But inside I was extremely depressed, partly because I wasn’t doing the one thing I wanted to do, which was to write. The other part was that there were a lot of weird quirky things going on inside of me that I didn’t let show. But when I started to write, I started to explore my psyche and all the things that make me Matthew Quick. And part of that was the fact that I do deal with depression. I do have anxiety issues. I can get overwhelmed with emotions. I had always been embarrassed by those traits but it’s also what fueled my writing. And the more that I came to understand that, most of my heroes who are novelists like Hemingway or Kurt Vonnegut, these are people who know the wild ups and downs. These are quirky people. These are people who are not mainstream. That was a revelation to me.”

He also lived for a spell with his parents and his father was obsessed with the Philadelphia Eagles, and in “Silver Linings Playbook” he used all that as the foundation of his story and then added all these extra elements to the characters and the story line in a fictitious way to make the characters even more complex and compelling and ripe for conflict. In my writing workshops, we are unearthing the most fantastic, RAW and deeply human and sometimes dark stuff that comes from a writer’s soul. We are mining for personal Gold and I encourage you to do the same thing.

You need to answer some important questions when creating a character:

  1. Who are they? What is their back-story? Meaning, what is their history that has helped define their personality and shaped the world they live in?
  2. What quirks or inadequacies do they have that make them flawed and very human?
  3. What talents, expertise or confidence do they have that gives them courage to overcome obstacles?
  4. What is their relationship with the other characters and the challenges that they have to deal with in order to have a healthy or loving relationship with them?
  5. What is their big “want” or desire they have to achieve in the course of the story?
  6. What are the main obstacles in the way of achieving it? This is where you want your IMAGINATION TO FLY.
  7. What are some unique and UN-predictable ways in which they can accomplish their goal based on the attitudes, beliefs and behavior of that character??

This time we are focused on drama, next time in Part two of “Writing great characters” we’ll focus on comedy. But comedy needs complex characters and their conflicts as well.

If you haven’t yet, I also encourage you to watch my first two MTT videos about “How to Tap Into your own Personal Creative Genius” and “How to Cultivate Great Story Ideas”. They will also help you create great Characters for whatever you’re writing.

If you want to know more about my Writing Mastermind groups or private coaching, the info is down below… So until next time, wishing you all the best and have a beautiful day.

Minda Burr
www.mbwritingworkshop.com
310-923-2726

Be Your Own Creative Genius

How to Tap Into Your Own Personal ‘Creative Genius’

Writing is such a great opportunity for you to express your “one-of-a-kind” self uniquely, so it’s important to know how you can best access your own personal authentic voice.


There is only one “you”… No one else has had your exact life experiences; the triumphs or the challenges. No one else is living your soul’s journey or has your unique perspective. And no one else has your individual way of expressing your-self.

In order to tap into your very own personal “creative genius”, we are first going to take a look at your big, beautiful brain and how it helps you (and hinders you) creatively.

The LEFT SIDE of your brain is dominated by our Conscious Mind – where our logic and reason comes from, as well as our ability to analyze. It stores a lot of valuable data and information that we can draw from. It’s also where our critical mind resides as well as our censor.

The RIGHT SIDE of your brain is where CREATIVITY comes from and where our imagination is ignited. It’s also where our feelings and intuition stem from. The right side is where we have access to the subconscious mind as well as the “collective UN-conscious.”

The great news about the Collective UN-conscious is that we have access to information that is not limited to our own individual experiences, but to the “all” of humanity”. And if we venture far enough away from our conscious mind, we can dive into the creative ZONE where there is no time, there is no space, there are no worries, there are no judgments, there is only the BLISS of the creative “experience.”

THIS IS SO IMPORTANT…

Your first draft of anything should be where you give the right side of your brain FULL reign. Where you don’t try to control anything and you let it rip! You allow your imagination, intuition, your heart and soul and your own personal “creative genius” to have some FUN. Your first draft is where you allow them to take you on a ride that will DELIGHT and surprise you!

The LAST thing on your mind should be “doing it right” in the first draft. Perfectionism KILLS creativity… Imagine Vincent Van Gogh if he had tried to paint “correctly” — we would be without his “one-of-a-kind” masterpieces. Talk about an authentic voice!

For example, allow these characters you are choosing to explore to have some interaction and dialogue with each other without YOU trying to control it. You will be surprised at some of the brilliant dialogue that comes out of their mouths! Especially since you didn’t say it; they did. As a matter of fact, if you give your characters enough reign, they will start to inform your story. They will tell you what they want to say, where they want to go and what they want to do… Amazing things you wouldn’t have thought of consciously.

If you allow your imagination to SOAR in the first draft, it will make your rewrites much easier and more fun because you are now invested EMOTIONALLY and you have some brilliant gems you can PLAY with. Then, in the rewrites, you can apply more structure and technique, but remain open for the “ah ha” moments. Soon things will start to make sense that might not have before. For example, did you know that M. Night Shyamalan (who wrote and directed The Sixth Sense) didn’t even know that the Bruce Willis character was dead until the 4th or 5th draft? That one element made the movie ten times more impactful!

Okay, I understand that you might be saying, “Sounds great, but easier said than done!” That’s why it’s so important as artists to cultivate and NURTURE the right brain. In fact, there are several ways you can do that.

One of the best ways is DELIGHTING in your five fabulous SENSES!

For example, here are just a few of the thousands of ways you can delight in your senses:

  • Savor and be present with delicious food.
  • Listen to beautiful uplifting or relaxing music.
  • Enjoy the beauty of nature. RELISH the beauty all around you!
  • Stop and SMELL the roses (literally).
  • Kiss, touch and be affectionate with your loved ones.

Other Great ways to STIMULATE the RIGHT BRAIN:

  • Meditate: get out of your conscious mind and into the alpha state.
  • Gather with friends you really ENJOY and have some laughs. FUN is a big right brain stimulator!
  • Go see terrific movies, read good books, watch entertaining and funny shows – they ALL stimulate and ENHANCE the right brain.
  • MOVE your body. Dance, make love, hike, ride a bike!

ENGAGE in Life! How can you expect us to engage in your story, if you aren’t engaged in your own life?!

In upcoming videos/articles, I will be discussing:

  • Cultivating story ideas and topics that you feel passionate about!
  • Creating compelling characters that we care about (or love to hate)!
  • Creating fascinating story arcs that keep your readers hooked!
  • Writers block and how to deal with it!

Stay tuned… for more Writing articles. For more information on my Writing Mastermind Groups or private coaching, visit my website or call me at:

MBwritingworkshop.com
310-923-2726
Actors Writing Their Own Material

Actors Writing Your own Material

The biggest mistake most actors make is leaving it to their agent to establish a career for him or her. Then there is the smaller percentage of go-getters who know very well that the agent is only responsible for 10 percent of their work – so they create or write their own opportunities. This way they can have much more of a say in what they actually want to “design” in terms of their creative participation and ultimate success.


This goes all the way back to the days of Charlie Chaplin in the 1920s and Mae West in the 1930s, when they were the most powerful people in Hollywood at the time. Mae West was considered very risqué in her day but she didn’t need permission from anyone to do “anything” she wanted.

Some other standouts who have created star making vehicles for themselves are Woody Allen, Steve Martin, Billy Crystal, Adam Sandler, Will Ferrell, Ben Stiller, Seth Rogen and Jason Segel – to name just a few. Every heard of any of these guys?? Seriously, who else would have made Woody Allen a movie star but Woody Allen?! He created a brilliant way to do whatever he darn well pleases and not have to answer to anyone – ever. With complete creative control, Woody still makes one movie a year. And the good news to all “maturing talent” in show biz – is that some of his latest masterpieces like “Midnight in Paris” and “Blue Jasmine” – are amongst his best work in his 40-something year career.

Fortunately, female writer/performers have finally burst into the “Hollywood Big Guns” scene in a fierce way, starring in film and television gems they have created for themselves and the people they want to PLAY with. Tina Fey established herself mightily as the first female Head Writer for Saturday Night Life, which helped pave the way for Loren Michaels to produce the big hit she penned (and also co-starred in) – the clever box office champ, “Mean Girls”. The next thing you know, she is writing, producing and starring in the highly acclaimed and award winning “30 Rock.” Then more movies… Plus co-hosting the Golden Globes with another female dynamo – Amy Poehler.

Kristen Wiig parlayed her hilarious (and brilliantly written) romps on SNL into the hysterically funny “Bridesmaids”, which turned out to a huge hit! And you’re never too young to get started. Lena Dunham was 19 and 20 years old when she wrote, directed and starred in some award winning short films, which then paved the way for her enormous success as writer, star and often time director of the brilliant series “Girls” on HBO.

You might be saying, “But I’m not a writer.” My answer to that is, “How do you know? Nobody is a writer until they write something!” I have three thriving mastermind groups and I would say that nine out of the ten people in each of my groups are either former or current actors who want to create their own opportunities.

Across the board, I have found that actors are most often brilliant writers because you are very sensitive people and you are keenly interested in human behavior. Plus you have a deep desire to be freely expressed and you have a great imagination that you like to “use”. You love to observe people and emulate interesting behavior. You dive deep and you’re passionate people. These are all qualities of a great writer!

So, my goal here is to plant some seeds so that you’ll be inspired to create your own “ticket to ride”… And it’s never been a better time in the history of show business to do that. Because of the Internet and social media – as well as advancements in technology – you can now buy quality video cameras that create beautiful high definition for very little expense. Plus, if you are fortunate enough to have a Mac or more advance PC with editing capabilities, you can shoot, star in and edit your own short (or full length) films, web series, talk shows, sketches and stand-up comedy highlights. And then gain an entire fan base on You Tube with your own channel! It’s so much easier now to create and edit your own masterpieces, than what was available to the average person just a few years ago… The possibilities to create and share your unique expression – is ENDLESS.

Now it’s time to ask yourself seven questions:

  1. What is unique or outstanding about me that I can enjoy sharing for my own and others entertainment?
  2. What subjects fascinate me?
  3. What characters do I want to explore, dive into, behave like or interact with?
  4. What ironies of Life would I like to contemplate and find humor in?
  5. What quirks or personal flaws do I have that I can have some FUN with?
  6. What strengths or expertise do I have that I can inspire or entertain others with?
  7. Who are the people that I would like to create and PLAY with?

PLEASE NOTE: It’s so important to align yourself with other creative comrades whose talent you admire and whose company you enjoy, so that you can inspire and motivate each other while you create something fabulous together. If you look at the stars I talked about earlier, whether it be Will Ferrell, Ben Stiller or Jason Segel, they keep playing with the same cast of characters! They keep making movies together and they have a ball doing it. They also have a better chance of success when they band together and so will you.

In the next video, I’ll share more great tips about how to create your own opportunities with more information about web series, YouTube and the best equipment for the lowest price.

And I encourage you take advantage of the wealth of information available to you on MasterTalentTeachers.com. It will greatly support you in all this.

For more information about Minda Burr’s Writing Mastermind Groups and Private Coaching go to: www.mbwritingworkshop.com or Call: 310-923-2726

How to Cultivate Great Story Ideas, Part 2

How do you develop an idea? Where do you even begin if you don’t know what you want to write next? Or, perhaps you have so many options, Read more