Screenwriting : Character development by Augustine Ihuomaogbonna

I start with a character’s flaw(s), Augustine Ihuomaogbonna, but I come up with their name, age, and personality before that. The character’s goal drives my story more.

I agree with Maurice. After my protagonist is introduced, I reveal flaws through actions (what he/she does).

That’s such a great insight — I completely agree. The most memorable characters are the ones who struggle, make mistakes, and grow from them. Personally, I tend to start with their flaws first, because those weaknesses usually shape the choices they make and the conflicts they face. Once I understand what’s “broken” or unresolved in them, their goals start to feel more authentic — like something they need rather than just want.

But I think the magic really happens when the flaw and the goal collide — when chasing what they want forces them to confront who they really are. That’s where the emotional truth of a story lives for me.

How about you — do you find yourself more drawn to starting with what your character wants, or what’s holding them back?

I start with scars. What scars do they already have when they appear and how many more scars do you want them to have by the end type of thing. If I'm being honest though, most of my character evolution comes from me actually just writing things out, specifically the moments in between my spark notes version of a script.

Augustine Ihuomaogbonna , that's a key question to focus on, as sometimes flaws lead the protagonist to a great goal that would not be set without the consequences of the flaws' impact the protagonist succumbs to. Sometimes, inner mental fighting monologues surface more unvisible flaws of the protagonist, than the actions themselves, I think, sometimes, at least.

Start with the flaw. This is the catalyst for your character's goal (which is not the same as their need necessarily). Then, I build the character, supporting characters, and the antagonist based on the wants/needs/characteristics of the protagonist. Your antagonist should be a sort of antithesis of your protagonist and be able to exploit your protagonist's flaw in some way. It can be either directly or indirectly, based on your story. People say you should have a secondary character who helps your protagonist overcome their flaw, but I don't think the secondary character should necessarily be a sidekick. I write my secondary characters in a way that they have their own wants/needs, which may or may not conflict with the protagonist's goal. You can just write and see how the story plays out. But, definitely have an idea of what the protagonist wants and what they need.

In the spirit of treating your characters as badly as possible, its good to see how their greatest flaws will be used against them, but will ultimately need to be conquered for them to overcome the challenges ahead of them. The version of themselves that a character becomes at the end of the film is usually very different to the one they start off as.

As above, your protagonist being flawed is critical to typical story structure. You should be trying to say something about life through their flawed thinking, which is either corrected or not depending on your ending.

Further to that, you should be representing people in a realistic sense. We're all flawed in many ways. Part of being an artist is realising your own flaws and sharing them with the world.