Screenwriting : Writing Characters by Bram Christian

Hi Abram, do you have any videos on YouTube?

Billy Kwack I have some things there from when I was starting out and in practice mode. My recent film TONES which won multiple awards at international film festivals is available for streaming on UVOTV.

What is it that these behaviors are intended to say about your characters? Is it purposeful or stereotype? Characters have more intrigue if you offer the viewer a reason to be intrigued, to ask questions. Smoking, for example, may be a behavior that is expected of an individual who is in a certain group, but it may say more about them if they abstain from a given behavior than participate. Remember to SHOW and not TELL.

Hi Abram, UVOTV, is that free?

Billy Kwack yes it is. You can Google the platform and search for TONES

TONES | UVOtv https://uvotv.com/movie/tones--10200/play

Hi Abram, I just watched Tones, it's pretty good. Are you working on anything now?

A character's behaviour should reveal something about them that drives your story forward. Abram, you could incorporate the following to inject variety into your screenplays:'

1. make your characters carry something in their pockets, hands etc. The objects carried by your characters become an externalization of their inner being. A character whose one pocket houses that small Gideons International bible and whose other pocket is home to an Okapi knife is intriguing to keep an eye on. The big question is : How do these two objects reconcile? Who is this character? What are they up to? However, as we keep watching your movie, we'll get a better understanding of where your character is coming from and where they are going? This is massive, Abram

2. your characters may have odd habits, for example, a billionaire who borrows money from women. Obviously, everyone watching such a character would root for them, trying to find out how these two incongruities are going to reconcile or go separate way like railway lines. Questions that snake through our minds are: Is the billionaire genuine in his borrowing? Is this not some kind of entrapment? Thus, we 're invested to see how this plays out

3. Characters should catch a laugh in the face of adversity. We all do laugh at funerals. Characters' behaviour shouldn't be predictable. However, use this technique sparingly and only when it's proper to use it.

I find that starting with traits and backstories can be a case of the tail wagging the dog.

Stories have themes and really well developed stories have characters who provide a different take on that central theme. They round out what the story is really discussing us by balancing out the extremes or reductiveness of the protagonist(s) and antagonist(s). That means they can make some of the most profound points. In a lot of rom-coms, it's the best friend who tells the protagonist what they need to know during their dark night of despair.

With that, I look for people who provide those views and build them out from there, usually basing them on real people. Darkness and drugs are certainly on the table, because that's reality, and people who have been through extremes tend to have insight most of us don't.

Billy Kwack thank you. I appreciate it. after I fully heal from recent spinal fusion surgery, I will be refining my short film script TRANSitioned with a hope to shoot it in 2026.

CJ Walley That’s a great way of looking at it also.

I do sometimes, Bram Christian. I also give characters daily routines, hobbies, habits, secrets, etc.

Maurice Vaughan secrets are key. my characters usually have secrets.

It depends on the character, but for all important characters, protagonists and supports, it's good to think of a daily routine to get into their headspace. But you won't necessarily include too much of in the script. But then those notes will be great for any pre-production work as others get into the character's headspace beyond the page.

I've learned secrets are big in scripts, Bram Christian. Sometimes I don't use the secrets and other things like hobbies in a script, but they're there in the outline in case I want to use them later.

Maurice Vaughan That’s a great strategy in case you want to use them as the script develops.

Thanks, Bram Christian. And I could always use them for other scripts.

If it serves the purpose of the story and character.

Hi Abram, sorry to hear

Billy Kwack Thank you

Elle Bolan absolutely and completely.

I'll admit, I default to having my characters not drink or smoke most times because I myself do neither of those things (but sometimes they do drink and/or smoke; it's safe to say that if the setting is essentially implied to be where I live, they smoke pot more than cigarettes). As for sketchy backstories, that's also rare, but I won't hold back if they have one.

Absolutely—flawed characters with vices are often more compelling than squeaky-clean protagonists. Smoking, drinking, and drug use can reveal character through behavior: how they use substances says as much as why they use them.

The key is intentionality. Does the vice serve character development, reveal emotional state, or drive plot? A character chain-smoking during tense moments communicates differently than casual social drinking. Addiction as character flaw creates conflict and stakes.

Common pitfall: Making every character edgy through substance use can feel like shorthand for "complex" rather than genuinely developed characterization. Vices work best when they're specific to that character's psychology, not just atmospheric cool.

Practical consideration: Excessive smoking/drinking on-screen faces production challenges (actor health, continuity). Writers often cut these details during development unless they're plot-essential.

Sketchy backstories are great—just ensure the sketchy parts inform present-day choices and conflicts. What genre are you writing? Crime/noir thrives on these elements; family drama might need different justification.

Hi Abram!

Funnily enough I’m just editing a video for Writers about writing really great 3-dimensional characters that leap of the page by tapping into three key tools that Actors use when exploring and creating characters. I’ll pop a link in here when it’s finished and uploaded if you like!

I had a character that loved the bourbon but tied into their overall emotional journey.