I always have a contract with a character. Even when he's unappealing. The contract is to give him his due. To tell his story. And to keep his secrets.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
You get the part, sign the contract and start to realize millions of people follow this guy and know more about your character than you do.
Sometimes it's a character you want to play or a story you want to tell. Sometimes it's just to pay the bills.
You have to respect who the character is. It has its own internal truth, and you can't betray that. And if you don't betray that, it will not betray you.
I have a contract but it's not a commitment in the ordinary sense. It's our ongoing conversation.
If somebody is in a story, they need to be there for a reason, and not just to set up somebody else's story.
It's a luxury to be able to tell a long form story. I love novels, and I love to have a long relationship with characters.
In a memoir, your main contract with the reader is to tell the truth, no matter how bizarre.
I take little bits and pieces of ideas that I may or may not believe in but I give them to this character and he runs with them. I have fun with however he handles the situation.
I like books that have razor-sharp plotting that snaps and moves along. It's not about the main character being different at the end. I don't want my main character to be different in the end. I still want him committed to his ideas, to be steadfast, true and loyal.
Once you have your characters, they tell you what to write, you don't tell them.
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