1. Class 12
In Her Skin - Giving the Transitional Character Motivation and Point of View

2. Motivation
Write drama knowing what your Transitional Character needs and wants
Put your Transitional Character into Dramatic Situations
Avoid explaining – rather have your character show what he or she wants
When you write a scene or a sequence, set up actual challenges (from people or things)
See how your Transitional Character Responds in a given Dramatic Situation

3. What is motivation?
Immediate need – e.g. get food to eat, get a sick child to hospital, catch that bus, avoid that flood, save that precious photo from a fire…
A reachable need – explain something to a loved one, get a light for your room so that you can study at night...
A far-off need – get affirmation from a loved one, plan towards a goal, achieve something that would change your life

4. What is Dramatic Situation?
Character in a dramatic, existential context – e.g. Woman forbidden to leave home has to go somewhere for a compelling reason; or a teenager debates whether to tell her mother the whole truth…
Present tense
What is happening right here and now to the transitional character

5. Dramatic Situation is…
Where consequences of action really count
Where what a transitional character does, tells audience what he wants (often at odds/ in conflict with) somebody else
Action – what the character does next could determine life or death
Verbal – some cost involved… Somebody could get hurt
Signs – Action, however small, is a clue to the inner thoughts of the transitional character
Context in which transitional character RESPONDS (either negatively or positively)
An encounter that transitional character might win or lose (could lose the battle but win the war!)

6. Dramatic Situation is NOT…
Exposition of the character by description
Flashback
Explanation
A reason to stop the action to insert “important” biographical detail
Past tense – what happened before must play into what is happening right here and now

7. Point of View See it the way the transitional character does
Focus on the actions of the transitional character in order to understand their view
Show the bigger picture through their eyes
Avoid generalised descriptive story in favour of their angle on what’s happening
Let the transitional character be changed by the goal they seek
Don’t have things just happen to the Transitional Character like victims of circumstance, bound to Fate
Transitional characters are proactive

8. Make the goal clear
Don’t leave audience confused about the transitional character’s goal
Have them say it (more than once)
Have them sign it and act as if they want it
Put in dialogue, action or images that reinforce the striving towards goal
Make the Transitional character active not passive

9. Conclusion
Characters need motivation to bring audience along with them
Characters form goals that audiences root for
Characters have points of view that we follow
Write the bigger picture from the perspective of the Transitional Character
Write and direct what is going on in the drama by giving a clear POINT OF VIEW (perspective)