Building a Compelling Character- 4 Corner Opposition

I discovered an amazing screenplay structure for crafting compelling characters and conflict by John Truby, and my two Readers' Theater scripts align perfectly with it. This provides excellent practice for the next RT workshop participants, allowing them to further develop their theme ideas and assign characters accordingly.

 

In stories, a character's beliefs, desires, and needs all work together to shape their journey and growth. Here's how:

 

Beliefs:

What a character thinks and believes in guides their choices and actions, but when these beliefs are challenged, conflicts arise.

Wants vs. Needs:

Characters have things they want (like winning a race) and things they need (like feeling accepted). Sometimes, these clash, causing inner struggles and growth.

Conflict and Resolution:

Problems arise when characters face obstacles that block their wants, needs, or beliefs. Overcoming these challenges leads to growth and understanding.

Change:

A character's beliefs, wants, and needs change as they face challenges and learn from their experiences, leading to personal growth and transformation.

 

In "The Lion King," Simba's journey is like a big adventure full of important stuff like what he believes in, what he really wants, the problems he faces, and how he changes. At first, Simba wants to be king and fit in, but things get messy when he feels guilty and Scar tricks him. He runs away and learns a lot about himself. Eventually, he faces his fears, comes back, and takes charge. It's all about learning to deal with tough times and doing what's right. "The Lion King" teaches us about accepting who we are and taking responsibility.

 

4 Corner Opposition

 

Do you want to write a Readers' Theater script? Are you struggling with materializing your theme? Is there a step-by-step procedure to guide us along the way? Well, with this magical and tried-and-tested structure for creating characters, complete with the interplay of their conflicting beliefs, there are answers to all questions. Let's use my original scripts, Tiny but Mighty and All for One andOne for All, as a great example to further discover the magic of 4 Corner Opposition:

 

There was a tiny, isolated island called Sweet Potato. It had been ignored by big countries for a long time. People there were super nice and friendly, and they believed they were mighty in their own way. COVID, the invincible monster, was devastating the world and met no match for her power. She then set her eyes on Sweet Potato and believed it would fall soon, just like all the others. However, with the magic stones on the island, they made a shield and successfully warded off COVID's attack. A messenger from one of the big countries came to the island for help. Should they only protect themselves or offer a helping hand to the world?

 

Step 1: Define the Conflicting Beliefs

 

A character's beliefs encompass their core values, influencing the character's decisions, actions, and interactions with others. So, our protagonist, Clock, has his core belief: 'Always do the right thing and never give up,' while the antagonist, COVID, wants to conquer the world and believes Sweet Potato is the key.

 

Step 2: The Pros and Cons of Each Belief

 

What are the main pros and cons of Clock's and COVID's beliefs? By placing Clock in the top left corner (+) and COVID in the bottom right (-), let's ask ourselves two questions: What does Clock's belief cost? What would be the price to pay to uphold his belief? Yes, not all people in Sweet Potato will agree with his belief and actions. The con here is: 'You don't listen. You just want to take the credit.'"

 

"Then, we do the same with COVID's con. As the world is falling apart, two leaders of big countries, Joe (the U.S.) and Suka (Japan), began to notice that Sweet Potato has something valuable to contribute to containing COVID. 'They know how to build shields. They have chips. Tiny but Mighty.'"

 

Step 3: Conflict - the Interplay between Conflicting Beliefs

 

Only through conflict, both external and internal stopping forces to keep our protagonist from getting what they want, our protagonist has to make tough decisions and pay a heavy price. On top of that, his or her true character only reveals under greater pressure. Now, we're ready to connect the dots and build up to our theme - "How Taiwan Contained COVID". It won't be as easy as the good guy vs. the bad guy story. Instead, it has depth and deeper meaning all because of the conflict between those beliefs. For example, Clock vs. Lex and Terry. To do the right thing, Clock has to confront his own fellow villagers and learn to reevaluate his core belief in order to change, to grow- “Together, we are stronger.”

 

Now, let's put together what we learned and try to use the structure for another theme. Say, bullying, social media, Taichung, SDGs, or even A.I., to name just a few. Follow the above steps, create conflicting four-corner oppositions, assign characters, and then force our hero to grow and change.

 

Through self-studying on YouTube, I've watched numerous videos about Dan Harmon's Story Circle and used it to create three RT scripts. The process of creating intriguing and relatable characters has bothered me for a long time because I couldn't figure out how conflict interplays with a character's beliefs, wants, and needs. That's why I was so excited to share the concept of '4 Corner Opposition' when I came across a video this morning.

Just like in real life, conflicting beliefs in stories serve as the driving force behind our motivations and actions, influencing our choices on how to live a better life. As an unorthodox teacher in such a test-driven setting, the core belief and value of English teaching and learning, 'Have fun using English,' often places me in challenging situations. However, it also strengthens my determination to prove the naysayers and haters wrong, despite the challenges, through the recognition gained from awards and certificates.