Principles of Art Design (Polarization)

In another attempt to polarize your cast of characters in a story, let’s consider the other aspect of art identification- the principles of design. Previously we looked into the elements of art. Remember the key to polarizing is to be consciously aware that your characters should react uniquely to different situations in your story. Here are the eight principles. Balance: …

Elements of Art (Polarization)

I am constantly fascinated with orders and organizations of groups, mostly because the grouping units MUST be different enough to warrant their inclusion in the larger grouping. And those different enough represent an opportunity for polarization. So let us look at the seven elements of art and see how they could utilized in polarizing characters. We will have to try …

Your Character’s Spirit Animal (Polarization)

Always looking for new options to polarize characters. your intrepid Jack has discovered the writings of Coryelle Kramer whose speciality is animal communication. Ms. Kramer has identified what she considers to be six animal dynamics. Look at her list here: The Direct & Demanding The Rule Breaker The Energetic The Sensory The Shifter The Transcendent Now consider what they may …

Character Cats

Raymond Cattell’s Taxonomy identifies 16 different personality  factors that could be used for polarizing and dimensionalizing characters. Give them a try in your story! The following personality trait list describes some of the descriptive terms used for each of the 16 personality dimensions described by Cattell. 1. Abstractedness: Imaginative versus practical 2. Apprehension: Worried versus confident 3. Dominance: Forceful versus submissive 4. Emotional Stability: Calm versus …

Psychology and Polarizing: The Big Five

For longtime readers of this blog, you’ve probably guessed that creating compelling and challenging characters whose attitudes and personalities not only are different with each other, but clash in interesting ways is a chief focus in my attempts to improve my own writing. As far back as Story Toolkit Podcast’s episode on Out of Gas I’ve been fascinated with polarizing characters. …

Virtue and Vice in Polarization

In a previous post I spoke about Polarising Your Cast. I hope to provide some updated ideas as to use other concepts that can provide polarization for larger groups than just the head, heart, and guts. Consider for example the classical Seven Deadly Sins and Seven Heavenly Virtues. The benefit is you can focus on a collision of Virtues versus Vice …

Polarising Your Cast

What does it mean to polarise (polarize) your characters? I first heard this term in The Story Toolkit Podcast  episode #31 where they demonstrate excellent polarisation from Out of Gas one of the best teleplays from the amazing dead-before-its-time series  Firefly. Good writing polarises the cast allowing each character to react differently to a story event. Let’s consider the iconic characters of Kirk, Spock, and McCoy …