Writing teacher William Zinsser describes creativity as having levels, or orders. The first idea you get is referred to as first order, the second is referred to as second order, and so on. Zinsser encourages his students to think beyond first order creativity and dive deep with each iteration. This is also one of Pixar’s tenets of storytelling: Never go with the first idea ( rule #12 here). This is because, commonly, the first order of thinking tends to be commonplace. As you dig deeper, surprising, fresh, nuanced ideas rise to the surface.

We've already covered how to write a character-driven plot and using your personal story to inform character in this series, now, we'll explore going beyond top-level actions.

In order to really dig deep, you have to truly understand your characters and their throughlines. You have to comprehend their motivations and the world that afflicts them. Characters like to play it safe, stay within their own corner of the world, and disregard anything that disturbs them. But that doesn’t make for great stories. Faced with challenges, characters will often revert to their old selves unless real transformation has taken place. Of course, this transformation is what stories are about: an inkling, a shadow, an allusion to some measure of change. 

When writing characters, it's important to keep the theory of first ideas in mind. Top-level actions are fine for certain stories and certain scenes, but most of the time you’re going to want to dig really deep in order to write authentic, nuanced, rich and compelling characters who make equally cinematic choices.

Below are discussion questions that you can ask yourself, write the answers to, or ponder about as they relate to your characters and their choices. 

Why would my character do this at this moment?  

Characters like to think for themselves. Follow along with them and you often get a meandering story. Squash them in between plotlines and you’ll suffocate them. Striking a delicate balance between the two is key. In order to honor your characters' choices and go beyond first-order ideas, dig deep. Ask yourself not the how or the what, but the why. Why would your character make the choice that they are making? Is it to incite? To reconcile? To cause action? Is it to reflect? To disallow? To deny? Why on earth is this your character’s choice at this moment? If the answer is obvious, you’re still thinking surface-level. If the answer surprises you, you’re digging deep. 

Example: Why did Walter White choose the drug path to make money? There are myriad other ways he could’ve attained money. Why that way? The simplest answer is as a chemist, it was the most seamless decision he could’ve made at the time. But the real reason why is what we now know after having seen his entire journey. All along he chose the path that would lead him to power. That’s deep and rich and compelling.

Asking why illuminates the truth in your character’s actions, making them more aligned with their characteristics and realities. Use this question to really understand your character and drive them towards compelling action.

How did my character arrive at this choice?

If your character is being put between a rock and a hard place, make sure you understand how they arrived at the choice they made. If they are being pressured, how did they make the decision to do what they are doing? Is it because of duress? Is it an act of strength? Or cowardice? Did they arrive at this choice easily? (If so, why? How? If not, why not?) Are they leveraging resources they were given or cobbled together themselves? Make sure the answer includes information the characters reveal about themselves. Characters often reveal themselves through action so it’s imperative that the choices they make are reflective of who they are. Asking the “how” puts context around the character’s actions (a context that is oftentimes provided by the narrative). 

Example: Fern in Nomadland makes the choice not to go with Dave. How did Fern arrive at this choice? She arrived at this choice by realizing that she preferred to honor the nomad life that had provided an identity, a means, and a sense of purpose for her following her late husband’s death. 

Asking how clarifies the context surrounding your character’s choices, leading you towards deeper and more nuanced actions. This line of questioning also helps with gaining a deeper understanding of your character.

Why is this specific to my character?

When talking about themes, we know that going into the very specific always alludes to the general. This means that the more narrow, deep, honed in, and particular you are about your character’s actions, the greater the level of understanding an audience has. Sometimes you have to contextualize these actions in the story in order for things to coalesce for readers and audiences. But we can argue that much of humanity experiences things similarly and much of your characters will be reflections of that common humanity. By getting specific, you gain greater access to your characters. What is it about them that makes them scared? Why do they speak the way they speak? Why do they have the job they have? What is it about them that you hate? Or love? How does their culture influence them? How does their upbringing inform their traumas? 

Asking about the particularities of your characters helps to know them really well. That is the aim of any story: To know, care for, and be fascinated by stand-ins for and allusions to human beings. 

In conclusion

Sometimes characters make choices that shock us. But more so than not, they make choices that are safe for them. Asking deep questions leads to a greater understanding of your characters’ choices. This helps elevate writing, helping it come from a more nuanced, astute place. What does your character tell us about the themes you’re writing about and why are they the perfect character for the job? What is specific about them? How did they arrive at their choices? Why did they make the choices they made? Think inwardly to answer the questions within the universe of your story.