Main Character Resolve: Change or Steadfast

Will the Main Character ultimately hold onto his original motivation or exchange it for a new motivation?

-- Video Clips: Examples of Change Main Characters: Scrooge in A Christmas Carol, Judah Rosenthal in Crimes and Misdemeanors, Luke in Star Wars.

-- Video Clips: Examples of Steadfast Main Characters: Dr. Richard Kimble in The Fugitive, James Bond in Goldfinger (Pussy Galore is the Obstacle Character).

Main Character Growth: Stop or Start

Will the direction of the Main Character’s growth be toward something starting or toward something stopping?

-- Video Clip: Example of Stop Main Character: Dr. Richard Kimble in The Fugitive.

-- Video Clip: Example of Start Main Character: Scrooge in A Christmas Carol.

Main Character Approach: Do-er or Be-er

How does the Main Character prefer to solve his problems, through external work or through internal work?

-- Video Clip: Example of Do-er Main Character: Harry in Dirty Harry.

-- Video Clip: Example of Be-er Main Character: William Munny in Unforgiven.

Main Character Mental Sex: Male or Female*

Does the Main Character fundamentally tend to see things linearly or holistically?

-- Video Clips: Example of Male and Female Mental Sex swap: Agents Mulder and Scully in The X Files.

-- Video Clips: Example of Female Mental Sex Main Character: Jack Ryan in The Hunt for Red October.

 *This has been changed to Main Character Problem Solving Style: Logical or Intuitive.

Story Work: Action or Decision

Which takes precedence over the other in driving the plot, do Actions drive decisions or do Decisions drive actions?

-- Video Clips: Example of Action driven stories: Jaws, Star Wars.

-- Video Clip: Example of Decision driven stories: The Godfather.

Story Limit: Timelock or Optionlock

What brings your story to a climax, running out of time or running out of options?

-- Video Clips: Example of Timelock stories: 48 Hrs., High Noon.

-- Video Clip: Example of Optionlock stories: The Verdict.

Story Outcome: Success or Failure

Is the Story Goal reached or not?

Story Judgment: Good or Bad

Does the Main Character work out his angst or not?

-- Video Clip: Example of Failure/Bad stories: Hamlet.

-- Video Clips: Example of Success/Bad stories: Remains of the Day, The Silence of the Lambs.

-- Video Clip: Example of Failure/Good stories: Rain Man.

-- Video Clip: Example of Success/Good stories: Star Wars.