This is a particularly interesting time of year, because it is a
significant time for many, but the specifics are determined by
perspective. Passover is a remembrance of God sparing the firstborn
child of Israelites while striking down those of the Egyptians. This led
to their departure from Egypt, where they had been slaves.
Christians celebrate Easter to commemorate the death and resurrection of Jesus.
And there are varying perspectives about the possible pagan origins of the holiday.
It's interesting to think about, because it means that how one person
views the significance of this time could be very different from how
others view it. A non-religious family may only think of the Easter
bunny and candy. A Christian family may think of family dinners and
special church services. A Jewish family may be focused on gathering to
celebrate Passover.
This is just one of many ways to illustrate the importance of
perspective with our characters so that we convey a clear meaning. If
the text says that the week before Easter was an important time for
Saul, we might not connect that to Passover if it hasn't been
established that he's Jewish.
It may seem a small thing, but perspective matters. A character
shouldn't be different just for the sake of being quirky. Difference
should manifest itself in their perspective and their actions. If a POV
character is 4'6" then I want to see the world at that height; likewise,
if they're religious then that should impact their life, choices and
perspective.
We've been watching The Path, and it's really interesting to see how
convictions manifest themselves in the different characters. I commend
the writers for really getting into the nuances of belief and practice
and incorporating it into the personality. One religious nut is not another religious nut. The personality and nuances inform character
action, which drives the story, and that means those aspects of the
characters aren't just dressing tacked on to give the illusion of
character development; they're substantive and organically influence the
characters and plot, which is what the greatest character development
will do.
I remember for a period of time it seemed like every TV show had to have a token gay character, and at other points it's been a token feminist or a token person of a specific ethnic origin. In well developed work, the characteristics of a character are thought out to contribute to their arc and impact their story.
May we all write complicated characters.
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