Welcome back to this second portion of our interview with Patrick Rieger on character creation. Today, we dive in to adaptations, gravitational characters, what kids are drawn toward, and more to help you level up your writing game! So, let's discuss...
FROG AND TOAD & STILLWATER WERE ADAPTATIONS FROM BOOKS - DID THE CHARACTERS CHANGE FROM THE BOOKS AT ALL?
Patrick: "[Stillwater] does change from the books, but [showrunner Rob Hoegee] had those books, which he had been reading to his kids throughout their whole lives. So, he had this really natural place he was coming from [for the adaptation]. So the characters did evolve and they were given depth...[and] all of that came from Rob and his experience and the things he wanted to bring to a show like that."
On the other hand, "[Frog and Toad] was an example of: 'We know these characters very well, so how can we just add more experience to them, help give them a little bit more depth as characters, and then help expand the group of characters that surrounded them? If they live in a woodland forest community, who are the other characters in that community?' So, we were thinking of all of that as we were going through both of those kinds of shows."
WHAT IS THE MOST DIFFICULT ASPECT WHEN WRITING CHARACTERS FOR KIDS?
Patrick: "I'd say any character that has either leadership aspects or is the hero in the Hero's Journey - you're always looking for ways to break it apart. We've all seen so many examples of the classic Hero's Journey: They start here, and then they have to get here, and then there's a series of trials, and there's a low point... so you're always just trying to break out of that and spin those tropes differently so that it's something your audience doesn't expect and something that you, as the writer, aren't going to get bored by."
You should analyze your characters in every scene and go, "'Okay, this is the obvious thing that the character is doing, but I know that these are the aspects of the character that are fun and different than what's expected. So, how do I add that into a scene? How do I add a moment here that's going to be unexpected to what the audience is looking for and even to what a villain is looking for?'... 'What's the obvious thing? And then what's the deeper, more fun version of this?'"
IS THERE A SPECIFIC TYPE OF CHARACTER KIDS SEEM TO GRAVITATE TOWARD?
Patrick: "I think all of the characters just have to feel very lived in. ...I've got a show coming out called the Super Duper Bunny League, and the characters all have really interesting quirks. So, what you'll find is that kids are just going to gravitate to the one that they feel the most at home with, whether it is the big character like Hulk - who is just obvious and leaves the emotion on his sleeve every time - or it's something else [like] a quieter character."
There isn't necessarily one specific thing kids are drawn toward, "but they're always looking for...the extreme [qualities] that they're going to be able to emulate on the playground...whether it's someone very aggressive or very in-your-face or someone a little bit quieter."
ANY MORE ADVICE FOR WRITERS WHEN IT COMES TO CREATING CHARACTERS?
Patrick: When creating characters, "one of the most important things is: mine something that you have [along] with...something you've seen before to create something brand new. Mine as much from your own experience and really lean in to the specifics of that experience. I've been creating some original work lately, and the things I always go back to are: 'What was it like with me and my siblings growing up?' 'What are really specific details about a fight that I had with my sister?'"
Mining experiences from days of traveling and cousin holidays has been turned into: "'What does a family reunion look like in space?' I love the idea of taking science fiction tropes for a space adventure and putting them with something that I know really well. And I think the blend and overall merging of those two things creates a whole new exciting character that an audience will go: 'Oh, I haven't really seen something like this before, I'm excited to see where it goes.'"
I hope you enjoyed this knowledgable insight from Patrick! Feel free to connect with him on LinkedIn, and be sure to check out his latest work on IMDb!
Major Take-Aways:
1. Some adapted shows do have alterations from the source material, while others don't - you must decide what is best for the story.
2. When writing for kids, your goal is to spin tropes differently, so you can present something unexpected to your audience.
3. Kids love very extreme characteristics that they can personify when playing.
4. Make sure your characters feel lived-in and authentic.
5. When creating characters, be sure to merge things you've seen before with your own life experience to create something new and engaging.
