How to Write Unforgettable Characters Readers Will Love (You've Never Seen This Before) 

This video has a hidden layer for those who are observant. Tim Grahl describes himself as a person who is defined in some ways by order - he is, after all, a complex human being. For those of you who know Tim's work - and keep in mind I do not know Tim personally - he wrote a book entitled: Running Down A Dream. In this book, you see an orderly man pursuing his dream of becoming a writer. What follows is a man's attempt to deal with the chaos he introduces into his life while trying to solve the problem of "how to be a writer" - how to pursue your dream while finding some balance between chaos and order, and thus complexity. For me, most of Tim's work is about his learning to discern and understand the chaos in his own life and then his willingness to share that with readers and listeners. Keeping in mind that I live in "the blue", I can still appreciate the application of the theory on a life in progress.

I have to second a comment down below -- You're basically describing the D&D alignment system. :) You've got Lawful Good (High Order in the Just/Good sense) to Neutral (your flawed hero essentially who might steal but then give it to a child in need) Chaotic (The Joker of course is the best representation) or Lawful Evil (Too much order in the negative sense). It's a helpful system if you're playing around with character creation. I like your approach, too, Tim. But I was definitely reminded of D&D here.

Strangely- dictators can also use huge amounts of chaos in order to manipulate and control, though keeping people confused/unable to function or escape.

Your narration in all videos is loud and clear.

I’ve been raving about this channel today this video is a perfect example of why. I never thought of story this way (inter-character dynamic of order vs chaos) but I see it’s in everything everywhere! That was a cool aha moment to have, thanks!!!

Complexify. What a powerful concept. This is a great new point of view for writers to have regarding their stories. While this can apply to the static nature of static characters as a group, I think it also can apply to change (from order to chaos or vice versa) in dynamic characters. Being a verb, 'complexify' implies action and change. Change is a key component of story. And change is what makes a good story good, bc this is what readers are after-seeing how the characters handle what they encounter. Complexification is exactly how change occurs. Change can appear natural and organic if it has this chaos/order engine driving it. A courtship love story likely works better if one lover is more chaotic and the other lover is more ordered, and due to them being different and them interacting, they complexify each other-they change. Not at their core, but in their worldview. Like Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy. It's kind of a yin and yang thing. I don't think a scene or a story works without this sort of change. And two characters can have both aspects of chaos and of order that are different from the other character's aspects of both chaos and order (Batman and The Joker is a perfect example). And part of the change in a character arc is a sort of pulsing rhythm of how something (maybe the character themselves or maybe a different character or the environment) shifts them from one state of order/chaos to the other, and then typically in a new scene, something shifts them back in a different direction. Even though the character is making forward progress and learns from this, this puts variety in the story which can preclude monotony. The chaos vs order spectrum can also be applied to stakes and tension. When the stakes and tension increase from scene A to scene B, one of the reasons is bc chaos increases and order decreases (and when stakes and tension decrease from scene B to Scene C, it's often due to order increasing and chaos decreasing). It also relates to the inciting incident (chaos increases, order decreases) and the resolution in a scene (order increases, chaos decreases). So it's kind of everywhere, and is the engine that drives a story. Here's an aside that has nothing at all to do with what you're saying (all of which is brilliant) but I noticed something about these latest vids of yours that sets them apart from your other vids and from vids by others-there is no giant microphone on a boom between you and the viewer! I see this as a really smart move. On the surface, we think it doesn't matter (and I'm sure you're getting pro audio in another manner, like maybe a shotgun mic) but now I'm starting to think it does matter. This makes the connection between you and the viewer more intimate. It's significant in that way. It bonds you to the viewer better, which is exactly what we try to do with our viewpoint characters in fiction. Giant mics on booms are ubiquitous on YT, like huge cowboy hats (worn indoors!) on Country singers. They erect a psychological barrier that comes between the YT-er and the viewer by creating an unconscious observation ('they got a giant mic on a boom and we viewers don't, so that makes them different').They literally get in the way of the psychological connection (identification) the YT-er is after. Make the mic invisible-it turns it into 'two people just talking'. Kudos for doing it this new way.

Thanks. This was great. I added an extra line to my note for the consideration of how this relates back to the wound and flaws, and how it creates strengths and weaknesses.

This guy, is not only a great professional and a great teacher; he also reads great books and watchs great films. He is my hero... :-)

Great vid. There's also characters like Walter White (Breaking Bad) who start more in the middle and as his journey progresses he leans more and more towards chaos. Same can be said with Shakespeare's Macbeth.

Jack Reacher has a strongly established sense of order, in regard to his sense of justice and morality. At the same time, because of his sense of order he not only isn't opposed to chaos, but will work hard to create as much chaos as he can, if necessary, when he encounters people and situations that violate his sense of order.

Love this. Makes me think of going a level deeper. Like in certain areas of life/situations/groups we can slide on that spectrum. Like a a marine might be chaotic in his personal life, he has extreme order when he’s on a mission. Even amidst the chaos of battle, order is his “superpower” when everyone else is freaking out.

Another interesting way order and chaos can be used is when both are at war within the same character. Take the MC from the Bourne Identity, he wakes up with no memory, and is heavily leaning into order while he trys to figure out who he was/is, but being that ordered goes against his more chaotic nature as illustrated in this small snip bit from the book: MC “Sorry.” Dr. Washburn “You also have an annoying habit of apologizing. It’s an overworked protestation and not at all natural. I don’t for a minute believe you’re an apologetic person.” This type situation plays out in different ways time and again though out the novel, and severs as a griping source of tension though out. I'm sad that this internal struggle was majorly downplayed in the movies. There's also a ton of places where thay are used externally as well, that make for a very interestingly defined mess. So I'm not going to brake it down in this comment, though I really wish y'all had a master work guide for this book.

This makes me think of the trinity of characters from Star Trek: Spock (order) McCoy (Chaos) and Kirk (Complexity)

This is genius

This is great. I've just plotted out most of a story I have planned, and I've developed my two main characters along exactly the path that you've talked about. Which gives me the hope that I'm getting onto the right track. Now I guess the challenge is to flesh out all of my other characters in a similar way - including the true villian. Thanks.

Very interesting! This is a great way to view character development that really helps you define what you're doing with them. Awesome stuff!

Love to hear it. One theme in my story is chaos vs. order regarding society. My 2 MCs follow this well!

I don't think you necessarily need to use the scale of order/chaos, but having that dynamic is really important. The dynamic of having these opposing qualities and moving around and trying to balance is the important thing, though seeing it through the lens of order/chaos is probably helpful to see that.

Now that you mention Jake Peralta, the BB99 cast seems to be devided between chaos-center-order. Order: Holt, Terry and Amy Center: Boyle and Rosa Chaos: Gina, Jake, Hitchcock and Scully

This was essentially just one big ad for the Dungeons and Dragons alignment system. Then again, given how many authors and role-players trash that system, perhaps that’s needed.

This makes a lot of sense 🤔

This is reminding me of Babylon 5.

What about a character who is chaotic for the sake of order and stability?

Love it

So ... for extreme over-ordered characters, Henry Sugar (from the Wes Anderson short movie). He's like order to 11 (as in the meme from Spinal Tap).

That's why Star Wars is flawed....The Jedi try to bring too much order to the force. As a result they create their own antagonists. A really interesting concept....Harry Potter is a little different to what you have said....He is chaotic because he has constant chaos thrown at him and he is often a dependant, in one way or another, of the people throwing this chaos at him....He wants order, but he does'nt like the order that is forming around him...Its this complexity that makes it a timeless story really.

Do you coach writers?

Did I just hear Bilbo pronounced as Bill Bo? 😭

No idea how Eliza Bennet is chaos. This makes zero sense.