In Story Building Blocks II: Crafting Believable Conflict and the Build A Cast Workbook, I introduce sixteen character mannequins or prototypes based on personality types. I track them from cradle to grave and talk about their strengths and weaknesses and how to warp them. I use male or female pronouns based on the percentage of the population that fell in that category, but all mannequins can be anything you make them. The traits discussed are starting points. You can alter their temperaments depending on the purpose they serve. Their traits give them strengths to build on and weaknesses to exploit.
GREER
As a hero, Greer comes up with the solution to the mystery, the cure for the disease, or the weakness of the aliens. He may not convince anyone unless he is highly respected in his area of expertise.
As a villain, Greer designs bombs or plans catastrophes to prove his theories to the dim-witted. He is the hacker who hacks to prove someone’s system is flawed.
Greer hates redundancy and incoherence. He seeks to understand the universe and natural laws. He easily grasps ideas, principles, and behavior. He is analytical, imaginative, quiet, thoughtful, a critical thinker, and an extreme introvert. Greer can explain complex theories and principles and offers detailed explanations. He pushes for more information and is frustrated when you can't provide it. He is better on paper than in person. His intelligence is generally respected. People are surprised by his quick wit and sly humor he uses to diffuse tense situations. Greer picks up on contradictory statements, no matter how far apart they were uttered. He has a facility for language and has strong intellectual scanning and recall. He could have a photographic memory. Greer often appears to be off in the ether but retains everything that is said. He has no time for highly emotional or illogical people. He could have inside knowledge to destroy someone or expose a plot.
On the dark side, Greer fears being a failure. He second-guesses himself. He hates raw emotion. He can be self-absorbed and aloof. He ignores rules and authorities he doesn't agree with. He just wants to be left alone to do his thing. He lacks interpersonal skills and has weak emotional intelligence. He can be abrasive and rude. He does not trust easily. He can be an intellectual snob, which makes other people hostile and defensive. He won't care. He turns against those who violate his core values.
If insulted Greer responds with clever, crushing criticism and people are shocked by his outburst. If you lose his respect, you are cut off. He can seem out of touch with people. He cares about what you know and when you know it and whether it is useful. He tells you what he thinks, delivers objective opinions, and is focused on true or false. He doesn't care if you agree or why you are upset. He never offers or needs praise.
Greer becomes rigid when opposed. He shuts down in face of emotional outbursts and is immune to criticism. His sarcasm feeds the flames. He represses negative emotions until he blows. He becomes withdrawn and resentful when pushed. He prefers to go around an obstacle rather than confront it head on.
Greer understands ideas and systems. He goes with his gut and ignores evidence. He thinks before he acts and prefers open-ended solutions. He delays making a decision to avoid offending people he cares about. He won't go along with the prevailing belief system. He trusts his own opinions and those of people he considers intelligent. He is more interested in potential, focusing on the big picture rather than the details. When pushed, he makes impersonal, rational choices despite the human cost. All options are considered, even if the facts don't support them.
Greer isn't impressed by status, titles, or position. He likes other people to reinforce his decisions. He is not interested in leading or following. He follows rules he agrees with and ignores those he does not. He is impatient with bureaucracy, rigid hierarchies, and political correctness. Everyone is equal to or less than, never superior. He has no trouble ignoring or dethroning an authority he does not agree with. He won't protest or lobby. He ignores anything and everyone unless they affect him personally.
Greer comes up with innovative solutions then leaves it for others to enact. He is not attached to a plan or an idea. Everything is exploration and he is willing to modify or adopt someone else's plan if he respects them. He will modify a plan he sees as flawed without asking. He prefers to work alone and easily blocks distractions, becoming lost in work and oblivious to his environment. He improvises and adapts and gets the job done in his way and on his schedule. Deadlines are suggestions. He rushes in to avert chaos.
Greer prefers solving the problem to rehashing it. He will correct you if he thinks you are wrong. He is not interested in what happened or who caused it, he just wants the problem solved. He is more concerned with what could happen than what is happening.
Greer's natural allies are Joss, Morgan, Shelby, and Cam. His nemesis is Nevada. He enjoys the company of the few who share his interests and intellectual conversations. He is not nurturing or effusively social and limits his circle to a trusted few. He hates being center of attention. He can be charming in a quiet, reserved way. Those who like him like him a great deal. Everyone else makes fun of him. He is usually easygoing and relies on his inner circle. He becomes easily isolated. He values intelligence and rationality and isn’t drawn to overly emotional characters. He isn’t interested in manipulating people or playing games.
Greer ignores people who are vastly different and is suspicious of their motives. He has little patience with mushy feelings and woo-woo stuff. He finds it hard to step out and connect with other people. He isn’t interested in belonging to groups of any kind. He would not appreciate being toyed with. He banishes people who lose his confidence and trust. He feels passionately but isn't good at verbalizing it. He forgets birthdays and special events.
As a hero, Greer has the expertise and analytical capacity to solve any problem. He will have to leave his lab to do it. He is not a maverick but a very effective weapon when you need strategy and knowledge to solve the problem.
As a villain, Greer is the remote, logical alien who could decide humanity needs to be obliterated for their stupidity. He thinks he is the smartest man alive. That is both his strength and his weakness. He is a strategist but isn't a physical fighter. He would need minions to do the dirty work.
Next week we meet Taylor.
You can download free character information sheets:
Character Worksheet
Mannequins Under Pressure
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