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.
KELLY
As a hero, nothing stands in Kelly’s way. He is the ultimate gamer and thrives on beating the competition. Kelly goes for his enemy’s jugular.
As a villain, Kelly is the stereotypical sociopath, evil business tycoon, or mob boss.
Kelly gathers information and uses it to his best advantage. He is keenly discriminating when he chooses. Kelly’s senses are on high alert. He thrives on stimulation. He is impulsive and action-oriented. He loves power, speed, risks, and thrill rides. He is lively, resourceful, entertaining, and lives in the moment. He is socially sophisticated and cares deeply but isn't hampered by it. He can rouse people to action. Kelly is never boring and not entirely trustworthy. He loves to save the day and will cheat, steal, and lie if necessary without guilt. Kelly is hypersensitive to micro expressions. He can read and play other people. He never forgets a face or a detail about a person.
On the dark side, Kelly uses other people's feelings against them. He adds other people’s perspectives and opinions to his mental database so he can use the information later to his benefit. He goes for shock effect to gain attention and can be crass and outlandish. His empathy is a trick. He calculates to manipulate. He demands center stage and feeds off the energy of the crowd. He cares about himself more than others. He hates losing. His conclusions can be bizarre. He is subject to odd superstitions or flights of fancy. He has convoluted explanations to prove his beliefs are true. He never admits to being wrong.
Kelly makes mistakes when pressured and becomes excessively impulsive under stress. No one knows what Kelly truly thinks or feels. He likes to talk things over as he thinks them through. Deep thinking people bore him. He is immune to criticism because he rarely respects the source. He knows everyone, but no one really knows him. He does not care about other people's thoughts or feelings or opinions of him. He is blunt but not honest. He makes other people doubt themselves. He can talk his way out of trouble. He tells you what he thinks, delivers objective opinions, and is focused on whether information is true or false. He doesn’t care if you agree or you are upset. He wants you to focus on his opinion of the matter. He is more interested in solving (or avoiding) the problem than rehashing it. He can be a verbal bully or sweet and charming. He favors evidence over hunches. He relies on experience. He is not subtle.
Kelly never admits weakness or failure. He never apologizes or explains. Everything is win-lose and he wants to win. He embraces opposition just to defeat it. Kelly wants backup for his last minute decisions. He focuses on the details and loses sight of the big picture. He makes impersonal, rational decisions. He is not swayed by emotional arguments. He likes to keep his options open and is never entirely satisfied with a choice. He procrastinates to avoid deciding and struggles with multiple options. He considers even ridiculous options.
Kelly likes being in charge. He appears to play by the rules (only ones he agrees with) while breaking them. Rules are suggestions and everything is open to interpretation. Kelly hates restrictions. He looks for loopholes and lives in the gray areas. Kelly admires anyone who can best him at his own game. Anyone who tries to control him becomes an enemy. He resists anyone who tries to limit him. He undermines them, works around them, or has them removed. He uses subtle rather than overt tactics. Leverage is better than muscle. He conforms outwardly only if it is a means to an end. He isn't attached to a particular belief system. He pretends to be sorry and put on a show, then goes right back to misbehaving.
Kelly skates by with only what he needs. He is action-oriented and hates restrictions. He has grandiose ideas but can't run a business. He needs minions to handle details. Kelly easily influences people and gets them to follow him and do his dirty work. He seeks situations where he is called upon to react and solve immediate problems or to use his powers of persuasion. He happily travels anywhere. He hates being tied down or trapped in routine. He prefers high physical, intellectual, personal, or financial risks and high yields. He is a gambler. He makes things happen even when he shouldn't.
He doesn’t plan, but will carry out someone else's plan. He is not attached to a plan and switches tactics at a moment’s notice. People might not appreciate his modifications. He comes up with solutions but doesn't see them through or follow-up. He goes with gut instinct, timing, and luck. He gets the job done at the last minute and just good enough. Deadlines are suggestions. He is quick and flexible and can select the most efficient route at the last moment. He never justifies his actions but can waste time pointing the finger when things go wrong instead of fixing it.
Kelly's natural allies are Morgan, Hadley, Joss, and Arden. His nemesis is River. She is the depth to his shallowness. Kelly admires strong personalities. He takes people one day at a time. When he is with you, he is truly with you, until the day he isn’t. He tailors his behavior to fit in with all kinds of people. Friends are drawn to his charm and love of a good time. He is drawn to other extroverts who enjoy sports and risk-taking hobbies. People think they are his friends because it suits him for them to believe it. Kelly isn’t invested in long-term relationships. He quickly moves on without a backward glance if the other person gets too needy or boring. Few feel they know him well, if at all. He is inspired by the concept of brotherhood, but lacks the commitment it entails. He is on the move, not sitting around pondering the meaning of life. Navel gazers and theorists bore him.
As a hero, Kelly is the life of the party. He is a freewheeling, unpredictable rebel. He can inspire other rebels who will probably be the ones to see the problem through to the end. But Kelly will take credit for it. He makes a good spy or charismatic leader.
As a villain, Kelly is pure chaos. He is the ultimate showman, a grifter, a thief, or a conman.
Next week we meet Greer.
You can download free character information sheets:
Character Worksheet
Mannequins Under Pressure
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