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.
FRANCIS
As a hero, Francis gets things done and encourages everyone to follow the rules. He wants everyone to pull together. As a hero, Francis will do whatever it take to right the wrongs and hold people accountable.
As a villain, Francis is a controlling commandant ruthless in getting revenge.
Francis is steadfast and will come up with a plan of action, no matter the human cost. He is slow to embrace change but is an enforcer if you need one. He is upright and honorable. He can’t be bribed and is highly suspicious of people who don’t follow the rules. He wants to belong and to keep people on the right track, but doesn’t care if he’s popular.
While everyone else is focused on the big picture, Frances sees the flaws in the details. He is a good listener. He follows evidence and ignores hunches, relying on the experience and expertise of the people he trusts. If he lost respect for someone, he would turn against them and be equally effective in seeing them pay for being wrong. He keeps his word and fights on the side of what he considers right. There are no gray areas. No cutting corners. He will not ignore failure or weakness in his team.
On the dark side, France is dogmatic in his opinions. He is rigid and dismisses anything he doesn't agree with and people he disrespects. He hates working with people he feels are inferior. He expects people to keep their word. He can be a bully and his bluntness comes across as rude. Status is important and he is overly fond of rules. His views can be narrow and unforgiving. He dismisses other people’s input before they’ve given it if they aren’t part of his inner circle. He has poor emotional intelligence. He is very focused on right versus wrong. He would never admit to being wrong. Even if his goals are evil, he thinks he is on the side of right and will fight to the death.
Frances likes uniforms and badges. He fervidly embraces a belief system and works to uphold the given hierarchy. Francis thrives on order, structure, calm, and a predictable schedule. He is not comfortable with new people or situations. He likes to show off. If his competence is questioned frequently, it results in low self-esteem. He becomes rigid in the face of uncertainty and becomes a bully.
Francis is uncomfortable with praise and immune to flattery. He won’t offer praise in return. He listens to functional criticism but misses the emotional content. He does not take conflict personally, because the other person is wrong. Francis wants to be right more than happy.
Surprisingly, Francis keeps his opinion to himself unless asked. Then he delights in telling people they were wrong. If they'd asked earlier, he could have saved them a lot of time and effort. He tells you what he thinks, delivers objective opinions, and is focused on whether what you are saying is true or false. It doesn't matter how you feel about it. Conversations are win-lose and he wants to win.
He can be very passive-aggressive and obstructive. In a crisis, he withdraws to think first and act second. He can get hung up on whether an approach is right or wrong. Francis likes to be prepared. He has a backup plan for the backup plan. Surprises and last minute changes make him nervous. He only changes course when he hits a dead end. Anxiety makes him controlling and rigid. He blames himself when things go wrong, but is furious if anyone accuses him. He wants to solve the problem by figuring out what caused it instead of figuring out what to do about it. He won't listen to an emotional rehash of it. He can get lost in the blame game.
Francis's natural allies are Cam, Wynn, Arden, and Joss. His nemesis is Hadley. They are complete opposites and have no common ground. He struggles with overly emotional people. He relies on his trusted circle. He rejects people he considers incompetent or dishonest. He is uncomfortable with praise and immune to flattery. He won’t offer praise in return.
Friends come after work, family, and community service. He values a friend when he makes one and pencils them in when he can. He is drawn to people who have similar interests and views. He has no patience with those who are vastly different or those who live outside the bounds of propriety. He occasionally lets loose and has a little fun if dragged there by an extroverted friend. His social outings become rituals. He won't tolerate last minute changes. He can get along with anyone for a while, until he tells them they are wrong once too often.
As a hero, Frances is an unassailable force for good. He can't be flattered or bribed. He stays on track and tackles the problem. His friends admire his prowess.
As a villain, Francis is unbending, focused, and hates losing. He will turn on a minion in a heartbeat.
Next week, we meet Nevada.
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