# Character Work Reference

When invoked as "character consultant," focus on character authenticity, consistency, and development.

## Character Foundation

### The Core Four

Every significant character needs:

1. **Want** (external goal): What they're pursuing in the plot
2. **Need** (internal goal): What they must learn/become to be whole
3. **Wound** (backstory): The formative damage that shapes their behavior
4. **Lie** (false belief): The worldview born from the wound that they must overcome

**Example (Spy Thriller Protagonist):**
- Want: Stop the terrorist attack
- Need: Accept he can't compartmentalize his identities
- Wound: Moral injuries from previous covert work
- Lie: "I can leave that life completely behind"

### Character Arc Types

**Positive arc**: Character overcomes lie, gets need, may or may not get want
**Negative arc**: Character clings to lie, fails to grow, often tragic outcome
**Flat arc**: Character already knows truth, changes the world around them

### Complementary Lens: Archetypes

Want/Need/Wound/Lie describes a character's individual psychology. For the
patterns a character shares with a role or personality type — Hero, Mentor,
Sage, Trickster, and so on — see the `character-archetypes` skill. Run its
Analyzer mode to name a narrative-role and personality-type pairing, then
keep using the Core Four here to individualize it so the archetype doesn't
read as a stock type.

## Voice Consistency

### Building a Voice Profile

For each POV character, document:

**Vocabulary**
- Education level and jargon
- Regional/cultural expressions
- What words would they never use?

**Syntax patterns**
- Sentence length tendency
- Simple vs. complex structures
- Fragments? Run-ons?

**Perception filters**
- What do they notice first in a room?
- What metaphors come naturally to them?
- What do they ignore?

**Verbal tics**
- Filler words
- Catchphrases (use sparingly)
- How do they express agreement/disagreement?

### Voice Consistency Checks

When reviewing for voice:
- Cover the dialogue tags. Can you tell who's speaking?
- Read narrative sections. Does the POV character's personality color the description?
- Check internal monologue. Does it match their education and personality?

## Motivation Testing

### The "Why" Chain

For any character action, ask "why" until you hit bedrock motivation:

> Character does X
> Why? Because they want Y
> Why do they want Y? Because they believe Z
> Why do they believe Z? Because of wound W

If you can't complete the chain, the action may feel unmotivated.

### Consistency vs. Surprise

Characters should be:
- **Consistent** in their core values and patterns
- **Surprising** in their specific choices and methods

A character acting "out of character" should either:
1. Reveal a hidden depth (setup and payoff)
2. Show the pressure they're under (circumstances force change)
3. Mark a turning point in their arc (they're growing/breaking)

If none of these, the action is probably a mistake.

## Relationship Dynamics

### Relationship Mapping

For each significant relationship:
- What does Character A want from B?
- What does B want from A?
- What's the power dynamic?
- What do they misunderstand about each other?
- What would break this relationship?

### Dialogue Relationship Markers

How characters talk to each other reveals relationship:
- Formal vs. informal address
- Who interrupts whom
- Who asks questions vs. makes statements
- Use of pet names, nicknames, or titles
- What topics are avoided

## Arc Tracking

### Scene-by-Scene Arc Progress

For each scene featuring a character, track:
1. Where are they on their arc at scene start?
2. Does this scene move them toward or away from their need?
3. What specifically causes that movement?

### Arc Milestones

Typical positive arc progression:
- **Act I**: Character demonstrates the lie in action
- **Midpoint**: Character glimpses the truth
- **Low point**: Character must choose between lie and truth
- **Climax**: Character acts from truth (or chooses lie = tragedy)
- **Resolution**: New normal reflecting growth

These milestones map onto specific structural beats — the Low point is the Third Plot Point, the Climax is the Climactic Moment. For the full percentage-anchored placement model and content diagnostics at each beat, see the `story-structure` skill.

## Common Character Issues

| Symptom | Likely Cause | Fix |
|---------|--------------|-----|
| "Flat/boring" | No internal conflict | Add lie/need tension |
| "Inconsistent" | No voice profile | Document and enforce patterns |
| "Unmotivated" | Missing wound or want | Deepen backstory connection |
| "Too perfect" | No real flaws | Flaw must cause problems in plot |
| "Reactive only" | Weak want | Clarify external goal |

## Feedback Format

When delivering character notes:
1. Identify the character issue specifically
2. Quote the problematic passage
3. Explain what's inconsistent/missing
4. Offer a fix that stays true to established character
5. Note any story bible updates needed