The GOTEsheet.>"The GOTEsheet is a starting point for analyzing any [character]. Using your imagination, take a blank piece of paper and answer the following questions about a dramatic character from a [story] you [know or are creating]. Reread the [story] first, with the questions in mind, and answer *as the character would:*1. Basic information about the character>Name:>Sex:>Age:>Marital status and history:>Educational level:>Economic/social status:2. Goal>What do I really want?>When do I want it?3. Other>From whom (in the story) do I want it?>Who in the [story] can help me?>Who in the [story] can hurt me?>Who is an obstacle? Why?>What are my deepest fears?4. Tactics>How can I get it?>How (and whom) should I threaten?>How (and whom) can I induce?5. Expectation>Why do I expect to get it?>Why does it excite me?>What will I do when I get it?>"You may answer impressionistically or in lists, but answer vividly, not academically." --Robert Cohen, Acting OneIf you cannot answer these questions, you do not understand a character very well.
>>25320918I can answer these but I don't like the way in which it forces attention on certain things up front. I like to iteratively build up the character until there's so much there that the answers to these questions fall out on their own. But, I've only ever actually finished a handful of stories.
>>25320941People don't always understand themselves very well, same goes for the characters they make. It is often best that these answers are discovered serendipitously, and they can be refined as your understanding develops. But, the fact remains that if you have a shortfall with a character or a moment, it's because you cannot vividly answer one of these questions.
