Whew! That status thing took a lot of entries!
Okay, next we’ll talk about the PHILOSOPHY and theMORALITY of your characters.
Everyone has a fundamental PHILOSOPHY by which they live. It may be a vague rule of thumb, or a very clearly thought out creed. It might be as simple as the Biblical adage “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Or it might be a complex code such as Ayn Rand’s OBJECTIVIST philosophy.
The point is, whatever your philosophy, it will affect your choices as a person, even if you happen to be a fictional character. Of course it’s interesting to see a character follow their principles, but it can be even more interesting to put them into a situation where they may have to go AGAINST that philosophy.
MORALITY is a related, but subtly different, thing. Morality has the element of religion, which is a spiritual form of philosophy. Obviously one can tend to follow a religious approach to life without really being a churchgoer or believing in God, but often the two go hand in hand.
Again, forcing your character into situations which test their chosen faith are rich in drama and interest.
For instance, a pious man who is put into the position of having to kill, perhaps to save himself or his family from a roving band of murderers, tests his conviction to his moral choices, and their limits.
Interesting writing!
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