Let’s continue breaking down the elements of character.
EMOTION
There are two ways emotion affects character. First, on a fundamental level. I believe most people have a basic emotional“home base”. By that I mean that we all know people who live in a specific overall emotional state. Some people are basically sad, others optimistic, still others are usually angry, etc.
The other way emotion affects character is in the fleeting emotion of the moment. We all get angry, mopey, elated, depressed, pissed off at different times. In writing, the former fundamental emotion will color all the scenes that character is in, while the fleeting emotion will only affect how that character reacts in the immediacy of the moment.
INTELLIGENCE
This element also has two parts. The first is INNATE INTELLIGENCE. How smart is your character? This will affect the way that character behaves, interacts with other characters and what choices they will make. Obviously, a very smart person may not make the same choices as a dumb guy. This doesn’t guarantee his choices will have a better outcome, necessarily, but it will change the way he approach problems.
Also there is EDUCATION to consider. Even a dumb guy might have very specific knowledge of a certain area of skill or information… like demolitions, for instance. Let’s face it, if the lead character in The DaVinci Code were a farmer instead of a professor, we’d have a very different story.
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