AT THE SAME TIME, PLEASE KNOW THIS COLUMN IS NOT MEANT TO BE SOME AUTHORITARIAN RANT ON HULK'S PART. IT IS MEANT TO BE HELPFUL. NOTHING MORE. NOTHING LESS. THE MOTIVES FOR WRITING IT ARE BORN FROM A GENUINE SENSE OF CAMARADERIE, FROM KNOWING THE SAME STRUGGLE THAT ALL WRITERS GO THROUGH. AND IF YOU'VE BEEN THROUGH THAT STRUGGLE THEN YOU KNOW THAT IT IS SHAM FOR ANY WRITER TO REPRESENT THEMSELVES AS AN AUTHORITY. THERE IS ONLY THE LONESOME STRUGGLE TO EXECUTE ONE'S IDEAS. IT IS CONSTANT, PERVASIVE, AND EVER-LASTING. HULK BELIEVES THIS STRUGGLE IS TOUGH ON WRITERS. IT MAKES FOR A SOLITARY LIFE. AND TRYING BATTLES WITH ONES OWN MIND. IT FOSTERS A SOLIPSISTIC SENSE OF INDEPENDENCE, WHICH CAN ALSO BREED CONTEMPT. SO AS MUCH AS ANYTHING, HULK WRITES ESSAYS LIKE THIS IN AN ATTEMPT TO CONNECT. TO SHARE. TO NOT FEEL LIKE WE ARE SO ALONE IN THE PURSUIT. ... PARENTS TRY TO TEACH THEIR CHILDREN WHAT TO DO. TEACHERS INSTRUCT PUPILS. ELDERS TALK TO YOUNGINS. THEY CAN ALWAYS SAY "DO THIS!" OR "DO THAT!" BUT BY TELLING THE STORY THEY CAN CONVEY SO MUCH MORE THAN MERE INSTRUCTION. THEY CONVEY MEANING. CONSEQUENCE. ACTION. INACTION. PURPOSE. IT'S ALL THERE. NARRATIVES MEAN SO MUCH TO OUR CULTURE, NOT JUST BECAUSE THEY INVOKE A BASIC SENSE OF MORALITY, BUT BECAUSE THEY MAKE OUR VERY HUMANITY SOMETHING UNDERSTANDABLE. THEY MAKE OUR HUMANITY SOMETHING FELT. http://badassdigest.com/2012/01/12/screenwriting-101-1-of-2/ HULK WAS ONCE INTRODUCED TO A SMART WAY OF KEEPING TRACK OF CHARACTER TREES BY USING BODY PARTS. YOU START AT THE BOTTOM AND GO UP, THUS "BUILDING A COMPLETE PERSON." TO WIT: A) FEET - WHAT DO THEY LOOK LIKE? WHAT ARE THE FACTS OF THEIR FAMILY HISTORY? WHERE HAVE THEY LIVED? THE FEET ARE ALL ARE FACTUAL DETAILS TO BE DRAWN ON. B) GROIN - WHAT DO THE WANT? HOW DOES THEIR SEXUALITY MANIFEST ITSELF? WHAT ARE THE OTHER BASE WANTS? GREED? APPROVAL? ESTEEM? THE GROIN ADDRESSES ALL THE THINGS ABOUT THE PERSON THAT ARE BORN OUT OF IMPULSE. C) HEART - WHAT DO THEY NEED? WHAT THINGS DO THEY SECRETLY NEED IN THEIR LIFE THAT WILL MAKE THEM A BETTER PERSON? NOTICE IT IS RATHER DIFFERENT FROM WHAT A CHARACTER "WANTS" (WHICH MAY BE MISGUIDED). A CHARACTER'S HEART IS LIKELY THE KEY TO THE ENDING CATHARSIS. D) THROAT - HOW DOES THE PERSON SOUND? NOT JUST THE LITERAL VOICE, BUT HOW DOES THE PERSON PROJECT THEMSELVES? HOW DO THEY COME OFF TO PEOPLE? WHAT IS THEIR "SURFACE VIBE" AS THEY SAY? A PERSON'S THROAT IS BASICALLY THEIR POSTURE AND ATTEMPT AT PRESENTATION. E) LEFT CHEEK - WHAT IS THEIR INTELLIGENCE? HOW DOES IT MANIFEST ITSELF? HOW DO THEY PROBLEM SOLVE? BASICALLY, THE LEFT CHEEK EXPOSES THE "LEFT BRAINED" ABILITIES. F) RIGHT CHEEK - WHAT IS THEIR IDEALISTIC / ARTISTIC CAPACITY? WHAT IS THEIR CONSCIENCE AND MORALITY? JUST LIKE BEFORE, THE RIGHT CHEEK EXPOSES "RIGHT BRAINED" ABILITIES. G) CROWN - THIS IS WHERE YOU CAN LOOK AT AT ALL THE BODY PARTS LISTED AND PIECE TOGETHER AN ACTUAL PSYCHOLOGY. YOU NOW HAVE ALL THE TOOLS AT YOUR DISPOSAL TO CREATE A REAL, COMPLEX PERSON WITH A CONSCIOUS MIND AND A SUBCONSCIOUS ID. YOU CAN START TO PIECE TOGETHER WHAT REALLY MATTERS WHEN YOU WRITE ABOUT THE CROWN. WHAT ARE THEIR DEFINING MEMORIES? WHAT IS THEIR PATHOLOGY? THE CROWN ESSENTIALLY ALLOWS YOU TO ANSWER THE QUESTION: WHO IS THIS CHARACTER? SO THAT'S A CHARACTER TREE. YOU START FACTUAL, THEN GET EMOTIONAL, THEN IDEOLOGICAL, AND THEN BUILD INTO AN ACTUAL CHARACTER PSYCHOLOGY. IT IS A GREAT WAY TO BUILD FULLY TEXTURED PEOPLE WITH WHOLE LIVES ONTO THEMSELVES. BETTER YET, CHARACTER TREES WORK SO WELL IN MAKING ALL YOUR CHARACTERS TRULY DIFFERENT FROM ONE ANOTHER.