The Kilted Writer

No, not the Chaucer version, though Chaucer does come into the mix. This post covers the film, "A Knight's Tale," starring Heath Ledger. In this movie, the different character types are crystal clear. The primary characters can be identified within a couple of minutes of the film's opening. This movie actually has two layers of mind, body, and spirit characters, but I will address both layers together rather than doing separate posts. The Spirit Characters: William (Heath Ledger) and Jocelyn ( Shannyn Sossamon) William, a squire who masquerades as Sir Ulrich to compete in jousts, is the lead protagonist and Jocelyn is the object of his affections. William begins the film by leaping into the joust after his lord dies mid-competition, despite the fact he has no noble lineage or training. If discovered, he could be imprisoned or executed. The theme for his character throughout the film is the desire to 'change his stars,' and this is the fir...

The primary mind, body, and spirit characters in Joss Whedon's "Firefly" television series. The second layer characters will be described in this post. The Mind Character: Simon Tam (Sean Maher) Many times, people in medical professions, like doctor, coroner, etc., operate as body characters, but not in "Firefly." He shows this in the pilot episode when Kaylee is shot by a bounty hunter. Rather than immediately moving into action to save her life, as a body character would, he bargains with Mal for protection for himself and his sister, River. Like Zoe, Simon often acts as a devil's advocate, questioning the logic of actions taken by other characters. He also brings a different perspective on core planets (planets controlled by the Alliance), knowledge that lets the crew get away with a hospital heist. Simon is not just a doctor, he is one of the best. He was top of his class and brilliant in everything he attempted. He engineered River...

The ideas that run through Isaac Asimov's collection of short stories, "I, Robot," were put together to make a movie of the same name, starring Will Smith. Like most science fiction, the differences between the mind, body, and spirit characters are stark. Also like most science fiction, the mind, body, and spirit characters in "I, Robot" work together to solve a problem (many times, the problem has to do with saving the world or universe). Contrast that with works like "The Three Musketeers," where the mind, body, and spirit characters work to change another character. When you write mind, body, and spirit characters, remember that there may be some expectation in the genre in which you write. "I,Robot," was released in 2004. Some of the material here might be considered "spoiler" to some, especially in the body character section, which I have saved for last. You've been informed. The Spirit Character: Del Spoo...