There Are ONLY Four Types of Characters in a Screenplay or Novel

You'll hear about all kinds of different types of characters, but in reality, characters fit into one of four categories. This video talks about each category AND includes a way to help you figure out what category each of your characters is in.

BONUS: If you've ever struggled with screenplays or novels that are too sprawling, the solution is often unrelated to plot...it's usually a character issue and having too many characters in one of the four categories. This video will help you sort that out, too.

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So many people have great stories to tell, but so few know how to tell great stories.
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// F R E E S T U F F
...and yes, it’s 100% free.

// L E A R N

// S H O P

// S U B S C R I B E

// Q U E S T I O N S & C O M M E N T S
If you have any questions about screenwriting, drop them in the comments section. If it’s a short answer, I’ll reply here. If not, I’ll try to tackle it in a future video.

// D I S C L A I M E R
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// T O O L S & S E R V I C E S I U S E
SOFTWARE
Editing & Design: Adobe Products - After Effects, Premiere, Photoshop, Illustrator, Dreamweaver
Screen Capture: Movavi Screen Capture Pro

EQUIPMENT
Microphone: Maono AU-PM422
Camera: iPhone XS, using Filmic Pro App
Lights: Dazzne D50 Dimmable LEDs
Tripod: Joilcan 66”

SERVICES
Store Hosting: Shopify
Learning Portal: Thinkific
Email Marketing: ConvertKit

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// I G N O R E
#bigredstripe #screenwritingfasttrack

[TheZetaKai]

This is seriously one of the most underrated videos for writers, on an underrated channel for writers. Jake mainly focuses on screenwriting for films specifically, which isn't really my thing, but his writing advice is spot on. Case in point: the categorization of character types here is so helpful for figuring out who matters in a story and who doesn't, what they should be doing, how much you should explore of their inner life, etc. All brilliant stuff that any writer should understand and take to heart.

[mariaalaniz]

Very helpful. Not kidding. Categorizing the charcters makes the work maneageable as it is written into being. Once again: thanks,

[colofthedead]

This is really helpful even to me as a novelist. I tend to go down the rabbit hole of having too many characters with full backstories and character arcs, so it ends up being a muddled mess. I'm not categorizing my cast in my WIP manuscript into these categories, which I think will make the main characters pop.

[Woo]

Fantastically helpful. Thanks Jacob. I can tell why my screenplays always end up sprawling and lose direction.

[abbysinthe]

Super helpful to quantify characters! Thanks for this tool!

[jose]

I really like your helping and calming voice in this video, not being called Skippy or feeling stupid ;-) Im just one of those sensitive souls.

[ComicPower]

Good advice. Im writing my first novel and its getting way to long. Your advice is helpful is reducing its size. I gave string characters too many scenes