How to Write a Radio Serial Drama for Social Development- PDF

68 Chapter Five: Character Development
Range of Characters for
Enter-Educate Drama
Heroes and Heroines:
1. Individual hero or heroine
2. Older, reliable couple
3. Young couple facing life
together
4. Counselor, sage, advisor,
advocate
5. Central uniting character
6. Seeker
7. Comic
Villains or Antagonists:
1. Individual evil villain
2. Doubter, skeptic
3. Young couple without
mutual support
4. Wayward youngster
Selecting Characters
The writer must choose characters who can fulfill all the requirements of the
message in a natural manner. The event list created during plot development
will dictate which characters are necessary. The event list for Grains of Sand
in the Sea (Chapter 4), for example, requires these characters:
• A young couple about to be married;
• A woman within the first few months of pregnancy;
• A couple with two children who choose to use an IUD to limit
their family’s size;
• A family that has been very poor but is now starting to move
up in life;
• A midwife;
• A headstrong community member who does not listen to advice; and
• A respected community member (or couple) to whom others turn
for guidance.
Listeners find a serial more attractive when the characters who fulfill the
essential roles are distinctly different from one another. A wide range of
characters also allows the message to be presented and repeated in a more
natural fashion. Because an effective serial motivates change of
many kinds, it is useful to include characters who can portray
each of the various Steps to Behavior Change—that is,
knowledge, approval, intention, practice, and advocacy (see the
Prologue). Writers should consider the following options,
including both heroes and villains.
Heroes and Heroines
These characters possess positive values and respond
constructively to the serial’s message. They must have some
dominant personality trait, however, that makes each one
unique and that may cause problems for or bring benefits to
other people.
1. The suffering hero or heroine. This is a generally “good”
person who becomes involved in a conflict through no fault
of his or her own. The hero or heroine usually suffers
because of a positive personality trait that is exaggerated,
such as being too trusting, or because of a personality
weakness, such as being careless about small details. In the
long run, however, heroes and heroines prevail against the
evil forces aligned against them because of their outstanding
moral virtue.
Alternatively, the hero or heroine’s role in the drama
might be to make a positive impact on the lives of other
people (as would be the case, for example, for the older
couple described below). This type of heroic character also