Here are 100 command prompts for creating and developing character change, categorized by the catalyst of that change.
1. The Crucible (Forced Change)
Prompts where the character is forced to change by external events, trauma, or survival.
Force a pacifist to use violence to protect someone they love.
Strip a wealthy character of all their money and status, forcing them to live as a "commoner."
Place a shy, intellectual character in a situation that demands charismatic public leadership.
Imprison a cynical character with a hopeful, optimistic character.
Force a rigid, by-the-book character to break all the rules to achieve their goal.
Strand a tech-addicted character in a place with no technology.
Give a selfish character a "survival" choice: save themselves or save another.
Subject a hero to a "breaking the new guy" scenario (e.g., military boot camp, prison).
Force a character who relies on their looks to navigate the world with a disfiguring injury.
Place a logical, scientific character in a situation that can only be explained by magic or the supernatural.
2. The Epiphany (Internal Realization)
Prompts where change comes from a sudden, profound realization or shift in perspective.
Show a character realizing they are the "villain" in someone else's story.
Make a character witness an event so profound it shatters their entire worldview (e.g., an atheist witnessing a miracle).
Have a character discover their lifelong mentor or parent has been lying to them about a fundamental truth.
Show a "workaholic" character having a near-death experience that reveals their life's work is meaningless.
Make a character realize their "enemy" is not only right, but is a better person than they are.
Show a character finding an old letter or diary from a deceased loved one that reveals a secret.
Force a character to watch a "ghost of Christmas future" (a vision of what they will become if they don't change).
Show a character realizing that the one thing they've been chasing their whole life will not make them happy.
Make a character's "greatest strength" fail them at a critical moment, forcing them to develop a new one.
Show a character realizing they have become the very thing they always hated (e.g., their abusive parent, a corrupt official).
3. The Negative Arc (Corruption & Fall)
Prompts designed to trace a character's descent into villainy, cynicism, or despair.
Give a good character a "justifiable" reason for their first evil act.
Plot the "one bad day" that turns an ordinary person into a monster.
Make a character's fatal flaw (ambition, jealousy, pride) grow until it consumes them.
Show a hero becoming a tyrant because they believe they are the only one who can "fix" the world.
Force a character to make a series of "lesser of two evils" choices that slowly corrupt their soul.
Show a character's principles being eroded one by one in the name of "the greater good."
Make a character suffer a betrayal so deep it turns their love for the world into hatred.
Show a character achieving their goal (e.g., revenge) only to find themselves empty and broken.
Tempt a character with a power (e.g., a magic ring, political influence) that they can't resist, showing how it changes them.
Show a character becoming a "true believer" in a dark ideology that justifies their cruelty.
4. The Positive Arc (Growth & Redemption)
Prompts designed to trace a character's growth into a better, stronger, or wiser person.
Start a character at "rock bottom" (addiction, despair) and plot their difficult journey back.
Plot a redemption arc for a character who starts as a villain or a coward.
Show a selfish character learning empathy by being forced to live in someone else's shoes (e.g., "body swap").
Transform a cynic into a believer by having them witness a true act of selfless sacrifice.
Show a character overcoming a deep-seated fear to accomplish their goal.
Change a character by having them fail to save someone, and dedicating their life to making sure it never happens again.
Make a "follower" character find their own voice and defy their leader.
Show a character learning to be vulnerable and ask for help for the first time.
Give a character a "secret good" (e.g., a "tough" character who secretly volunteers at an animal shelter) and have that secret life slowly take over.
Show a character learning to forgive someone who doesn't deserve it.
5. New Responsibilities (Forced to Grow Up)
Prompts where change is initiated by a new, often unwanted, role or burden.
Force a cynical loner to become the guardian of a child.
Make a rebellious, anti-authority character the new leader of the rebellion.
Give a timid, non-confrontational character a job where they must advocate for others (e.g., a public defender).
Make an irresponsible "party" character the sole caretaker for an aging, sick relative.
Give a "genius" character a new apprentice who challenges all their old methods.
Show a character inheriting a kingdom, a company, or a "Chosen One" destiny they do not want.
Make a character "the sole survivor" of a disaster, now responsible for carrying the stories of the dead.
Give a character a pet (e.g., a rescue dog) that forces them to learn patience and unconditional love.
Make a character the "face" of a movement they only joined by accident.
Force a character to build a home or community from scratch after one is destroyed.
6. Confronting the Past (Healing & Trauma)
Prompts where change comes from dealing with a "ghost" or a past trauma.
Force a character to return to the childhood home they swore they'd never go back to.
Make a character team up with the person who ruined their life years ago.
Have a character's "original sin" (their worst mistake) come to light, forcing them to confront it.
Show a character who is "stuck" in the past (e.g., a widow) finally taking the first step to move on.
Give a character a "time loop" that forces them to relive their worst day until they "get it right."
Make a character forgive their parent(s) in order to break a cycle of behavior.
Show a character confronting their bully as an adult, only to find the bully is now a broken person.
Plot a character's change through the five stages of grief (Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, Acceptance).
Make a character re-read their old, cringey teenage diaries and realize something profound about their present self.
Force a character to confront the source of their PTSD to save someone else from the same fate.
7. Shifting Ideologies (A New Worldview)
Prompts that focus on a fundamental change in a character's beliefs, politics, or faith.
Show a loyal soldier receiving an order they cannot follow, shattering their faith in their country.
Show a religious zealot being excommunicated, forcing them to find a new moral code.
Make an idealist take a job in a cynical, bureaucratic system (e.g., politics) and show how it changes them.
Show an ambitious capitalist being forced to live and work with a community of anti-capitalist artists.
Make a "law and order"-obsessed character become a fugitive, forced to see the other side of the law.
Show an atheist trying to rationalize a clearly supernatural or divine event.
Show a naive character being "red-pilled" by a charismatic, manipulative leader.
Force a character to travel to a "rival" country or culture and live as one of them.
Show a character who hates "the elite" suddenly becoming one of them.
Make a character who believes in "destiny" realize that their entire life has been a lie.
8. Influence of Others (Love, Loss & Rivalry)
Prompts where change is driven by a character's relationship with someone else.
Plot the change that occurs when a lonely character falls in love for the first time.
Show a character changing (for better or worse) to "fit in" with a new group of friends.
Make a character's "nemesis" become their reluctant ally, forcing them to respect each other.
Show how a character is changed by the unconditional love and support of a partner.
Kill the mentor. Force the "student" character to finish the journey alone, becoming the master.
Show a character adopting the mannerisms and beliefs of a loved one they just lost.
Make a "good" character fall in love with a "bad" character, forcing them to compromise their morals.
Show a "stuck" character being "un-stuck" by a chaotic, "manic pixie" type character.
Show a character becoming more ruthless and cold as a direct result of a rivalry.
Make a character's child challenge their parent's lifelong prejudices.
9. The "Flat Arc" (Changing the World)
Prompts where the character doesn't change, but their unwavering belief changes the world around them.
Place a character with an unshakable moral code (e.g., Captain America) in a deeply cynical, corrupt world.
Show a character's stubborn optimism inspiring a defeated, downtrodden community to fight back.
Make a character the "lone dissenter" in a room where everyone else agrees on a terrible plan.
Show a "force of nature" character (e.g., Mary Poppins) entering a dysfunctional system (a family, a school) and fixing it.
Show a character who refuses to change their "old-fashioned" ways, only to have the world circle back and prove them right.
Make a character a "prophet" that everyone ignores, and show the world changing around their ignored warnings.
Show a character's simple act of kindness creating a "butterfly effect" of positive change.
Make a character's stubborn refusal to surrender the one thing that turns the tide of a war.
Show a character who is a "living symbol" forcing the other characters to confront their own hypocrisy.
Put a "pure" character (e.g., a child) in a dark world and show how their innocence exposes its corruption.
10. Subtle & Subversive Change
Prompts for more nuanced, complex, or ironic character arcs.
Show a character trying to change for the better, but constantly and comically failing.
Make a character think they've changed, only to have the climax prove they are exactly the same person.
Show a character's change not through action, but through a new "costume" (e.g., a haircut, a new style of clothes) that signifies a new identity.
Show a character faking a change (e.g., "I'm a new man!") to manipulate someone, only to actually change in the process.
Change a character physically (e.g., Metamorphosis, The Fly), and show how their internal self must adapt.
Show a character's change as a simple, quiet shift in their daily routine (e.g., they start making their bed).
Make a character revert to their old, "bad" self in the climax, using their old flaws as a sudden strength.
Show two characters who are trying to change each other, and they both "lose" and end up meeting in the middle.
Show a character's change not through their own eyes, but through the eyes of a supporting character who is shocked by it.
The character doesn't change, they just accept who they are for the first time.
No comments:
Post a Comment