Your Own Jack Bauer
As I type this post, I’m watching an episode of the fourth season of the hit TV show, 24, and reflecting on one of the most popular characters in television history–the seemingly indestructible Jack Bauer.
What is it about ol’ Jackie Boy that has so many people glued to their screens to watch him?
The answer is easy — he’s complicated!
Jack’s a good guy. He’s brave, he’s dedicated, he’s loyal, and he’s got some mad fighting skills. No matter what he’s going through, whether he’s being shot at or being tortured within an inch of his life, he never shows fear. He never balks. He never betrays the people or the values that he cares about.
But that’s not what makes him an interesting character. If Jack consisted of nothing more than his noble character, he would be a flat, 2-dimensional paper doll that would be impossible to relate to. He would be nothing more than a comic book hero.
What draws us to Jack–and this is very important to pay attention to if you want to write believable characters–is that he also has a dark side. He’s willing to do whatever it takes, no matter how dark, in order to serve the greater good. Even if it means shooting one of his own coworkers in the back of the head in order to satisfy the demands of a maniac who is prepared to kill millions of people, Jack is willing to do it.
And we can see it wearing on him, tearing him apart, destroying his relationships.
When you write, give your heroes strength. Give your heroes courage. Infuse them with the ability to move mountains (metaphorically speaking, of course). But don’t forget to give them flaws. Give them a dark side. Give them impossible decisions, but make them decisive. Whether their decisions are right or wrong will be revealed in the long run, but make sure your characters aren’t flat.
If you character has to choose between bad and worse, don’t always give him an easy way out. Make him choose, and give his decision a consequence.
Oh, and one more thing. I mentioned before that Jack was “seemingly indestructible.” And it’s true. No matter how many close calls he’s had, he always comes out on top. But it’s very important to make your readers believe that the hero could die. Even though I know there’s a season 5 and a season 6, this show has kept me on the edge of my seat, and there were moments where I couldn’t imagine how Jack was going to get out of the mess he was in.
That, my friends, is good writing.
Your thoughts?