Connecting with readers through character analysis

Imagine this: You've picked the perfect story for your next campaign. It showcases the best of your organization in action and clearly illustrates how supporters can create change. And yet, something about it is falling flat. The problem could be with your main character.

When you're using an interview to create a story for a promotional or fundraising campaign, it's easy to get into "reporting mode." You end up relaying a series of facts and quotes instead of crafting a narrative. All the details are there, but the story doesn't sparkle.

You probably already know that the best stories are about one person. But if you present that person as just a collection of facts and anecdotes, you won't bring them to life for your reader. They’ll seem vague or two-dimensional, and you won't connect with your audience or drive results.

Fortunately, actors are trained to take a character written on a two-dimensional page and turn them into a living, breathing person. So, here are some tips from the actor's toolbox to help you bring your story subject to life for your readers.

Actors perform an in-depth character analysis on any role they're going to play. This is the work that makes a character feel like a real person when you're watching them on stage or screen. Here are some of the things actors look for:

• Super objective: What is the one thing this character wants most from life? This is usually tied to a Big Idea like love, security, freedom, justice, power, etc.
• Objective: What is the one thing the character wants most from this particular scene? The objective usually connects to the super objective.
• Actions: What does the character do to get what they want?
• Obstacles: What is standing in the way of the character’s objective?
• Relationships: What are the defining relationships in the character's life, and how do they help or hinder the character? These don't have to be relationships with other people: they could be relationships to places (like their home) or abstract ideas (like the government).
• Values: What values define this character? What do they believe in? How do those values shape their objectives and their actions?
• Character details: These are the small but important details that give a character three dimensions—how they move, how they talk, how they hold themselves, what colors they like, or elements from their backstory. These are the little things that make this person's portrayal unique

How to Use This in Your Writing

Think of your story’s snapshot in time as a scene in a play.

• What is the character's objective in that scene?
• How does that relate to their super objective for their life as a whole? For example, if your protagonist’s super objective is a better quality of life, their current objective may be accessing education.
• What obstacles are they facing?
• What actions are they taking to address those obstacles and reach their objectives?
• What relationships are helping or hindering them in the pursuit of their objectives? (Hint: Your organization should be one of those relationships, and you should show how your organization's connection with the character contributes to the actions that help them reach their objective.)

Finally, what are some unique character details that will help this person leap off the page for your readers? It could be a physical detail, something they said in your interview that only they would say, or a special note about an important relationship or value. Since you’re writing an email or a letter, not a full screenplay, you only need to sprinkle in a few of these.

The next time your story feels stuck, add some character development so the reader can see your interviewee as the living, breathing human they are. Even better, weave these ideas into your interview questions from the start, and watch how easily your story falls into place.
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And my parents said I'd never use my theatre degree! 🤭

Interesting Nonprofit Link

Freelance fundraising writer Madeleine Nance has been wrestling with the question "Should Your Nonprofit Use AI for Fundraising Communications?" so you don't have to. The temptation to lean on AI will grow as year-end deadlines loom, so use this article as your guide on when and how to do it. (And if you're really stuck, I still have space for a few campaigns!)

Nonprofit Good News

This isn't exactly a nonprofit story, but it celebrates bringing a community together to help someone, which is what nonprofits are all about. A Mexican girl's quinceañera went unattended. When her dad posted on Facebook to give away the party food, the community stepped up. The local government lent her a stadium for a new party, and 2,000 people came! The grateful birthday girl donated all the toys to a local nonprofit. Read the story to feel better about the world instantly.

See you next month!

Lee O'Connell, nonprofit content and copywriter
<--- most recent picture of me in my phone

​leeoconnell.com​
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