Power of Imagination characters see the world as or make the world into a miraculous and magical place.  They can access what others can’t.  Their reaction to this unique perception is affirming and all embracing.  They never doubt their vision, special insight or call from beyond.

These  characters are launched on a quest when something in the wider world is disrupted, thrown out of balance or is causing danger or deep divisions.  They are reluctant heroes who are pushed into their roles by larger circumstances.  Greatness is usually thrust upon them via a special message, personal intuition, vivid vision or supernatural imperative that calls to them in some deeply powerful way.

In calling others to heed their vision, these characters naturally collect diverse individuals who share a common purpose despite significant outward differences and even conflicting agendas or opposing points of view.  Their goal to keep the potentially divisive group together and to restore harmony and balance to the world.

A character driven by the Power of Imagination used to be a fairly rare character in film and television. More recently, these Character Types are more common. Power of Imagination  characters are the naifs, innocents and eccentrics, seemingly the last person anyone would think of as a hero. They are, in fact, the classic mythic hero or the reluctant hero that Joseph Campbell and Chris Vogler describe.

Character Examples

Film examples include:  Horton in Horton Hears a Who; Luke Skywalker in Star Wars; Frodo in The Lord of the Rings; Amelie Poulain in Amelie; and Lt. John Dunbar in Dances with Wolves.  For more movie examples see the Power of Imagination blog posts.

John Locke in Lost; Alison Dubois in Medium; Ned in Pushing Daisies; Phoebe Buffay in Friends; and Hiro Nakamura in Heroes are great television examples of this Character Type.  For more television examples see the Power of Imagination blog posts.

Power of Imagination eBook

The Power of Imagination Character Type eBook explains how these characters are alike and how each character is made individually distinct. It Imagination help you develop unique, original, evocative and authentic Power of Imagination characters that fully explore all the contradictions, reversals and surprises of a fully formed human being.

Discover the Power of Imagination character’s specific goals, unique emotional obstacles and very distinct responses and reactions to any opportunity, challenge or threat. Create this character’s Immediate Tactics, Long-term Orientation and Strategic Approach in a way that is recognizably “true” at every step of the story and during every moment of screen time. The audience Imagination instantaneously recognize and relate to your character because your character is complex, three-dimensional and “feels real.”

This eBook is thorough analysis of the Power of Imagination Character Type in his or her many guises and roles as a protagonist or a member of a larger ensemble. It is packed with numerous examples from film, television and even real life! Examples from scores of scenes and dozens of quotes from film and television characters clearly illustrate this character’s motivations and psychological dynamics in a story.

Comprehensive Analysis

The Power of Imagination Character Type eBook illustrates exactly how to create and differentiate this character based on his or her:

(1.) World View (beliefs about how the world works) What are the essential core beliefs that motivate a Power of Imagination character’s ordinary actions?

(2.) Role or Function (position in the story or role in the ensemble) What do the other players look to a Power of Imagination character to do or provide in the story?

(3.) Values in Conflict (competing values that push the character to extremes) What opposing choices or goals establish the Power of Imagination character’s moral code? What is this character willing to fight, sacrifice or die for? And why?

(4.) Story Questions (emotional journey in the story) What personal issues, dilemmas and internal conflicts does a Power of Imagination character wrestle with over the course of the story? What does this character ask of him or her self? What is this character’s Leap of Faith in an emotionally satisfying story?

(5.) Story Paradox (emotional dilemma) What is the duality or the contradiction at the heart of a Power of Imagination character’s story struggle? How is the character’s internal conflict expressed in actions.

(6.) Life Lessons (how to complete the emotional journey) What must a Power of Imagination character learn over the course of the story to make a clear, satisfying personal transformation? What actions lead to this character’s emotional salvation?

(7.) Dark Side (this character as a predator or villain) What happens when a Power of Imagination character’s actions are driven entirely by fear? How might or how does the story end in tragedy?

(8.) Leadership Style (what defines and qualifies this character as a leader) How does a Power of Imagination character convince others to follow? How does this character act to take charge and command?

(9.) Film Examples (the Power of Imagination character as a protagonist)

(10.) Television Examples (the Power of Imagination character as central to an ensemble)

(11.) Real Life Examples (historical Power of Imagination figures on the world stage)