As a big fan of Jung I agree with the idea that you need so much more than a flaw to give a character depth. The all to common 'give them a flaw' note seems at worst, totally artificial, and at best like you have created the tip of the iceberg with nothing below the water line. It's the stuff below the water line, that you can't always fully see and perhaps only appears in small detail in screenplays that makes a character ripe for transformation and ultimately makes you want to know what happens on the next page. Cudos, Scott for bringing this out as a discussion point.

Having lived through the '94 earthquake in Los Angeles, I am preset to think of Disunity as a character treading on active tectonic plates in their inner world. Even if they don't know it or feel their state of being is rock solid, that shit can shift - and violently! - at any moment. In a Story, that's the Call To Adventure. The tectonic plates SHIFT! And generally speaking for the next several sequences, the Protagonist experiences their adventure as a negative. However all that shaking and rattling and busting up the surface of their psyche opens up for their Authentic Self to emerge into the light of consciousness, including their shadow. That's why - again generally speaking - the 2nd half of Act II is about assimilating and embracing that stuff. But here I'm tipping my hand on Part 4 which posts tomorrow.

Loving this series. Fantastic and I'm sure thoughtfully deliberate timing as we're immersed in rewrites. Thank you!

This is a fascinating series. Thanks, Scott.

There was a pop quote from Jung: Whatever is rejected from the self, appears in the world as an event. I really like this one. While someone can argue whether it has meaning towards real life… But as soon as [ironically] we use it as storytelling device, everyone rejoice in belief. On protagonist is a motif and representation of libido: Myth about the hero descending in a cave, that represent the symbolic entrance to the unconsciousness, where the hero represents the symbol of libido. The hero represents the symbol of libido, he enters the cave, which represents the symbolic entrance to the unconsciousness. He’s about to figure out the source of destructive influence on the Psyche. In other words, red saber represents repression, which produces depression to the consciousness, the blue one is a life force, the libido. It’s really universal, and no wonder Lucas figured out Campell’s writing AFTER he had completed Star Wars (from what I heard, though). In that sense I love Birdman very much, I think protagonist is literally tortured with his flaws. (btw, remember how Dustin Hoffman alludes Stanislavsky that comic character suffers most serious injuries during his comic acts – or something like that). Sorry for my poorly systematic train of thought ))) Best, Roman.

Glad to hear this is resonating with you both, lazer and Audrey!

Roman, you've got it. As per Jung's quote -- "Whatever is rejected from the self, appears in the world as an event" -- goes to the heart of my point in the original post. If we make that extra jump and think of the Story Universe acting as Fate instigating the "event", saying in effect, "You are living an inauthentic life, you need to change. Here. A big fat Plot Point, your Call To Adventure. You can no longer stay in your state of Disunity, even if you refuse the call, I will keep throwing shit in your way to compel you to go on your transformation-journey." I'm reminded of two other quotes: "If you disown a part of your personality, it'll materialize as an unexpected detour." - Rob Brezney "Nothing determines who we will become so much as those things we choose to ignore." - Sandra McNab Again the idea of specific synergistic relationship between the Protagonist's Inner State and the External World. If we, as writers, can grasp that and keep it in mind as we craft our stories, then when we write scenes, especially involving key events (Plot Points), we can sustain the connection between the meaning of each event as it relates to the Protagonist's metamorphosis. Wonderful stuff, really. A much, much richer way to think of the Protagonist in relation to the Story.