Mining the Heart
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Following your heart can lead you to some interesting situations, especially if you're a character! Do you have a character in mind that you'd like to flesh out? What better way to do it than to figure out the real, emotional, and heart-filled things in your characters life? In this exercise you will be building the ins and outs of your characters heart.
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You can also download a one-page printable PDF of this exercise!
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You will need...
STEP ONE
Using pen/pencil and paper and draw an outline of your character’s heart. When doing this, think about
how your character would respond to other people around them. Are they kind or rude? Do they have a
lot of friends or are they a loner? Show this through the size and shape that you draw the heart.
STEP TWO
Now, chose a color that you feel represents your character’s heart. Is your character a sneaky person?
Happy? Quiet? Think of a color that would make sense for their overall personality. Fill in the heart with
this color.
STEP THREE
Fill the heart using words and/or pictures with what your character values. Keep scale in mind, all
character's value certain things more than others.
Example: For a villain character, maybe the quest for world domination takes up less space in the
villain’s heart than his love for his mother, or maybe his love for his mother is so small it’s barely
legible while the quest for world domination takes up all of the rest of the space in his heart.
STEP FOUR
Next, on another piece of paper create a second heart that focuses on your character’s worries, fears,
and conflicts. What color would this heart be for your character? Think about what the character wants
in your monologue and why they can’t have it. How much do their fears control their life? Again, use
scale to your advantage - how much a character fears something or how great the obstacle is in his life
can be represented by how much space it takes up in the heart.
Example: The villain’s fear that his mother will think he is a failure might take up more space in his
heart than the obstacle of his arch nemesis. Or, perhaps his arch nemesis is the largest thing in the
villain’s heart because trying to overcome that obstacle consumes the villain’s thoughts.
STEP FIVE
Now, lay the two hearts side by side and think about a few things:
STEP SIX
In these discoveries, try to find interesting conflicts. Think about pairing a large worry with a small
obstacle, or vice versa. Try pairing a large worry and obstacle, then a small worry and obstacle. Do any
of these pairings cause for an interesting conflict? There are many other pairings possible. Try
something different and see what makes for the most interesting conflict!
STEP SEVEN
Now, review your pairings. Which conflict has the most urgent need of being solved? This will be the
topic for your monologue!
Example: The villain’s quest for world domination paired with his fear that his mother will think he’s a
failure could make a very interesting monologue!
**REMEMBER, a monologue is in present and in the first person point of view, so use “I” and “me” to speak
as your character!
©Philadelphia Young Playwrights 2015
- Computer Paper
- Pen/Pencil
- Coloring Utensils
STEP ONE
Using pen/pencil and paper and draw an outline of your character’s heart. When doing this, think about
how your character would respond to other people around them. Are they kind or rude? Do they have a
lot of friends or are they a loner? Show this through the size and shape that you draw the heart.
STEP TWO
Now, chose a color that you feel represents your character’s heart. Is your character a sneaky person?
Happy? Quiet? Think of a color that would make sense for their overall personality. Fill in the heart with
this color.
STEP THREE
Fill the heart using words and/or pictures with what your character values. Keep scale in mind, all
character's value certain things more than others.
Example: For a villain character, maybe the quest for world domination takes up less space in the
villain’s heart than his love for his mother, or maybe his love for his mother is so small it’s barely
legible while the quest for world domination takes up all of the rest of the space in his heart.
STEP FOUR
Next, on another piece of paper create a second heart that focuses on your character’s worries, fears,
and conflicts. What color would this heart be for your character? Think about what the character wants
in your monologue and why they can’t have it. How much do their fears control their life? Again, use
scale to your advantage - how much a character fears something or how great the obstacle is in his life
can be represented by how much space it takes up in the heart.
Example: The villain’s fear that his mother will think he is a failure might take up more space in his
heart than the obstacle of his arch nemesis. Or, perhaps his arch nemesis is the largest thing in the
villain’s heart because trying to overcome that obstacle consumes the villain’s thoughts.
STEP FIVE
Now, lay the two hearts side by side and think about a few things:
- Which heart is larger?
- Which topics are the largest parts of your character’s hearts? Which are the smallest?
- What do these details say about your character?
STEP SIX
In these discoveries, try to find interesting conflicts. Think about pairing a large worry with a small
obstacle, or vice versa. Try pairing a large worry and obstacle, then a small worry and obstacle. Do any
of these pairings cause for an interesting conflict? There are many other pairings possible. Try
something different and see what makes for the most interesting conflict!
STEP SEVEN
Now, review your pairings. Which conflict has the most urgent need of being solved? This will be the
topic for your monologue!
Example: The villain’s quest for world domination paired with his fear that his mother will think he’s a
failure could make a very interesting monologue!
**REMEMBER, a monologue is in present and in the first person point of view, so use “I” and “me” to speak
as your character!
©Philadelphia Young Playwrights 2015
