Inside the Cover Book Reviews
Review by Marie D. Jones
Inner Drives: How To Write and Create Characters
Using the
Eight Classic Centers of Motivation
Pamela Jaye Smith
Michael Wiese Productions
2005
264 pp.
Screenwriting/Film
Pamela Jaye Smith has done so much more than just write a simple "how-to" book
on developing characters. In fact, reading Inner Drives is like attending
a week-long intensive seminar on mythology, psychology, physiology, and
spirituality all rolled into one. The end result is a fascinating and
enlightening guide to the depths of human behavior and motivation that will
help any writer create unforgettable, and totally relatable, characters.
Inner Drives explores motivation in a way that no other screenwriting
book ever has, giving readers a powerful perspective from which they can broaden
their own ability to mold characters that don't just react to events, but
initiate action from a deeper place. Writers who truly want their scripts to
stand out (or their plays, novels, and books) must understand the "inner drives"
of humans, and Smith covers the physiology, psychology, and philosophy involved
in these centers of "being" in a way that allows characters to come to rich,
full-bodied life. She is, after all, a mythologist, writer, experienced
producer-director, speaker, and consultant, and is even pursuing a Masters in
Military Studies and Intelligence. She is also a certified teacher of the
Mystery Schools. I bring up her awesome resume to make a point: Smith is wise and
knowing in many arenas, and her wisdom is on bold and intriguing display in this
illuminating book.
There are, according to Smith, eight classic centers of motivation, and she
expands upon the theory behind each and every one, with plenty of examples from
multimedia sources, including films, books, plays, and musicals. Soon, Inner
Drives slips into almost New Age metaphysical territory, discussing such
topics as chakras and energy centers, heroes and myths, hormonal functions and
archetypes, and how they all come together to correspond with different
motivations and behaviors. Now don't get fooled here. The metaphysical stuff has
a real basis in both mythology and psychology, and the author does a fantastic
job of showing the reader the how and why of her theories and concepts.
There are plenty of exercises provided for both the writer and the writer's
characters to try and actually experience the processes and concepts being
presented. If a writer can walk a character through these exercises, he/she will
no doubt learn so much more about that character than by doing just the usual
biographical sketches other screenwriting books recommend. Inner Drives
really acts like a dual purpose manual for exploring the self and improving the
work, and there is no way anyone can read this book and not walk away feeling a
new awareness of their own behavioral characteristics, subconscious motives, and
egoistic agendas. I found it utterly fascinating, eye-opening, informative, and
truly educational in terms of knowing myself better, and thus, knowing my
characters better.
Inner Drives won't tell you which agent to send your script to, or what
style card stock or brads to use, or even how to write in the basic three-act
structure. But it will tell you how to make your characters real, and rounded,
and deep, and exciting, and worth reading about on the page or watching up on
the big screen. For without interesting characters that we can relate to on
every level of experience, we are left with nothing but a shell of a script when
it is the meat that Hollywood, and the movie-going audience, would much rather
feast on.
CLICK HERE TO ORDER
THE BOOK.
Marie D. Jones
writes screenplays as well as fiction, articles and essays for several national
publications. Her new book is Looking for God in All the Wrong Places (Paraview
Press). She is the creator of an award-winning children's video, Pig Tales, and
has written and produced several direct-to-video projects in national
distribution. Her greatest creation is her toddler son, Max, co-created by hubby
Ron. They live in San Marcos, California.
