3. Real Time character build: Part Three
21 March 2025
Alison Rocket Ross
Aaron (35), Landscaper.
Now that we’ve established why and how Aaron became a landscaper, let’s get into who he is as a person.
Personality:
So we know that Aaron likes to spend a lot of time outdoors. Sports would be a big part of his life. Which sports? Which activities fit him?
As a plant guy, we already can assume he’d be an avid hiker. That’s something that would continue into adulthood. He would settle somewhere beautiful with lots of hiking trails, but it would still have to be a somewhat urban area to work in landscaping. I’m also thinking somewhere warm. Considering I live in Austin and there’s plenty of outdoor activities and beauty, let’s place him here. (It also helps that I have knowledge of the city and won’t have to make any special trips for research.)
Living in certain cities can have an impact on one’s personality over time. Aaron probably has his fair share of breakfast tacos, enjoys the outdoor festivities like Eeyore’s Birthday and the Kite Festival, but I don’t feel he’d be up for ACL or SXSW as much.
I think we’ve got ourselves a frisbee golfer. Who used to run cross country in high school. That seems appropriate for our Aaron. Solitary, outside activities, but as he got older and started to meet new people with similar interests. He made friends. Whence frisbee golf.
I’d say with his trust issues, his friends are mostly surface level. They get along and hang out regularly, but he doesn’t really open up to any of them. This could be a crucial element in our story — perhaps none of Aaron’s friends really know what’s going on. (Heist?)
Ok, what else?
Speech and Conversation:
Aaron seems to be a reserved guy except when it comes to something he’s passionate about. I’d bet his friends would take him to trivia nights since he seems to know the most random things. And I’d bet he’d be awesome at trivia for the most part, but struggle with pop-culture questions. That’s where we’d need to fill in the gap.
Another character who is more social, more in tune with pop culture. This could be a love interest or a complementary best friend. Let’s put this new figure on the shelf for now.
Aaron looks forward to trivia nights every Thursday. He comes alive in the chaos and the competition. It also allows him to learn new things in an easy, carefree way. He wouldn’t be the one that gets too competitive and ruins it, he’d truly see it as a fun escape.
He’s the kind of guy who save his trophies. Whatever trinkets they are awarded for winning trivia nights he keeps. Somewhere he can see them every day. On a shelf above his bed, perhaps. And being an outdoors guy, he’d take extra care of his apartment to make sure it was clean.
Building Blocks:
With Aaron living somewhere he loves, having a job he loves, and friends that are supportive, it’s clear that he is a happy person for the most part. His life seems pretty put together. So what is his inner conflict?
A hesitation to open up to people could result in perceived isolation. Loneliness. And yet, it seems he’s managing that with trivia nights and activities.
Another option may be the lack of a healthy romantic relationship. He will need to conquer his fear of being misunderstood and rejected in order to open up enough to find a partner. We could play that storyline out in the script as a character building B story.
This is about the time I start to fall in love with the character. I can feel Aaron now. His pain, his hesitation, his joy, his expectations of life. From here, we can imagine his future.
Going Forward:
Next time, we’ll talk about developing the story and how Aaron needs to grow to push the plot forward. I’d like to set up the complementary character as well and see if we’re looking at a romance or a friendship. It appears to me that those two will be crucial in the formation of the story.
That’s all for now.
Love, Rocket