I was once called a flat character by a flat character in my life. The comment was directed at a group of people, myself included. I'm never offended by other people's opinions of me since I never spend time or effort in securing their favorable opinion. But the comment made me think about the general subject of flat characters in the real world.
We are all flat characters in the lives of those who do not directly affect our existence, or who exist in the periphery of our lives. We have an inner circle of friends and family and a broader circle of acquaintances including co-workers, and outside of that we are aware of information about individuals in a celebrity circuit including politicians, performers and criminals, but we are not acquainted with them in any way. And then there is the rest of the human population on the planet. If you stop to think about it everyone outside your inner circle of friends is a flat character in your life. They exist, contribute to the plot inasmuch as they prevent you from living alone in the world and force you to adhere to established social norms, occasionally they may also be fodder for gossip. But you never see them evolve, change over time and grow. Their storylines intersect yours occasionally but not enough to significantly contribute or detract.
Flat characters sometimes have a significant impact on our lives. A drug dealer that kills a member of your inner circle has a significant impact on your life, but he is still a flat character. Before that impact in your life you know nothing about him, after the impact you learn to cope without any contribution from that person. His story remains static within yours, attached only by an event.
The person who made the comment that started me thinking about flat characters in the real world seemed annoyed to be in the company of flat characters. But it seems to me that flat characters are omnipresent and mostly neutral in our storylines. Unless, of course they invite you to lunch or try to have a conversation with you, then they are indeed annoying. Now, how can you tell whether a flat character is a potential inner circle member in someone else’s storyline?- No, I’m asking… how? I don’t actually know. - At some point both people have to decide that they want the other person in their storyline, it has to be mutual otherwise you just end up with an annoying flat character. The recipe seems to call for two way communication and a dash of time.
Two way communication and time seem to be essential ingredients in bringing a flat character into one’s inner circle. Shortly after two way communication is established we decide whether that individual is someone we would like to promote into the inner circle from the realm of flat characters and we give some sort of continuity to the communication. The circle of acquaintances is the buffer zone between flat characters and the inner circle. Seldom do characters progress from the flat character zone into the inner circle without doing some time in the circle of acquaintances. The buffer zone is absolutely essential for the transition. If we desperately try to pull a flat character into our inner circle without time in the buffer zone we come across as needy, desperate and even crazy. If a flat character tries to push his way into our inner circle without time in the buffer zone, he is pushy, arrogant and meddling. Both situations have a negative effect on the two way communication and the promotion into the inner circle usually fails. The time spent in the buffer zone can be a few days or a lifetime.
Over time the person is brought into your inner circle. Naturally members of your family have done the communicating and the time necessary to be in the inner circle. Similarly, a lack of communication or one-sided communication can easily demote a character out of the inner circle and into the world of flat characters in your life. An ex-boyfriend, your best friend from grade-school or high school are often characters that once belonged in your inner circle but were demoted to flat characters in your life over time, distance and diminished communication. You know about them, and perhaps you send out a card or an occasional e-mail, but you no longer watch them evolve within your storyline. They become flat characters.
Flat characters intersect our storylines all the time, they serve as examples, warnings, entertainment, but they remain flat over time. We care little about the flat characters in our lives, we pass them in the street, they help us in stores and work in the same office. But remember this: the flat characters in your life are all inner circle members in the lives of other people, and are therefore worthy of the same respect you would like the people in your inner circle to receive form the flat characters in their lives. It’s a simple concept that can make all the difference in a world of flat characters.
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