DOUBLE AGENT
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CHOOSE MY PLANHELPFUL TIP:
Using a trope or archetype helps readers quickly understand a character, but stopping there creates a weak and predictable figure. Instead, add depth with a unique backstory, emotional wounds, and related fears and flaws. You can also break expectations with an unusual job, relationship, secret, or positive trait.
DESCRIPTION:
FICTIONAL EXAMPLES:
COMMON STRENGTHS:
COMMON WEAKNESSES:
ASSOCIATED ACTIONS, BEHAVIORS, AND TENDENCIES:
Possessing exceptional intelligence
Being observant
Excelling in critical thinking
Having a personal moral code
Being able to keep a secret
Being a master at spy craft
Diplomacy
Believing strongly in their true cause
Having a false identity
Always being on the alert
Noticing others' emotional responses
Having an escape plan
Keeping to themselves
Being guarded and mysterious
Finding ways to gain access to important information
Being resourceful
Hiding their true emotions and projecting fake ones
Coping with stress well
Being able to think on their feet
Knowing how to gain trust
Thinking strategically
Being able to lie convincingly
FEARS THAT MIGHT LIMIT THE CHARACTER:
SITUATIONS THAT WILL CHALLENGE THEM:
Developing sympathy for the organization or entity they're spying on
Being asked to hurt a friend on one side for the sake of someone on the other
Their deception being discovered by someone on the inside
Having to gain and maintain trust with both sides
Being unable to gain the trust of a target
Suspecting that the people who know the character's true identity may not be looking out for them
A loved one being put in danger because of the character's work
INNER STRUGGLES TO GIVE THEM DEPTH:
No longer being certain their allies are in the right
Struggling with the ethics of the decisions they must make to play their role
Being tired of constantly having to monitor their words and actions, but not being able to let their guard down
Losing sight of who is good and who is bad
Wanting out of the undercover job but not being able to leave
Fearing for their life
Losing their sense of identity; forgetting who they really are
CLICHÉS TO BE AWARE OF:
The super-competent secret spy who has a perfect plan that goes off flawlessly
The seemingly dedicated assistant whose true intentions are revealed through a careless (and out-of-character) mistake
The double agent who is compromised when they fall in love with their target
TWIST THIS TROPE WITH A CHARACTER WHO...:
Has multiple personalities that are loyal to opposite sides
Is unwittingly manipulated into becoming a double agent by an outside force
Genuinely chooses to switch sides
Has an atypical trait: frivolous, self-indulgent, self-destructive, weak-willed, etc.