4.WRITING PROCESS: Develop-Organization Development

Chances are, if I have more than a handful of characters in a story, one or more of those characters will represent an organization of some sort. Be it a religious sect, neighborhood watch, a gang of criminals, law enforcement, a ruling body,or even a chess club, they are all “organizations” one in the same. Some may bemore significant than others, but that really depends on what role they play inthe story.

Being thatan organization can play a role in a story, in my opinion, they are not that different from characters and I treat them as such. Just like characters,organizations have objectives, ultimate goals, and codes of behavior--which can be perceived as a personality. Organizations also have internal and external conflicts; they are influenced by the world around them and in turn, influence the world themselves.

Two reasons why I feel it is important to develop organizations, especially if theyare totally fabricated, is because: first, they add depth and realism to theworld in which they exist and second, they govern and/or influence the behavior of the characters in the story.

For example, take an agency of law enforcement. If a character is a police officer,they should exhibit certain behavioral traits in line with police training.They should stand a particular way, hold their weapons in a particular way,they should exude a specific air of authority when they are among others. There are many other traits but the point is that I think of a particular set of behavioral patterns when I think of a police officer vs. a gang member, or a priest vs. a politician. The behavioral patterns are all based off the organization that each subject represents.

Another way that developing organizations can add depth to a story is when one of its members behaves contradictory to what the organization represents. Look at thetypical crooked cop character. It instantly brings a particular understanding of how dangerous the character can be. This is mainly because we know what police officers are supposed to stand for and we are also aware of how much power and influence a police officer can have. Therefore, to think of a corrupt police officer automatically brings up feelings of dread because they use their power and authority to achieve goals that go against what their organizationstands for.

If I tell you that I have a character that is a “Bordor Warrior”, most likely it wouldn’t really matter much to you. You’d understand that the character is a warrior but it wouldn’t strike anything in you because you don’t know what Bordor Warriors are capable of or what they represent. If I tell you that I have a character that is a Jedi Knight, your response would change. There would be that moment of “Oh! A Jedi Knight, is he?” That’s because the Jedi Knights/Organization have been developed, you know what they are capable of, you know what they stand for, and you know how they should behave.

This iswhat I use to develop my organizations:

Name:

What is the organization called and why if there is a particular reason.

Function:

What type of organization is it? Religious, scientific, military, criminal, government,civilian, etc.

Objective:

What does the organization stand for? What are they trying to achieve?

Areas of Operation:

Where does the organization operate?

Conflict:

What conflicts are they involved in and with whom? Internal and external.

Leaders:

Who leads the organization? For fabricated organizations, even if their leaders are notin the story, I try to develop the first, second, and third commanders/rulersjust in case I may need them later or if a character has to refer to them.

Members:

Here, I list all the known characters that are a part of the organization. It’s a goodway to keep track of them.

Past:

What is the origin of the organization? What events of note have gone down its history?

Present:

What is the present state of the organization concerning its connection to the mainstory?

Future:

What do you foresee in the organization’s future? What are their plans?

Notes:

Here, I describe any particular information about the organization like customs, behaviors, skills, rituals, and technologies that may be unique to the organization.