The Influence Character Throughline

The Influence Character Throughline is that point-of-view which acts as an obstacle to the Main Character maintaining their justifications. In other words, the Main Character would not grow were it not for this challenging and alternative perspective.

Typically, this character shows up in the classic "You and I Are Both Alike" scene found in many stories:

The Influence Character Two-Step Process

When it comes to working with Subtxt AI and the Influence Character, the process is a bit different when compared to the Objective Story or Main Character Throughlines. The first spin of the AI grants you ideas of what the Influence Character might do in a particular Storybeat. The second spin--and this is where things deviate from the norm--lets you know how the Main Character might respond to such a challenge.

tip

The purpose of the Influence Character Throughline perspective is to act as an obstacle towards the Main Character continuing his or her justifications. The mere presence of this point-of-view should shake up the Main Character and influence them to reconcile personal blindspots. Subtxt's implementation of this 2-step process is meant to help storytellers better understand how this Throughline works in a complete story.

For instance, begin by spinning the Subtxt AI for ideas:

Then, as with other Throughlines, Merge those ideas into one solid paragraph.

Now that you have something good to work with note how the button right next to "Merge", which reads "Continue" in other Throughlines, is labeled Show Impact here in the Influence Character Throughline. Click this button and Subtxt will let you know how the above Storytelling challenges and influences the Main Character to grow:

The end result is an enlightened view of what is needed to grow your Main Character out of their justifications.

The Influence Character Synopsis

As with the other Throughlines, make sure you have a specific Synopsis in the Influence Character Throughline Synopsis tab. The more specific, the better results you will get from the AI.