Part 5/13:
Building the Main Character: Depth through Brainstorming
Shapiro demonstrates iterative dialogue with ChatGPT to flesh out his protagonist. He considers various backgrounds—including a slave seeking liberation, a lower noble family, or someone fallen from wealth due to betrayal. Ultimately, he settles on a woman born into a powerful and wealthy Patrician family, dispossessed due to palace intrigue and betrayal.
He explores her motivations—using beauty, charm, wit to climb the social hierarchy—while recognizing the narrative potential of her fall from grace. The character arc involves her striving to regain status, then realizing the emptiness of power and ultimately choosing genuine human connection over external validation. This inner conflict becomes the backbone of the story.