Chapter 3. What to Turn On and Off: Four Tiers and Five Preparatory Modules

The previous chapter laid out the twelve stages from seed to output. They form a map for building one person and the skeleton supporting the practical work beginning in Chapters 4, 5, and 6.

This chapter organizes two decisions that must be made beside that map. Without them, the scale of the work drifts or production stalls midway. The first is character tier: how much time and depth to devote to a person. The second is five preparatory modules: optional systems consciously switched on or off beside the twelve stages.

This is the last chapter on stance and structure. Beginning with the next chapter, an actual character starts to take shape.

How Much Time Should One Character Receive?

Let us begin with one of the most common production errors: spending the same amount of time on every character.

Characters within one work require different amounts of attention.

Ernie Macmillan in Harry Potter has a name, a house, and several lines, but remains a conventional supporting figure with little narrative weight. Giving him protagonist-level attention would leave the protagonist thin.
Tom Bombadil in Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings is fascinating, yet connects only lightly to the main plot and was omitted entirely from the films. It is a famous example of narrative weight determining allotted space.

Close-up · The ensemble of The Wire The Wire places dozens of drug dealers, detectives, dockworkers, politicians, teachers, and reporters inside one city. None is consumed merely as an extra, yet each receives precisely the time appropriate to their weight. Minor figures do not receive excessive histories; central figures receive sufficient depth. It demonstrates on a vast scale this chapter's rule: establish hierarchy first and invest effort in proportion to weight.

Imagine a work with thirty characters. Spending eight hours on each requires 240 hours—roughly a month. Usually, however, only one or two sit at the center, five to fifteen participate in many events, and the rest appear in one or two scenes. Equal time leaves too little for central figures and too much for minor ones.

We use four tiers. A protagonist, the axis of viewpoint and conflict, receives an integrated sheet of 7,000 Korean characters ±30 percent and 8–15 hours. A major character, involved in many events, receives 4,000 characters ±30 percent and 4–7 hours. A supporting character, present in some events, receives 2,000 characters ±30 percent and 1–2 hours. A minor character, appearing in one scene or by name only, receives 1,000 characters ±30 percent and 30–60 minutes. Counts per tier vary by genre and scale and should not be fixed. For example, divide thirty people into one protagonist, four major characters, ten supporting characters, and fifteen minor characters. Using the lower bound of each range produces 41 hours 30 minutes, not 240 hours. The goal is not merely to reduce time, but to place it in proportion to narrative weight.

This table applies in advance to every later chapter. During seed work, for example, the protagonist combines five seed cards with external seeds, while a minor character receives only one card or one external seed line.

Why Differentiated Length Matters

Consider what happens without a tier table. A writer decides to build all thirty figures to equal depth, out of admirable affection for each. A month later, the folder contains a 7,000-character integrated sheet for a minor figure who appears only early in the work, while the protagonist who appears throughout has only a 1,500-character note. The proportions have reversed.

This is a natural result of beginning without hierarchy. Time collects around whoever is built first; fatigue reduces the time given to later figures. Production order has no relation to narrative weight, so length begins to follow order rather than importance.

A tier table prevents the reversal. The first line of Stage 1 specifies protagonist, major, supporting, or minor. That label determines the length standards of the following eleven stages. If a minor character begins to receive 7,000 characters, the format itself stops the work.

What a Shortened Route Means

Tier does more than allocate time. It decides which stages are completed in full and which are abbreviated. We call this a shortened route.

An old maxim says, “Every character is the protagonist of their own story.” Even a person crossing the screen for a moment lives at the center of a life. That does not mean every person receives equal page space. While Miguel in Coco is drawn deeply, the surrounding cast is brief but distinct. Respect and equal depth are not the same thing.

The protagonist completes all twelve stages: five seed cards, five fixed and supplementary measures, a 1,500-character story, five-media output, twenty-two questions, and a five-act transformation.

Major characters follow all twelve but abbreviate some. The everyday-slice scenario becomes an 800-character note; twisting uses only the 6×3 matrix and omits five variants; five-media output produces the integrated sheet and one or two media.

Supporting characters use one seed card, two of the fastest five measures, no everyday-slice scenario, one ability or preference, and only an integrated sheet. Each takes one to two hours.

Minor characters receive one external seed line, a one-word identity, a name and one appearance factor, and one integrated-sheet paragraph. Each takes thirty minutes to one hour.

Paired with the tier table, this route makes total production time rational. A thirty-character build falls from 240 hours to under sixty.

Tier and route are chosen before full production. The tier appears on the first line of Stage 1 and automatically determines the depth of the following eleven stages.

Five Preparatory Modules

That was the first decision. The second concerns five preparatory modules.

The twelve stages are complete on their own. Yet five optional modules can strengthen them according to the nature of the work. They are consciously switched on or off.

In brief: Module 1, strengthening the first appearance, activates between Stages 5 and 6 or during Stage 12 output. Module 2, character-evolution simulation, activates after Stage 12. Module 3, reference-character mapping, activates at Stage 1 seed or Stage 3 everyday slice. Module 4, the worldbuilding-consistency preflight checklist, must be prepared before entering the process. Module 5, the identity and diversity dimension, reinforces Stage 6 identification.

Let us examine each.

Module 1: Strengthening the First Appearance

The first appearance is when the reader or viewer meets the character. The person should be identifiable within five seconds, or the audience is less likely to invest attention.

This module applies five tools: add one small action protecting someone weak or an animal to establish affection; check whether the first line conveys occupation, class, and accent; test five-second recognition; decide one signature pose or expression; and draft the first five sentences in advance.

Screen direction has long systematized character introductions. Indiana Jones first appears escaping a cave trap by a narrow margin. Jack Sparrow enters port standing proudly on the mast of a sinking boat. One action compresses a personality. A first manga panel or game entrance animation follows the same principle.

Use this module when a protagonist or major character appears near the opening. It is rarely useful for a minor figure whose first appearance may also be the last.

Module 2: Character-Evolution Simulation

Activate this only after all twelve stages. It simulates how the finished person lives beyond the work.

Run five simulations: the person five years later, with separate branches for abandoning or retaining the Lie; ten years later; a parallel possibility in which the central choice was reversed; life after the ending; and influence on children or students.

Use it for series and works likely to receive long-form sequels. A short story rarely needs it because the character begins and ends within that story.

Module 3: Reference-Character Mapping

Activate this when ideas stall or tone remains unclear. Existing characters help locate the texture of the new one.

Choose one or two non-Korean and one or two Korean characters. Write one line for what your character borrows from each, and one line for what is deliberately twisted. Finally, note their common traps—the clichés they often fall into—and decide to avoid them.

Reference is ordinary creative work, not a source of shame. The Lion King transplants the structure of Hamlet into an animal kingdom. Neo in The Matrix emerged through active engagement with the atmosphere of Ghost in the Shell and cyberpunk tradition. The point is not copying, but knowing clearly what is taken and what is transformed.

This module is often useful on a first build and unnecessary when the concept is already strong. In cliché-heavy genres such as romance, isekai, and regression fiction, at least keep the trap memo active.

Isekai and regression fiction: common web-fiction genres. Isekai sends a protagonist into another world; regression returns a dead or failed protagonist to an earlier time. Their standardized developments accumulate clichés quickly, making trap notes especially useful.

Module 4: Worldbuilding-Consistency Preflight Checklist

This is the most important module and fundamentally different from the others. The producer prepares it before entering the twelve stages. It is not performed within a stage; it must already exist.

Building the world before placing characters in it is an old tradition. J. R. R. Tolkien created Middle-earth's languages, history, and myths before placing The Lord of the Rings characters under its rules, calling the construction of a coherent imagined world “sub-creation.” Frank Herbert likewise designed Arrakis's ecology, politics, and religion before placing Paul Atreides within Dune. The world defines in advance what a person can and cannot do.

Prepare eight items:

One-line world summary: genre, period, central motif
Technology or magic level: explicit limits on abilities
Social structure: class, politics, economy
Sources of central social conflict
Important chronology: one to five events within the work
Other central characters: one-line position for each
Tone manual: ratios of light/dark and comedy/tragedy
Prohibitions: subjects and expressions the creator will not use

Every stage refers to these items. They test whether a job fits the social structure, an ability fits the technology level, and a conflict fits the tone.

Without the checklist, a completed character may enter the work only to feel misaligned, forcing expensive backward revision through the stages.

For an existing IP, activate all eight. For free creation, at least prepare Item 1, the one-line summary, and Item 7, the tone manual.

IP (Intellectual Property): in creative production, usually a protected world and its characters. When adding a person to an established universe such as the Marvel Cinematic Universe or Pokémon, first align with existing rules rather than building freely.

This module alone must be completed outside and before the process. Keep it as one file at the project root and consult it throughout all twelve stages.

Module 5: Identity and Diversity Dimension

The final module gives identity greater dimensionality and reinforces Stage 6 identification.

Seven dimensions:

Sexual orientation
Gender identity
Racial, ethnic, and linguistic detail
Disability and chronic illness
Socioeconomic background: class and migration experience
Religion and spirituality
Neurodiversity: autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and so on

Not all seven need apply to one person. Select consciously according to tone and concept. Without conscious selection, every figure tends to converge on an identity resembling the creator's own.

Combined with the cast-distribution stage in Chapter 10, this module distributes diversity across the whole work rather than concentrating all seven dimensions in one person.

How to Switch Modules On and Off

Immediately after deciding the seed, confirm whether Modules 1, 2, 3, and 5 apply and which parts of Module 4 will be referenced. Module 4's source material itself must already have been prepared before entering the process.

Module 1 First-appearance strengthening: a+ b+ c+ d- e-
Module 2 Evolution simulation: a- b- c- d- e-
Module 3 Reference characters: a+ b+ c+ d+ e-
Module 4 Worldbuilding consistency: a+ b+ c+ d+ e+ f+ g+ h+
Module 5 Identity and diversity: a+ b- c+ d- e- f- g-

Each subitem receives + or -: plus means apply; minus means conscious exclusion. Omit the line only when switching the entire module off.

The format enforces one principle: a minus sign is a conscious exclusion. It changes “we simply did not do it” into “we decided not to do it,” preserving the reason when the decision is later questioned.

When to Decide

Finalize the tier and module table immediately after the seed, while preparing Module 4's world material even earlier. Place seed, tier, and module table together, and let the bundle follow the remaining eleven stages.

The same seed produces different lengths under different tiers and different textures under different modules. The twelve-stage procedure remains the same, but combinations produce different people.

The division of responsibility is:

Tier decision: producer. An AI work partner may recommend, but narrative weight belongs to the producer.
Module decisions: producer. The person who understands the work switches them on and off.
Module 4's eight-item preparation: producer-led, AI-assisted. The producer writes the one-line summary and tone manual. AI may draft supporting material such as technology level and social structure, which the producer reviews.

These decisions count inside the 8–15 hours for a protagonist. When Module 4 already exists for the world, building multiple characters in that same world saves substantial time.

Stance and Structure, Complete

The stance and structure of the lecture are now established.

First, treat the character as a human being—with affection rather than anger, deliberately beginning flat and adding flesh. Keep offering the wrong direction so the person must move.

Second, the producer and AI work partner work together, with different responsibilities at every stage.

Third, twelve stages connect seed to output in four groups. Tier determines which stages are full and which are shortened.

Fourth, five preparatory modules sit beside the stages and are switched according to the work. Module 4 alone must be prepared before entry.

Practical work begins in the next chapter. Chapter 4 covers drawing five of thirty seed cards, organizing external seeds, three fast abbreviated methods, and compressing the result into one seed line. With the first three chapters' stance and skeleton in hand, we enter the starting point of one person.