| This topic sheet was originally
devised for the Exciting
Plot Writing course. There is a table of links
to other teaching resources towards the bottom of this page.
|
Events are an essential component of any drama. Without them,
everything is static: there are no character journeys and, therefore,
no plot. Something must happen. Events are the answer to the all-important
question: what happens?
That is not to say that all events must be tangible, in the sense
of occurring in physical time and space. Character journeys, as
often as not, occur largely within characters' minds: The reader
does not witness the change of mindset in the strictest
sense of the word, but merely senses the change in the reflected
light of the character's statements of self-revelation and/or
the character's actions and behaviour towards others.
Chains of Events
Events, whether tangible or not, cannot usually be viewed in
isolation. The change in the mindset of a character, for example,
will probably be sparked by an event or a series of events. The
audience invariably wants to grasp the chain of actions and reactions.
The writer need not necessarily spell out every detail, but s/he
must take care to lay out at least the plausible fragments of
a chain as source materials for the reader's hypotheses.
Sometimes the chain of events is obvious: child injured in serious
car accident confined to wheelchair, becomes determined campaigner
against drink-driving.
Often it is deliberately less obvious: we see the madwoman in
the attic, but as readers we are never quite sure whether the
prime cause of her madness was genetic disorder, inappropriate
medication, social deprivation, paternal cruelty, etc.
In short, the writer's task is to develop chains of multifarious
causes and effects that stimulate the reader's imagination. Events,
causes and effects must be credible and convincing if readers
are to engage with them: if readers are going to identify with
the character, they must also identify to some extent with the
events in the character's life.
Critical Moments: Sudden Turnings or Upheavals
From the reader's point of view, events will be seen to shape
the lives of the characters in the story. From the writer's perspective,
however, character journeys can be used to shape the plot and
determine the events that occur within it. Once the writer has
outlined the central character journeys, in other words, one of
her/his next tasks is to identify events that will facilitate
(as well as hinder) the character journey.
Arguably it is best to focus first on the events that occur at
critical moments in the character journey. Aristotle's
Poetics cites catastrophe as an essential feature of plot.
If the concept of catastrophe seems too extreme in the context
of one's putative comedy sketch, it is worth remembering that
the original meaning of the word catastrophe was simply sudden
turning or upheaval (though its subsequent associations with
tragic events is hardly surprising in view of its close connections
with the theatre of the ancient Greeks). It is better, perhaps,
to think in terms of sudden turnings or upheavals as essential
catalysts for change.
Desirable vs Undesirable Events
It is often said that people do not like change. This is only
partly true, though. We are motivated to change, more or less
happily, if change is desirable (e.g. moving house to be with
the best beloved) or at least consistent with our desires (e.g.
dieting to lose weight). The happy events underpinning these actions
are catastrophes in the Aristotelian sense: they are turning points,
whether great or small, and we become changed through them.
The changes we do not like are those that are imposed on us,
that seem to run counter to our plans. These tend to fit more
closely with the modern definition of catastrophe: redundancy,
divorce, sudden death, onset of critical illness, terrorist attack,
etc. Obviously these too are turning points. Arguably they are
much more interesting from the perspective of the writer and,
potentially, the reader, because they upset characters' plans
and test their mettle. Unlike self-motivated upheavals, these
are beyond our control and, importantly, they shatter the self-delusion
that we control our lives.
Confident characters, in control of their own destinies, think
they know it all and are inclined to learn nothing. Unless they
are being built up in readiness for a fall, they may become uninteresting.
Unsettled, vulnerable characters, by contrast, have to think
on their feet and are more likely to make journeys of self-discovery.
Moreover, as history and experience teach us, adversity creates
the conditions for us to grow in strength and maturity.
In summary, self-motivated upheaval is a useful plot device,
but truly catastrophic events are far more powerful.
Characterisation
The subject of characterisation is not being addressed directly
in the Exciting Plot Writing course. However, students may wish
to refer to topic sheets from previous courses, as follows. (Topic
sheets will appear in a separate window.)
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