The Dramatic Writer's Companion Read online

  On Writing, Editing, and Publishing

  Jacques Barzun

  Telling About Society

  Howard S. Becker

  Tricks of the Trade

  Howard S. Becker

  Writing for Social Scientists

  Howard S. Becker

  Permissions, A Survival Guide

  Susan M. Bielstein

  The Craft of Translation

  John Biguenet and Rainer Schulte, editors

  The Craft of Research

  Wayne C. Booth, Gregory G. Colomb, and Joseph M. Williams

  Glossary of Typesetting Terms

  Richard Eckersley, Richard Angstadt, Charles M. Ellerston, Richard Hendel, Naomi B. Pascal, and Anita Walker Scott

  Writing Ethnographic Fieldnotes

  Robert M. Emerson, Rachel I. Fretz, and Linda L. Shaw

  Legal Writing in Plain English

  Bryan A. Garner

  From Dissertation to Book

  William Germano

  Getting It Published

  William Germano

  A Poet's Guide to Poetry

  Mary Kinzie

  The Chicago Guide to Collaborative Ethnography

  Luke Eric Lassiter

  How to Write a BA Thesis

  Charles Lipson

  Cite Right

  Charles Lipson

  The Chicago Guide to Writing about Multivariate Analysis

  Jane E. Miller

  The Chicago Guide to Writing about Numbers

  Jane E. Miller

  Mapping It Out

  Mark Monmonier

  The Chicago Guide to Communicating Science

  Scott L. Montgomery

  Indexing Books

  Nancy C. Mulvany

  Developmental Editing

  Scott Norton

  Getting into Print

  Walter W. Powell

  The Subversive Copy Editor

  Carol Fisher Sailer

  A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations

  Kate L. Turabian

  Tales of the Field

  John Van Maanen

  Style

  Joseph M. Williams

  A Handbook of Biological illustration

  Frances W. Zweifel

  WILL DUNNE

  In honor Of LLOYD RICHARDS

  and with gratitude to MARY f. MCCABE

  About This Guide xv

  Exercises at a Glance xxiii

  DEVELOPING YOUR CHARACTER I

  STAGE I: FLESHING OUT THE BONES

  Basic Character Builder 3

  Begin to create a new character by fleshing out key physical, psychological, and social traits and by identifying some of the important experiences that have shaped the character by the time the story begins.

  What the Character Believes 8

  The character's personal beliefs have a huge impact on how he or she sees the world, makes decisions, and behaves. Twenty topics lead you through an exploration of this credo and-like the next two parallel exercises-ask you to respond through your character's unique perceptions and voice.

  Where the Character Lives io

  Whether or not story action actually takes place in the character's home, it is a personal domain that can reveal much about who your character is and isn't. Twenty questions lead you through this exploration.

  Where the Character Works 12

  The activities, culture, and experience of work provide another key source of character information-even if this work doesn't figure prominently in the story action. Twenty questions lead you through this exploration.

  Getting Emotional 15

  Dramatic characters tend to be driven by strong feelings. Learn more about your character by exploring his or her primal emotions-anger, fear, and love-and the stimuli that trigger them.

  Into the Past 19

  One key to a great story is a great backstory. What has your character experienced in the past that will shed new light on his or her behavior now? Starting at the precise moment the story begins, this exercise leads you backward through time, step by step, to discover important truths.

  Defining Trait 22

  What are the bold strokes of your character-positive or negative-and how do these dominant traits inform and affect story events? This exercise helps you explore the causes and effects of the character traits that matter most.

  STAGE 2: GETTING TO KNOW THE CHARACTER BETTER

  Allies: Then and Now 25

  Drama is about human relationships and how they function under pressure. This exercise defines different types of allies, such as "the dangerous ally," and asks you to find examples of each in your character's life.

  Adversaries: Then and Now 30

  This exercise picks up where the previous one left off, defining different types of adversaries, such as "the friendly foe," and asks you to find examples of each in your character's life.

  Characters in Contrast 35

  Compare two of your principle characters in categories ranging from key strengths (such as "extra special talent") to key weaknesses (such as "extra special lack of talent"). You may find similarities and differences that help you better understand both characters and their relationship.

  Finding the Character's Voice 41

  A fully developed character has a unique way of expressing thoughts and feelings. Explore some of the long-term and short-term factors that can affect this voice. Then compare the voices of any two of your characters.

  Three Characters in one 46

  See what truths, lies, and delusions you can uncover by exploring a character from three different perspectives: that of the character, that of someone who knows the character well, and that of an objective outside observer.

  The Secret Lives of Characters 49

  The secrets that characters keep suggest a lot about what they value and what they fear. Explore different types of character secrets and how they might affect the direction of your story.

  STAGE 3: UNDERSTANDING WHO THE CHARACTER REALLY IS

  The Noble Character 54

  Great characters tend to be noble in nature, even if they are also flawed and behave badly. This raise-the-bar exercise challenges you to explore the nobility of a character and build on this to create a more important story.

  Seven Deadly Sins 58

  Whether or not your characters are religious, the concept of "sin" offers opportunities to explore their individual strengths and weaknesses. Use the traditional seven deadly sins to develop capsule portraits of your characters.

  The Dramatic Triangle 62

  In a relationship between two characters, there is often a third party affecting what happens between them-even if the third party is not physically present. Learn more about a key relationship by analyzing it as a dramatic triangle.

  Spinal Tap 68

  The spine of the character is the root action from which all of the character's other actions flow. This big-picture exercise helps you explore a character's spine and use it to trigger new story ideas.

  Character as Paradox 72

  Fascinating characters tend to manifest contradictory traits and behaviors. By exploring your character as a paradox-a self-contradiction which is true-you can add to his or her complexity and generate new ideas for story action.

  The Character You Like Least 77

  To develop any character, you need to understand how he or she experiences the world. Try this character exploration if you find yourself with a twodimensional "bad guy" whom you are having trouble writing.

  In So Many Words 84

  This exercise helps you establish a big-picture view of your character and then gradually focus in on his or her most important characteristics.
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  CAUSING A SCENE 89

  STAGE I: MAKING THINGS HAPPEN

  Basic Scene Starter 91

  This simple writing warm-up offers twelve basic questions that can help you prepare to write any dramatic scene.

  Where in the World Are We? 95

  The setting for a scene can be a rich source of story ideas if you take the time to discover what's there. This physical life exercise guides you through a visceral exploration of the place where a scene will occur.

  The Roots of Action ioo

  Explore the given circumstances for a scene and use this scenic context to fuel the emotions, thoughts, needs, and behavior of your characters at this particular time in your story.

  What Does the Character Want? Io6

  Dramatic characters act for one reason: they want something. Explore five types of objectives and figure out what specifically your character wants in any scene of your story.

  What's the Problem? I12

  Conflict in drama is obstacle. Explore different types of obstacles that your character might have to face while pursuing a scenic objective.

  Good intentions 116

  Right or wrong, characters act in pursuit of what they perceive to be good at the time. Find the good intentions behind even the worst behavior so that you can better understand the characters you write.

  How It Happens 120

  Characters try different strategies-some planned, some spontaneous-to achieve their objectives. This exercise helps you figure out the beginning steps of character action in a scene.

  Character Adjustments 125

  Your character has a certain observable attitude or emotion that can affect how a scene begins or unfolds. Use this exercise to explore different possible adjustments for your character during the course of a scene.

  Scene in a Sentence 129

  No matter how many different actions and topics it involves, and regardless of its complexity, a scene is about one thing. This exercise helps you explore the main event of a scene from different angles that may lead to new story ideas.

  STAGE 2: REFINING THE ACTION

  Seeing the Scene 133

  A picture is worth a thousand words. Streamline the need for dialogue by exploring new ways to literally show, not tell, your story and create a simple visual storyboard of the scenic action.

  There and Then 138

  In drama, the term "exposition" refers to anything that is not observable in the here and now. Use this exercise to turn expositional facts into story action that fuels your story instead of stopping it.

  The Aha!s of the Story 143

  Characters continually acquire new knowledge about themselves, others, and the world at large. Explore three types of character discovery and how these "aha!" moments might influence the dramatic action of a scene.

  Heating Things Up 148

  One way to heighten conflict is to make confrontation between your characters unavoidable. Explore different conflict techniques, from a binding disagreement to such devices as the locked cage, ticking clock, and vise.

  The Emotional Storyboard 153

  Character feelings are an integral part of story structure. Map out the emotional arc of each character in a scene, and explore how this emotional life both creates and grows out of the dramatic action.

  In the Realm of the Senses 16o

  Sense experience and sense memory are key ingredients of our participation in your story. Add visceral power to a scene-and trigger new ideas-by doing an in-depth sense study of its setting, characters, and dramatic action.

  The Voice of the Setting 165

  Whether indoors or out, every setting has its own voice. Explore different ways to use the nonverbal sounds of this voice to help set the scene, create a mood, or tell the story.

  Thinking in Beats 170

  The beat is the smallest unit of dramatic action. By doing a beat analysis of a scene you want to revise or edit, you can not only pinpoint dramaturgical problems, but also evaluate your current writing process.

  STAGE 3: REFINING THE DIALOGUE

  Talking and Listening 177

  Dialogue is heightened speech that sounds like everyday conversation but isn't. Here are some general guidelines to help you revise your dialogue so that it accomplishes more with less.

  Unspeakable Truths 182

  What your characters don't say is just as important-and often more important-than what they do say. Explore the subtext of your characters and how to communicate it without actually stating it.

  Universal Truths and Lies 187

  A great story imparts not only the specifics of a plot, but also statementstrue or false-about the world we all live in. Elevate your dialogue by exploring character beliefs about the human condition, and blending these universal truths and lies into plot details.

  The Bones of the Lines 191

  While there are no rules for writing dialogue, certain basic principles tend to govern the power of dramatic speech. Use these principles as editing guidelines to refine your dialogue from a purely technical angle.

  BUILDING YOUR STORY 197

  STAGE I: TRIGGERING THE CHAIN OF EVENTS

  Whose Story Is It? 199

  A dramatic story may center on one, two, or more characters. Use this exercise to find the right character focus for your story if you are having trouble figuring out whose story you are writing.

  How Will the Tale Be Told? 204

  From what vantage point will we experience the world of your characters? Develop a point-of-view "contract" to define how you will limit-or not limit-our knowledge of story events.

  As the World Turns 211

  What is the world of your story? Trigger new story ideas by fleshing out the physical, cultural, and political dimensions of this realm as well as the values, beliefs, and laws that govern it.

  Inciting Event 217

  Every story is a quest triggered by a turning-point experience that upsets the balance of a character's life in either a good way or a bad way. Explore your story's inciting event and how it affects your character.

  The Art of Grabbing 221

  Great stories grab us by the throat and don't let go. Increase your story's grabbing power by looking carefully at what you have accomplished-or not accomplished-during the first ten pages.

  STAGE 2: DEVELOPING THE THROUGHLINE

  Step by Step 228

  Drama is about life in transition. This exercise helps you plan the big transition of your character's dramatic journey, using a step outline to track and analyze key events.

  Turning Points 233

  Your character's dramatic journey is a sequence of events that can sometimes turn in unexpected directions. Learn more about your story by fleshing out two basic types of turning points.

  What Happens Next? 240

  Suspense is a core ingredient of any dramatic story. Use basic principles of suspense to strengthen your story and keep your audience engaged.

  Pointing and Planting 246

  Foreshadowing can help you strengthen your throughline by finding the relationships between story events. Use this exercise to explore how setups and payoffs can heighten suspense.

  Crisis Decision 253

  The crisis is when your subject, theme, character, and story all converge to create the most difficult decision your character must face. Construct this crisis decision by examining the gains and losses that hang in the balance.

  Picturing the Arc of Action 257

  This exercise can help you visualize the throughline of your story, find telling images of your character at the most important points of the dramatic journey, and understand how these points connect.

  Before and After 260

  Define your character's dramatic journey by comparing its starting point to its final destination and determine how the character has been affected by what happened.

  Twelve-Word Solution 264

  Work within given limits to explore your story globally and define the key events of your character's
dramatic journey.

  STAGE 3: SEEING THE BIG PICTURE

  Main Event 267

  No matter how complex its characters, plots, and subplots may be, a great story usually adds up to one main event. This focusing exercise helps you understand what happens-or what could happen-in your story overall.

  Your Story as a Dog 27 1

  By translating your story into totally different forms, such as a newspaper headline or poem, you can simplify and prioritize your story ideas, get a clearer view of the big picture, and have fun in the process.

  The Incredible Shrinking Story 277

  Developing a synopsis is a great focusing process that can help clarify what you are really writing about. This exercise helps you get the most out of this process by writing not just one but seven different levels of summary.

  What's the Big idea? 280

  As you review your script, you will probably find a number of themes woven throughout. Use this focusing exercise to figure out which of these ideas is most important, and develop a theme statement that can help guide the rest of story development.

  What's in a Name? 285

  This exercise might help you find a great title for your story, but its primary purpose is to use the naming process to explore the big picture of your story and figure out what matters most.

  The Forest of Your Story 291

  The forest is what we discover when we can finally see more than just the trees. What is the forest of your story? This summary exercise leads you through a detailed big-picture analysis of your material.

  Ready, Aim, Focus 295

  This focusing exercise asks you to think a lot but write only a little as you give one-word answers to big questions about your story, such as "What does your main character most want?"

  Six Steps of Revision 297

  The revision process is often when a script gets "written." This exercise offers a series of suggestions and reminders to help you review a completed draft of your script.

  FIXING COMMON SCRIPT PROBLEMS 303

  Use exercises from this guide to address such problems as False Character; Unnecessary Character; No One to Care About; Not Clear What the Character Wants; Not Enough Conflict; Not Enough at Stake; False Starts and Stops; Strategy Gone Stale; Retrospective Elucidation; Punches That Don't Land; Nothing Happening; Something Happening, But It Doesn't Matter; Lack of Focus Early On; Main Character Too Passive or Missing in Action; Offstage More Interesting Than Onstage; Weak Throughline; A Crisis That Isn't; Not Clear What Happened in the Story; A Theme That Isn't; and Way Too Many Words.