  Drama
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Did somebody say something about angst? Oh, yeah. That was me.  In any case, in my attempts to get back to fiction writing, I have started to notice things about various tones in writing that I never really saw before. This is particularly notable with angst. As you will see, it's nowhere near cut and dry as society likes to make it. Likewise, it is also very difficult to construct in a believable manner. |
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I know I'm fond of dictionary definitions, but in the case of angst, it's paramount.
angst-a feeling of dread, anxiety, or anguish. (Dictionary.com definition)
-a kind of fear or anxiety; Angst is German for “fear.” It is usually applied to a deep and essentially philosophical anxiety about the world in general or personal freedom. (American Heritage New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy)
See why I defined the term right off the bat? I bet if anyone was asked to define angst off the top of their heads their definitions would not quite match the dictionaries. This is because angst has developed a reputation of being associated with teen writing (and to some extent melodrama) and what Robert Waltz  calls Angsta Rap
| It's just like rap-lots of babble and not much in the way of substance-combined with melodramatic emotions. |
| also from American Heritage: A philosophy that emphasizes the uniqueness and isolation of the individual experience in a hostile or indifferent universe, regards human existence as unexplainable, and stresses freedom of choice and responsibility for the consequences of one's acts. |
Angst did not enter the American language (and presumably the English language in general) until the mid 1940s. Its usage coincided with the rise of existentialism, and angst is one of the expected emotions in adapting an existentialist viewpoint. In current day English classes (namely those of the advanced levels), many novels studied have existential elements. Even though the existentialist movement faded into the woodwork after the 1950s, it still lingers in fiction (and film) to this day. There are too many examples to list, but when you have high schoolers studying the works of Kafka and Camus and watching films such as American Beauty, existentialism (and angst) are bound to show up in fiction written for and/or by young adults. Simply put, American education provides heavy doses of the philosophy, and thus young minds have this vague idea of angst flowing like the Mississippi.
What does that have to do with angst? Simple. Teenagers latch onto the word because it seems to describe their inner emotions. Beyond the fog of adolescence, though, angst is a viable tone for a drama piece. The idea of heavy dread resting on a character is not new by any means. With drama, dread is a likely emotion in rough times. There is also the angst that stems from having to make an ethically and morally challenging decision. With that in mind, let's look at a few situations where angst can come into play and how it can be depicted without being heavy handed.
 TRAUMA: When I say trauma, I encompass the many types of trauma. Physical, mental and emotional trauma can all lead to some form of angst. This angst usually comes in the form of memories and negative emotions stemming from them. Combining trauma and angst largely depends on the kind of trauma involved and how that trauma occurred. All three have the potential to become overblown when combined with angst, so proceed with caution. Use emotional outbursts (crying jags, fits of rage) sparingly. Having a traumatized character just start crying in despair over a memory smacks the angst in the reader's face, which can run against the much preached advice of show, don't tell.  Instead, try having the traumatized character talk to another person about the experience that led to this feeling of angst. Depending on the character's personality, leak emotional responses. Instead of having a character cry while discussing it, have the character's voice shake followed by attempts to steady it. Maybe the character's eye twitches as he or she pretends to be unaffected by it. If the trauma is physical and the character has scars from it, you can depict the character's angst in how (s)he reveals them (or doesn't, for that matter). If you prefer to isolate the character in some way, physical cues are just as useful, if not moreso. Use these alone times to reveal some physical evidence of the trauma that the character might be hiding from the outside world. You can also show the character caught between wanting to purge the pain in some way and keeping such emotions at bay.
MORAL/ETHICAL CHALLENGES: When a character he or she has to make a decision that may clash with beliefs or a person's idea of right and wrong, it can cause a great deal of despair, confusion and a sense of isolation. What distinguishes this from high risk situations (which I will explain in a moment) is these conflicts are not impossible but not things everyone will have to face. The impact of these more uinique conflicts will also vary much more because the character's personality shapes the idea of what is moral/ethical moreso than in high risk situations. Though there are plenty of examples in which one of the options is illegal, this kind of conflict can have two perfectly legal options available. It all boils down to the character battling his or her conscience. Take, for instance, a young woman who is just getting started in life. While enjoying the nightlife with her boyfriend, she comes across her aunt...and her aunt's girlfriend (who is married). Her aunt wants her to keep quiet, but when the girl figures out who the other woman's spouse is, she wants to tell him. The consequences do not work in her favor either way, but she knows she needs to do something. A conflict like this is a good example of an moral/ethical challenge. If you're looking for a less specific term for such a conflict, you could always use the "lesser of two evils". Anyway, depicting angst in this type of conflict should be a blend of introspection with interaction. There's no set proportion, but interaction should be more evident than introspection. Though the angst stems from the character not sure which path to take, the character has to make a choice. Use the moment when action is taken to show the character's angst. With this type of conflict, the character will not be happy either way, so you can depict his or her reluctance in many ways. From changes in gait to executing nervous actions, the moment of decision is nerve wracking and shows how uneasy the character feels in having to take that step. Likewise, dialogues about the decision also helps depicts the character's voliatile emotional state.
HIGH RISK SITUATIONS: What exactly is a high risk situation? That's not something that can be defined in a word, phrase or even just one sentence. High risk situations generally pertain to bucking a moral or social more. To refresh everyone's memories, a more is a custom (or sometimes belief) that originates from society rather than law. Situations that can lead to a character dealing with social mores include teenage pregnancy, peer pressure to commit an illegal act and various forms of coming out (particularly admitting to being gay or an atheist). A lot of these situations play a prominent role in teen and young adult fiction. Therefore, these types of situations sometimes get lumped into the melodrama category, which is inaccurate and not always a good thing. When a piece of this nature gets melodramatic, it can also get preachy (which ironically can cause some readers to lose interest). So how do you develop angst in this prickly setup? The answer is simple: write the first draft with as much melodrama as you want. From there, pick out the most melodramatic sections and rewrite, taking care of word selection and the amount of dialogue contained. In these types of situations, scaling back on the dialogue can be the most effective method of creating angst while staying out of melodrama territory. Also effective without being too elaborate are scenes in which a character facing this choice is alone and unbottles the myriad emotions he or she is experiencing through physical action alone. In regards to emotional reactions, feel free to have expressive characters. However, try to balance more spontaneous outbursts with scenes depicting the character trying to seek advice or otherwise trying to handle the situation in a sane, mature manner.
Angst is many things: complex, rich in potential detail, something of a craft in itself. In its most accurate form, angst is far from a crutch for bad writing. Developing angst in a plausible and engaging manner encourages a writer to slow down and pay attention to the words he or she uses. Likewise, a writer who understands what angst really is will stop and examine his of her characters to see what would cause genuine angst for them and what would just cause intense emotional reactions that don't quite put a crater in the soul. When done well, angst affects the reader in subtle yet long-lasting ways. Angst is not a bad thing. It just suffers from a lot of misconceptions and subpar execution.
Until next time,
(sig by Cat-Claws is 23 WDC Years Old!  ) |
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Yay, feedback! I'm happy to see some comments for my most recent newsletter. I suppose I should be happy I'm not flooded with comments, but I do enjoy hearing from you. That's one of my favorite things about this gig.
From Vivian  : Thanks, Elisa, for highlighting The Day of Two Suns.
You're welcome, Viv. It was nice to encounter a war piece that depicted the struggle of survival in war yet was also accessible to a wide variety of readers. 
From Mike Day : Hi, I just wanted to say how much I appreciated your last piece, it gave a thoughtful and balanced point of view on perspective and agenda. As in so many areas the phrase less is more seems a good guide line, a fact you expressed so well in your excellent drama news letter.
Thank you
Mike
And I appreciate your appreciation. Indeed, less is more would be prudent in the case of fusing an author's agenda with a written work. I'm also glad that it at least appeared to give a thoughtful and balanced viewpoint.  That is never an easy line to walk. So I'm glad you were enjoyed it.
From fleckgirl: Elisa,
The detail you go into while writing your NL's is above & beyond the call of duty & this NL topic of agenda was a great choice. It is well thought out & thought-provoking. IMO, it should leave many in deep thought about their own writing and give them something to work towards for a long time to come.
You really hit the nail on the head with your 5 guiding questions & I agree that no one likes to be preached to, or have a topic hammered into them and forced down their throat. I'll either put the book down or stop watching the movie if there's too much of that.
Great, great job! Your hard work is very noticeable & very much appreciated!
Fleck
If you or someone you know likes being preached to, I kind of want to meet you! Anyway, I figured five questions was sufficient. There are plenty of other questions an author will be asked or ask him/herself I wouldn't want to bombard them. It also gives authors a little something to work towards as they hone their skills. I'm glad you appreciate the work that goes into these newsletters. It does take some time, but if my readers are able to take something important to them from each issue, it gives me to keep going that extra mile. 
From emerin-liseli Angst! Angst! 
Because I write a lot of YA fiction, it's always fun to throw in all that teenage drama, the confusions of puberty, all that other lovely stuff.
I see that a lot of writers use angst as sort of an excuse for crazy emotions. I'm always impressed when the sentiment that characterizes so much YA fiction is more ... complex. I'm not sure what the cut and dry formula for making emotion seem real within a piece is (or even if such a formula exists!) but I'm always looking for tips to make m y character's feelings seem realistic.
Thanks for another great newsletter!
Hugs,
Em
I agree that angst can be used as a crutch, which is why I wanted to focus a newsletter on it. Likewise, a lot of (young) writers like to throw the word around willy nilly to attract attention (which I can't stand). I admit I haven't read much YA fiction since I was in middle school (a whole decade ago), so perhaps I might sell the genre short. That said, while YA is a common place to see what we normally think of when we think of angst, I'm inclined to believe that angst is much more than that and can be found in myriad (sub)genres.
Guess what's coming up in less than a month: the Olympics! WIth that in mind, I'll be taking a look at drama and sports. It's always a fun combination and a facet of drama I find is more accessible to the general public. I'd like to hear your opinions on the subject, and if you have any good recommendations for sports drama pieces, I'm all...eyes!
And if you happen to miss or misplace a newsletter, feel free to stop by "The Drama Box" [13+].
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Drama: July 09, 2008 Issue [#2483]
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