  Drama
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| A month ago yesterday, I went to St. Paul on the first day of the convention. I originally went to observe an announced peaceful demonstration. My day ended with a patience-testing escape out of the city. After I calmed down, I realized that something good could be gleaned from the calamity. It gave me the focus for this newsletter. Regardless of geographical location or era in history, people have taken to the streets to express discontentment their governments, and these demonstrations are a dramatic hotbed no matter where or when they occur. |
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Taking to the streets to protest an injustice has almost been romanticized because it has been depicted in so many history books. What the books leave out is that such protests are risky and have cost people their lives. They also leave out the fact that not all protests are the same. A protest held in the United States would be different from a protest in France. In spite of the differences stemming from culture and reasons for protests, these events do have common threads. This newsletter will look at both what makes a protest and what makes them differ from one another. I'll also look at the role protests play in stories.
So what do protests all over the globe have in common? There are a few similarities all protests have. One is a prime choice of location. Some of the most memorable protests have taken place in significant areas. In many cases, protestors stand outside the building where a meeting or event that affects is taking place. For example, the XCel Energy Center was the number place to congregate during the Republican National Convention. A second common thread is the presence of counter-protesters, who are often supporters of the cause or idea that is being protested. The appearance of counter-protestors tends to spark the more violent turns of demonstrations. While this was not (entirely) the case in St. Paul, such a face-off occurred in Thailand last month. The clash between the PAD
| People's Alliance for Democracy |
That said, each protest will be different. Cultural influence plays the biggest role in making each protest unique, and it encompasses the many specific aspects of a protest that will differ. This influence can determine what people will protest, why they'll do so and how they will set the wheels in motion. Beyond that, it helps to look at what each group hopes to achieve with such actions. While many protestors in St. Paul came to peacefully demonstrate and march, groups such as the RNC Welcoming Committee showed up planning to use violence as a means of intimidating the Republican delegates. Peaceful demonstrations are possible, though, and some of them become touchstones in global history. Still, you have to determine if the group you have in mind would actually be able to reign in their emotionals enough to engage in non-aggressive protest. It's much easier said than done. One final thing that differs from protest to protest is who leads it. A charismatic leader can encourage people to engage in nonviolent demonstrations. A more militant leader stirs up latent anger and encourages participants in more active assaults. Leadership in the form of a small group may organize distractions that could be lethal.
So how do you apply all this to writing? In truth, it's not all that different from most conflicts. If you look at the various types of conflicts (listed in "12/14/2005" ), you'll see that a protest falls under the individual vs. society. You could say it's society vs. society. In terms of actually writing, though, the point of view will normally center one one person. Otherwise you might want to write your work in the style of an essay as opposed to fiction.  A more suitable expansion or alternative is individual vs. individual (although it will multiple individuals against multiple individuals at times). As long as you keep that in mind, figuring out the specifics of the protest in you story will make more sense. You'll probably already know which person or group will do the actual protesting and which person or group will be the subject of the protest.
From there, you should look at the person or group doing the protesting first. Figure out who the leader is (if there is one) and what kind of personality he or she has. Is it forceful, or does this person emphasize safety? When determining the leader's personality, you should also consider the followers. How willing are they to go along with the plans? If they're normally level-headed but go along with more radical actions, this could emphasize the leader's persuasive abilities. You can also develop the leader by making one of the followers doubtful of the leader's plans (and I'll discuss this a little more in the point of view section). When looking at the people involved, don't forget about the person or group that's provoked the ire of the protestors. They may not play an active role in your story, but they will feature in many ways. You should determine what they think, how they behave and what they think of people who do not support their plans or ideas. All of these things can provoke protest, so knowing the antagonist in detail can affect your protestors.
The most interesting (and challenging) part of writing stories involving protests is the point of view. Generally speaking, a limited point of view (first person or third) is most effective for protest stories. The limited point of view works for stories in eithr past tense or present and is ideal if you switch between the two at any time. Outside of that, the possibilities are boundless. There are certain roles a person could take in such a situation, and it's not confined to the two sides. I did not go to St. Paul to participate. In fact, I went strictly as an observer and was prepared to bargain with the cops to get out of being arrested and/or have my camera taken away from me. I managed to avoid that but still had a bit of an adventure that day. Below is a list of possible roles (and therefore points of view) that can be found in a protest.
 PROTESTOR: self explanatory, can usually be found in a group
PROTEST LEADER: organizes a protest, a task that can take weeks (depending on the nature of the protest)
PROTESTEE: also self explanatory, sometimes aware of protestors and their motives but not always acknowledging
ANARCHIST: someone who shows up to create chaos at the protest; may or may not be a protestor. A good example of an anarchist in a protest is the RNC Welcoming Committee. http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=73913
JOURNALIST: can be there to cover the original meeting or the protests; they got cuaght in the middle in St. Paul, and one journalist was even arrested.
OBSERVER: someone going to observe the protests in person, may have limited knowledge of details; observers tend to be locals that are foolhardy enough to enter the fray.
LAW ENFORCEMENT: can include police, military and any other people that would be brought in the quell violent demonstrations (or make them worse, depending on your point of view)
SYMPATHIZERS: not directly involved in the protests, support the demonstrators in some way
Though you should know both sides of the conflict and the people involve, you have many options for point of view here. You would still need to know who's involved and what's at stake if want to write this from a police officier's point of view. Likewise, a journalist would have to be aware of the two sides as well. The role and its point of view taken will determine how much information about each side actually makes it into your story.
As you can see, protests have a lot of layers. It's not really difficult to understand them, but there is some work involved. When writing a protest scene or story, it's important to focus on the human motivations to make it touch the reader. Violence does not always make a protest story. It's all about the reasons for taking a stand.
Until next time,
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I got next to no comments on my last newsletter. Therefore, the political drama thread continued. Don't like what I write? It's best to let me know. In the meantime, I'll share what little I received.
From Robert Waltz  : Excellent overview of the basics needed for writing in the political realm. You certainly mentioned things I had no idea about. About the only thing I'd suggest is to point us to where, on the internet or elsewhere, we might find some of the more obscure facts you mentioned, and ideas for further research. Sure, we could look on Wikipedia, but that's not exactly the most reliable of sources
Good point, especially when you consider the fact that much of the information about the Supreme Court might be classified as obscure. I think an article pertaining to the research possibilities for this topic is in order. Given that I learned a lot of the more detailed stuff in college, books will play a part. However, I'll have to see if there are any reliable websites (aside from the official .gov ones) that explain the components, duties and procedures of each government branch.
From Anonymous I think politics is boring and makes for bad writing. Why did you discuss it?
Well, Anonymous, I was hoping you'd show your face, but such is life. As for discussing politics in relation to drama, it can work. The key is for writers not to get caught in common traps, such as obsessing over the minutia of various government branches or turning Washington DC into Soap Opera Land. I wrote about it to provide a guide so writers garnered an idea how to balance the various elements of a political drama. It's a tougher balancing act than in other subgenres. I did not intend for it to try to sway votes or anything like that. After all, what we write and what we think are not always intertwined.
So...what's on tap for my next issue? I have Satuawany  to thank for the idea. (I hope she doesn't come after me for this.) I will be presenting some unique ways to get to know your characters. Do you have any tricks for getting to know your characters? If so, this Stik wants to know about it, and I'll share them in the next issue. 
And if you happen to miss or misplace a newsletter, feel free to stop by "The Drama Box" [13+]. |
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Drama: October 01, 2008 Issue [#2639]
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