  Drama
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Drama: the act of trying to get three kids and a husband in the car on a three day weekend after your spouse woke up one morning and said, "Let's go on vacation!"  Thankfully I already had my newsletter written, but please forgive any hasty formatting errors. |
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Since I became a newsletter editor, I have struggled with the question, what is drama? What makes a story into a drama? This has been especially difficult as I sought out works to include as editor's picks. I fear a riot should I inadvertantly include a non-drama piece – but I'm sure it would make for a dramatic uprising.
What else could I do but search the dictionary – or in this lovely modern era, dictionary.com? The site discusses various aspects of a play or theatrical production, then moves towards the definition of drama as a genre. The two interpretations that stuck out most to me were:
 an episode that is turbulent or highly emotional
the quality of being arresting or highly emotional
In both instances, the phrase 'highly emotional' stands out. To write a dramatic piece, it seems that emotion must be the primary focus. The activity that occurs is important, of course, but without an inner or emotional change, the piece is not a drama. It may be a fine story, fit for the science fiction or action/adventure genres, but not drama.
This is not to say that a science fiction or A/A piece cannot be drama. I think many pieces can be classified as both. The difference is how relevant the emotion is to the story. Do we find ourselves mainly rooting for the hero to overcome his nemesis, or do we also hope he can defeat his childhood demons?
I've noticed most movies seem to be picking up the trend, perhaps not wanting to be considered 'shallow'. They want to be deep, or maybe they just want to appeal to the 'chicks' as well as the guys. For some reason, the movie Batman (the first one, with Michael Keaton) sticks out in my head. Poor Brucie struggles to overcome the emotional upset of confronting his parents killer. Contrast this with the Adam West Batman shows and you'll see the difference. Now, this doesn't mean I consider Batman a drama, but they sure did try, didn't they?
Back to writing. How do we bring out the emotion in our characters? How do we put ourselves in our characters shoes if we've never felt what they have? How do we make sure our readers are convinced?
Start with how you would feel in a given situation. Relate it to what you know. Perhaps you have never lost a child, but what do you think that would feel like (start with what having a child might feel like and go from there)? Do you remember the pain you felt when your puppy was run over? Expand on that. Make it more tangible. Obviously, losing a child and losing a dog are two different pieces of pain, but start with what you know.
Avoid cliches. Phrases like grief welled up inside him, and she loved him more than he would ever know don't reveal how a character truly feels. Find a new way to say it.
Which lets you know how much the character hurts? Pain cut him like a knife or With those words, Jack's chest contracted. His lungs no longer functioned, and he struggled to breathe. She wasn't leaving him, was she? A dull roar inside his chest grew stronger until it consumed him. And so forth.
If the experience is totally foreign to you, do a little research. After all, this is the age of the Internet. Search for grief and loss forums. Search for pieces on writing.com that handle whatever emotion you are exploring. See if you can find any books that deal with similar subjects. Then apply these emotions to your own characters.
What seperates a three dimensional character from a cardboard cutout? Generally, it seems to be emotion. Keep your stories' inhabitants from being singlesided by giving them realistic emotions and reactions. Your readers will be able to relate to them, and will find themselves rooting for your good guys and grieving at their losses.
In closing, I'd like to mention that I have decided to run a monthly contest (with a large prize) to help me with my drama newsletter. This month's prompt is For this month's entry, have your story be based around a birth and your character's reaction to it. , and the deadline is September 26th. Please swing by! "Invalid Item" In the meantime, I've included last month's winners here for all to see. The numerous fantastic entries, which made the judging difficult; I hope you will stop by to see them! |
First Place
She was 15 months old when I first saw her, a beautiful little princess dressed in a sundress and a matching hat, clinging to the neck of my soon to be daughter-in-law. She looked at me through sad, blue eyes and clung even tighter to Janet.
Second Place
“I should have listened to your mother. Always listen to your mother, Gabe. Always do what she says. No matter what I say.”
Third Place
The trailer lunged forward catching Joe on his right hip. He heard the sickening sound of breaking bones as it knocked him over and continued its forward motion, mowing him down and pinning him to the ground with the large trailer hitch squarely in the middle of his back.
Also
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The public was not impressed by a hiccupping boy at first, but soon it became an enjoyable local custom to attempt to cure the hiccups through fear. They would scream “Fuego! Fuego!” while he was napping, throw buckets of hot water on him and more than once men pounced into his tent wearing strange homemade masks. While all horribly unnerving, the hiccups continued unabated.
Honorable Mentions
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Gabriel’s mouth gaped open as the storm-beast reared up and snorted as it hurled rain and wind, along with sticks, twigs, branches, empty garbage cans, and an assortment of other loose debris, at the farmhouse and barn. It shook the farmhouse with intensifying rage and pounced on the slate roof of the sturdy farmhouse, releasing tiles that clattered downward and littered the yard below.
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He was my husband of seventeen years, and every morning he sneaked away like we were having a one-night-stand. Sometimes he made me so furious.
I've decided also to highlight at least one newbie story in each issue.
This month, the newbie is insomniacarts
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“You think about them po’ souls that didn’t make it this far. You think about them that don’t get to go on and make somethin’ more of their lives. Every day, you sit for a minute and thank yo’ lucky stars that you get to breathe for a while longer and you get the chance to do somethin’ good, while others that might have been good people too got laid in the ground before you.”
A few other great reads
He tossed the greasy, yolk-covered bacon into his mouth and chomped it with an overstated finality which Brian would come to associate with his Grandad’s life.
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“When I left,” she said again, “I... It wasn’t your fault, you know. You have a way of feeling responsibility for things you can’t control. I don’t want you to carry the burden for my failures.”
“I don’t feel responsible. I blame you completely,” he said coldly.
She watched the emotion on her husband’s face go from surprise to wonder as he gazed at his son. He hadn’t seen him in two years.
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Last month's comments on families:
Looks like I'm not the only one who writes around them! 
Scottie, I have used real life family events in my poetry. Maybe a touch in stories too. They are surely a great source for, er, inspiration.
Nikola~Thankful Library Lady 
I can totally relate to what you're saying about families. I myself use my own experiences with my family and write them in an exaggerated manner to make it fictional. I'm actually scared to show it to my parents because they might think that it's factual.
Maimai J Saves for Upgrade
This is a great newsletter. I've often said my life was a roller coaster and reads like a soap opera and that I should write a book. Stories aren't my genre and I coudln't figure out how to keep from embarrasing or hurting people if I told certain things. I begin to think I shouldn't write on such a personal factual level and that I should borrow from my personal life and get creative instead. Thanks for a great newsletter.
Mothermouse--come visit me
Yes, Scottie, you hit the nail on the head. Family creates the foundation for many of my stories, too. What a therapy! We can take a niggling little irritation, blow it up to high drama, and vent through our characters - or find a way to cope or a solution.
Vivian 
You have given me a lot of things to think about, and I believe my family will provide inspiration for my next piece!
jessiegirl
This month, I'd like to ask you to think about some of the cliches most overused in general, and overused by you in particular. Send them in, and we'll see if we can get them to leave us and become just ships passing in the night!
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Drama: September 07, 2005 Issue [#595]
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