 Drama: January 04, 2006 Issue [#806] |
  Drama
This week: Edited by: Turkey DrumStik  
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| Answering the big question of 'why' in drama can be loads of fun. Exploring the motivations of a character or how a conflict arose gives you heaps of opportunity to create something unmatched and ensnaring. |
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To me, the most entertaining part of the writing process involves deciding what makes characters take certain actions and what conflicts will arise from a set of given circumstances. In fact, I sometimes will become so engrossed in these explorations I forget there's a story I'm supposed to be writing!  Still, when it comes to figuring out these details, the possibilities are endless.
With determining characters' motivations, it's essential to have thoroughly developed your character, even if only in your mind. Knowing your character like you know your best friend or your mother helps you anticipate what he or she would do in a given situation. That way, you can determine what a character would do. For example, one of your characters is an incumbent politician facing a particularly charismatic and much-respected opponent. What would your character do?
Say the incumbent has a history of bad credit and is rumored to have good blackmail connections. The incumbent realizes that his/her credit record could be exposed by his opponent. So it would be likely for the incumbent to find a secret the opponent has and use it to his/her advantage. Is that the only outcome, though? No, it isn't. In fact, if the character (here the incumbent) opted for a more honest approach to campaigning, this opens the door for further characterization. Is the incumbent trying to protect his/her integrity? If so, what is the reason for this protection? Exploring this while building the character is key to making your story more plausible.
Likewise, unearthing the roots of conflict is also an exercise in plausibility. Say your character is facing eviction from his or her home. What led to this threat of losing a home? Mounting debt and job loss are very real possibilities, while constantly disturbing the peace is not a solid enough reason by itself for eviction in all circumstances (even though it can contribute to eviction in some cases). When exploring the roots of conflict, it's best to look into the following types of circumstances:
 setting (both physical location and era in which the piece is set)
the number of characters involved (either individual people, groups, or even non-human characters)
the type (and length) of piece you're writing (Do you really need five past events leading to a conflict in flash fiction?)
the personalities of your characters
ability to research a type of conflict you have not personally experienced
With dramatic conflict, realistic events leading to a particular dilemma keeps the reader engrossed instead of baffled at how the character managed to get in that position in the first place. Sure, it may sound cool to place an ordinary young man in the scope of a mobster, but the concept will break apart if you can't connect the two characters in a manner which makes sense. If you can connect the two characters (perhaps the man's mother helped put a friend of the mobster's in jail), then you can build all sorts of wild conflicts. If the roots of the conflict aren't realistic, though, the piece is going to baffle your readers.
Until next time,
(sig courtesy of nextmrsgoins) |
These pieces most overtly display explorations of characters and conflicts so you can see examples of how these explorations can be made. However, these explorations tend to be subtle but leave a lasting impact in a tightly crafted writing.
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A few words about the previous newsletter...
billwilcox says:
Heya, Stik-er,
What a great article about conflict. A good story has got to have it. Actually all stories have got to have it--I've got to have it! We need conflict--interaction--adversity.
MDuci  says:
I love reading your NL each issue and in that
slightly southern voice of Miss Eleanor, from
'Letters From A Mad Women,' I was truely honored to be featured along side such gifted authors as the other five in this weeks issue. Thank you so much, and have a pleasant holiday.
Sincerely
M Duci
Thank you both for your comments, and I'm glad you enjoyed my holiday newsletter. Believe me when I say it was a joy to write it, especially after working in the mall all day! 
For the next newsletter, I'm interested in your thoughts on tone and mood in drama pieces. What are your preferences? Have you noticed certain words make you interpret the events a particular way? Is there anything that weakens a tone or mood for you? I'm curious to know. 
And if you happen to miss or misplace a newsletter, feel free to stop by "The Drama Box" [13+]! |
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