  Drama
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| The Olympics start this week, and I can't think of a better time to discuss sports drama. Though sports has a lot of obvious dramatic potential, that's not what I'll be covering in this newsletter. Instead, I'll be looking at underexplored facets of combining sports and drama. There are a lot of interesting angles from which you can write a dramatic sports story, and some of them can help you avoid some of the cliches of sports stories. |
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It's pretty obvious that I love the Olympics. Host city controversies aside, I am excited about this year's competition and have been eagerly looking forward to it for the past two years. There are a lot of new faces in the various sports, and some events are fighting for their lives in Beijing. All of these twists and turns present countless opportunities for writers. Aside from the various races and competitions, you can find great stories in many areas of sport. Some of the more recent Olympics have been wrought with judging scandals. Other areas where you can mine drama include drug use, derailed dreams, trouble in the area where a sports event is held and moral/ethical dilemmas in sports. Wondering how these things can be made into successful stories? Allow me to share a few examples and offer some suggestions for some of these less common concepts.
 JUDGMENT DAY
Gotta love those judges scandals! ...Not really. Still, it can provide a great conflict, with athletes trying to clear their names in light of an error on an official's part or trying to prove your deserve a higher finish than what is listed in the results. If you want to try something different, try writing about an event from the perspective of an official. That event could be competition or even a gathering of those involved in a sport's governing body. After all, meetings which determine the standards used in competition can change the game and give your characters plenty to ponder. No matter which perspective you choose, remember this little tip. The officials in a sporting event have just as much impact on the results of the game as the competitors. Just ask any football fan. 
THE LURE OF THE NEEDLE
It's an ugly part of sports, one that people don't always like to discuss. So how can you work doping into a viable drama piece? Most people will use it in one of the following ways: as a catalyst, characterization, the downfall of a character or a way to portray a character as wrongfully accused. I have yet to find a story of any sort where doping provides the main conflict. That is not to say it can't be done. If you choose doping as your main conflict, avoid being preachy at all costs. Offer various points of view on the issue from a variety of characters. Even one line of dialogue can be effective in this case. Likewise, choose your sport carefully. While baseball might be an obvious choice (especially in the United States), many people have become apathetic to the subject. On the other hand, if you can craft an engaging tales about what happens when golfers use beta blockers, that can catch people's eyes. Aside from the mostly unheard of topic of doping in golf, you can show how performance-enhancing drugs can be used for means other than increasing strength. If you do some research on doping, you'd be surprised at the sheer number of substances WADA and other sports bodies test for, it would surprise you. In any case, using doping as a main conflict requires care in not allowing your personal feelings on the subject to interfere with your story and choosing an angle that won't bore people.
STUMBLING FROM THE LINE
Nothing generates sadness-or bolsters conflict-like an athlete not achieving his or her dream. So many things can cause this to happen, and some of the most memorable sports stories use this concept as the base. My personal favorite example is Million Dollar Baby, where one punch paralyzes Maggie in the midst of a title bout. Less dramatic twists and turns can also create a similar effect. Anything from underthrowing a ball to missing the pole vault bar by a quarter inch can dash an athlete's dreams. The best place to illustrate this concept is obviously a much-anticipated competition/matchup. Don't go crazy earlier in the story building up the event, but do establish its importance. Pepper in a couple other competitions to give the major matchup more emphasis (and also to show a character's progress in training/mentality). Then, come climatic matchup time, describe the misstep in a subtle manner. However, make it clear that the misstep is not intentional. A moment of silence and stunned action (or inaction) can emphasize the spontaneity of the flub. From there, take care in how you pace the character's reaction. Detailing it too heavily will drag the pace of the story, while a too brief description will prompt reader to wonder if the character has any feelings at all. The right pace will depend on the character's emotional sensivitity and any consequences from the defeat (losing a scholarship, burned pride, physical disability, etc.). If you know how sensitive a character is and have outlined the consequences of defeat, logic can guide you in pacing the fallout. However, there are some exceptions to the rule to keep in mind. A character with a tough shell sometimes is extremely sensitive. Now would be a good time to show that.
VENUE CHAOS
When I say venue chaos, I'm talking about major events that happen in or near the venue of competition but do not directly pertain to the sporting event. Think of the Atlanta and Munich Olympics. Both Olympics host cities also played host to acts of violence. In Atlanta there was the concert bombing. In Munich, 11 Israeli athletes lost their lives at the hands of Palestinean terrorists. Other events at venues certainly fall into this category as well: stampedes after games, protests (which we might see in a matter of days; I'm just saying), structural collapse. Depending on the type of chaos or event, this particular angle allows writers a chance to play on people's fears more strongly than some of the other ways you can tell a sports story. Murders can explore issues of mortality while stampedes and structural collapse can tap into a character's claustrophobia. This angle is also surprisingly easy to write. The trick is to make the cataclysmic event plausible. I would also start off such a story with said event either happening right before the story or in the first few paragraphs. This approach allows you to focus more on how your characters would handle themselves in such a situation.
YOU HAVE TO MAKE A CHOICE
To some extent, I did cover this in last month's newsletter on angst (particularly in the section of moral/ethical challenges). Sports involves a lot of decision making, and most of it isn't pretty. You can craft a story out of just about any decision that has to be made, but if you're a little stumped, I'd like to make a recommendation. One of the toughest decisions an athlete will ever make is getting out. Whether it's leaving a team or retiring, no athlete enjoys that moment when he or she has to decide whether to stay or leave. Such a story does not need to be super dramatic (unless you're going for a fictionalized account of the Brett Favre saga). Start with the character engaged in his or her sport and discussing the future with teammates/coaches/trainers/anyone else that would spend a fair amount of time with the athlete. Another thing to keep in mind when writing a story about leaving a team/sport is keeping an open mind as to what will prompt the character to make a decision. Sometimes the decision will be made after a competition, while other times it will be made off the field. If you have trouble finding the exact moment, take some time to write out all the variables that would come into play (so to speak). Some variables include a character's health, the state of the team, how the character stacks up against other competitors and the character's personal life.
I bet that's all pretty interesting, but some of you might be wondering what to do in order to write a sports drama. Here's a checklist of starting points, details and other aspects of sports drama that you can incorporate in your piece.
 Choose a sport and research it. Learn the terminology, the history and the names of the major competitions. Comprehend the scoring process as best you can (although this can get tricky; have you seen the gymnastics scoring rubric lately?). If possible, attend live events so you can see everything that goes on at a competition (especially what happens when the televised version goes to commercial).
Determine the physical appearance of your character. I recommend doing this after choosing a sport, as reversing the steps will not make much sense. Sprinters possess a more muscular build than long distance runners. Take a look at photos of athletes in your chosen sport to get some ideas for how your character should appear. Also consider features such as hairstyle and clothing worn outside of competition. Some male swimmers will shave their heads to gain dynamic advantage, and some athletes never leave their sweats if they spend a good bulk of their time training.
If setting the drama in the past, look at factors outside the sport, including political regimes, cultural attitudes toward the sport during the time period and the most well known participants. Meanwhile, writing sports dramas set in the future can still connect to past events. You can include descendents of past athletic legends or briefly explain how commonly accepted rules of the game were once different (and who/what changed them).
Elements to include in the story include training, preliminary competitions, semifinals/finals, post-competition events, celebrations, pre-event warmups and pep talks and off-field activities. Not all elements have to be in the story, but the list gives you some idea what to have in there. Be sure to tailor them to the sport you choose.
Bookmark sites devoted to your sport of choice so you can get updated information about participants and decisions made by the governing body. These sorts of things can change pretty quickly.
As the Olympics draw near, the idea of a sports story might be appealing to you. If you decide to take on such a project, I hope this newsletter helps you so you're not jumping in blindly. Then again, I hate jumping. I always found the long jump and triple jump events to be mind boggling. So take some time to enjoy the stories the Olympics have to offer, and maybe you'll be inspired to offer up one of your own.
Until next time,
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It's time to get sporty! Along with some written works, I've also thrown in a couple activities to get you talking (or even just thinking) about sports. Run, swim, dive in, bike-do what comes naturally to check out these pieces.
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So, how'd the angst go over with everyone? Well, it went better than I expected.  I admit I was expecting angry e-mails from some who write more melodramatic pieces. Either they conceded the point, were too scared to send feedback or decided it wasn't worth arguing the point. What feedback I did receive seemed overall positive. I admit I'm kind of shocked!
From Mark  : Well, that's it, after reading yet another fantastic Drama NL of yours I've decided you must be a Drama-Queen!  (Fantasic work yet again, thank you!)
You know, Mark, had that come from someone I didn't know, I just might have been offended.  After all, I don't know of too many people who normally view the term drama queen as a compliment. That said, I'm glad you enjoyed the newsletter.
From Anne Light : I blame Heidegger for all this angst. Being a German, I love the way the word angst is used in America. Heidegger is the absolute antipode to a teenager, and still, I think it serves him right that his idea of the motor of insight and action is used to described the muddled identity of adolescents.
I suppose he had it coming. In any case, the use of the word angst in America is murky. I find that it's not as focused on the meaning of life as it is on more immediate situations. Likewise, the corrpution of its meaning has lead to a misunderstanding of the term among teenagers. There might be amusement to be found in such bungling (nad perhaps a sense of poetic justice as well). However, since writers and people in general on this side of the Atlantic have cultivated a new facet of the word, I figured it was high time to define it in terms of creative writing and how to make the stories using that tone less whiny and implausible.
From chord0: I thoroughly enjoyed your definitions and your wonderful research. By the way, the french bastille day is coming up, july 14, what more drama than the end of the monarchy and the many deaths associated with the establishment of the French republic and the guillotine: Rosbepierre's Reign of Terror?
thanks
gchord0
I'll keep that idea in mind for October's issue, maybe November. That said, I'm glad you enjoyed the newsletter and hope you stick around. I like defining things (as most readers can attest), and angst was a particular fun term to define. In fact, I might revisit the topic in the fture.
From Robert Waltz  Elisa, congratulations on having the good taste to quote my term for emotional teen poetry in your newsletter.
The explanations of the different types of angst provide good examples to back up your definitions. I think in general it's better to describe the outward manifestation of any emotion than to say something like "She felt bad about what she'd done." This is especially true for complex and subtle reactions - such as angst.
Good job explaining a misunderstood term, and relating it to existentialism. I guess existentialism itself deserves its own newsletter. 
First off, you're probably one of the first people to say I have any kind of taste at all. Second, an existentialism newsletter would probably turn into a calamity real quick, at least from where I'm sitting. Then again, I think that existentialism isn't as brooding and negative as everyone interprets it. As for describing outward manifestations of emotions, I think that's a core lesson every writer needs to learn as early on in his/her writing career as possible. It takes quite a bit of time to sharpen that skill, and it demands that the author know how to be subtle (as not every emotion results in a kinetic outburst). This is especially true with angst, and I think it is one of the main reasons that tone has gotten such a bad reputation. Hopefully these definitions will give aspiring writers pause to consider.
In light of the Republican Convention invading my home town next month, I will be discussing political drama. No, don't run away! I promise it will be insightful, intriguing and perhaps a little bit funny. *cue puppy eyes* So feel free to send comments regarding written political drama of the fiction kind, and as always, links are appreciated.
And if you happen to miss or misplace a newsletter, feel free to stop by "The Drama Box" [13+]. |
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Drama: August 06, 2008 Issue [#2542]
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