 Drama: October 09, 2013 Issue [#5935] |
  Drama
This week: Challenging Problems in Writing Drama Edited by: zwisis
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These days the word "problem" seems to be regarded as an anathemia. Society deems it far more acceptable to use the word “challenge”, which is not included in any thesaurus I consulted during my research for this newsletter. Synonyms include complication, dilemma, issue, obstacle and predicament, which in my opinion are far better words than "challenge". For the purpose of this newsletter I will use the word "problem", which offers far more challenges to a writer than... the word "challenge" 
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Problems are a mainstay for any writer because they give your character something to do, thus forming the basis of your story. Your story really begins when your character encounters a goal he is determined to achieve, a problem he needs to solve or a personal trauma he wants to overcome. Problems can be separated into three different types:
 A danger or a threat
A puzzle or a mystery
A want or a need
Dangers or threats and wants or needs are great for building suspense because the reader wants the character to solve the problem, while at the same time fearing the consequences of failure. Puzzles and mysteries work present an opportunity to create suspense through curiosity because the reader – like the character – wants to know the ultimate solution.
DANGER
A writer can put the character or his friends and allies in danger, which in turn can take different forms.
A physical danger is a threat to health, life or vital functions such as eyesight, intellect or mobility. It can also be sexual - assault, disease or pregnancy – or psychological – abuse, brainwashing or bullying. Emotional or moral dangers can see the character being blackmailed, led into criminal activities or being forced into a depraved lifestyle.
Physical dangers can threaten the characters relationships with family, friends, work associates, club or society and affect his career and possessions. At a more extreme level the character could find his safety, sanity and personal freedom affected, or he could present a danger to others – a psychopath, violent, reckless - or himself – depressed, suicidal. Expose a character to his utmost phobia: place a claustrophobic person in a prison or trap him in a lift. A paranoid or psychotic character can replace his reality with an imaginary situation.
MYSTERY
Suspense is built when the character has to solve a puzzle or mystery set by the writer. This works really well in crime, mystery and – to some degree – fantasy stories. This is a great way to immerse your reader in the story, so he feels he’s solving the problem with the character.
NEED
Your character can search for something he wants and needs. Finding friendship, love or support is perhaps the most common want, but there are a few other needs you can use to build a great dramatic story. Perhaps he wants/need to master a specific skill or art... maybe he wants to fulfil a dream... or escape from a difficult upbringing, lifestyle or community.
All problems need to be confronted in order to seek a solution. Force your character to face his problem. In the most extreme situation the character has no choice because he is trapped or locked away, and has no option but to take action to gain freedom and move on with his life. When your character has a choice it should result in a change to him and his lifestyle. An example: unwilling to violate his morals or ethics he rescues a child or animal from a terrible situation at great personal risk to himself. He may initially refuse to deal with the problem, but is talked into it... or makes the decision for himself after contemplating the pros and cons.
Raise the stakes for both failure and success. A doctor trying to save a seriously ill patient wants to try an experimental drug or procedure, which if successful will benefit both patient and doctor. Failure will result in permanent disability or death for the patient, and leave the doctor facing any number or personal and professional issues. The stakes should be relative – a doctor treating a patient takes routine actions so to save a patient’s life as part of his everyday work... but his action will change the patient’s life forever.
Up the stakes! Make the problem more difficult to overcome. Increase the chances of failure and showing the personal consequences of failure for the character is a great way to build suspense for the reader. Threats to characters arouse reader anxiety and create far more suspense than problems facing people he doesn’t know.
Constantly remind your character – and the readers – of a time limit for the problem to be solved. Even better: suddenly reduce the time limit! Key scenes can be written in greater detail, which will slow them down and not only improve imagery for your reader but also increase suspense.
Finally: readers constantly imagine and guess what’s next in store for the hero, often basing their expectations on books they’ve already read. If they know what’s going to happen in a dangerous situation the suspense vanishes. Break your readers’ expectations – analyse the hero’s problem in incorporate unusual and unexpected twists and turns. Introduce new conflicts and problems to keep your reader focused. If he doesn’t know what to expect he’ll keep reading!
Inside of every problem lies an opportunity - Robert Kiyosaki, author. |
- Poetry
The heat urging me to fight back, Upon the hard ground I await my fate
No one there to help me in the blaze, I feel myself drifting off into a distant world
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#1917353 by Not Available. |
If she confessed her transgressions and asked for help with those horrible secrets she would most likely lose her job, her ability to provide, and possibly those four innocent souls that loved her back so fiercely. How could she survive without them?
“You better step up your game or someone who may be less talented than you but better academically than you will take your dreams of playing football and make them their own. You hear me Matt,” said his mother.
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#1828697 by Not Available. |
I played Brahm's second symphony. Intent on studying, I suddenly realized Eddie was very quiet. He was still scribbling but something was different. He was quiet.
Devon decided that his dad getting out of the chair would be a bad thing, so he ran down the hall to his room. In obedience to his father’s ‘Go play’ command, Devon headed straight for his toy box and started pulling out things from inside.
The roar of a car engine snapped her out of her musings. She turned around and watched it coming toward her, a cloud of dust obscuring the car. It was him.
His thoughts were racing. Dang, that thing is huge, and it's looking right at me. This is crazy. I can't kill this animal, it's like we know each other.
She was persuasive, bossy, and intimidating. She had no friends, just kids afraid to disobey her.
I’m a free woman now. Maybe I'll adopt. But for now, all I worry about is running.
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#1874844 by Not Available. |
The truth is that I love horses, always wanted one since I was a kid. There is something about them that makes me feel connected, like they have an attachment to my soul and understand how I feel.
| |  | My Hell (ASR)
It was the eyes that gave him away. They were hollow, empty; a reflection of his soul.
#736919 by Clos   |
He surrounded himself with laughter, or at least he tried to. He would put on a smile, and people would think that everything was just fine. |
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