The Dramatic Writer's Companion

by Will Dunne

  Regardless of when and why you use the step outline, aim for one page per act and one or two sentences per event. Too much detail defeats the purpose. In Search and Destroy by Howard Korder, for example, the main character is Martin. Here are the first three steps of his dramatic journey as they might appear in a step outline:

  i. A Florida state accountant informs Martin that he owes the state a lot in back taxes and will go to jail if he doesn't pay by a certain date.

  2. Stressed out, Martin goes to his wife Lauren for comfort, but she asks him to leave: the relationship is over.

  3. With nowhere else to turn, he goes to a party with brother-in-law Robert, who tells him about a New Age guru named Doctor Waxling.

  As the dramatic journey continues, Martin will end up pursuing Waxling as part of a strategy to raise the money needed to stay out of jail. Mar tin's loneliness and isolation will push him to commit desperate and finally criminal acts. These first three events of the story prepare the way. The first event incites the whole story and leads directly to the second event which then leads to the third event, and so on.

  DEVELOPING A STEP OUTLINE OF YOUR STORY

  Identify the steps of your story and summarize each in a sentence or two. Remember that each step is a dramatic event: something important begins, ends, or changes and has an impact-positive or negative-on the world of the characters. In some cases, a "step" may be the equivalent of a "scene." In other cases, more than one step may occur within the same scene. For best results:

  i. Highlight the key steps. The events of the story are not equally important. Some matter more than others. Identify the most important steps that occur as your character's big transition unfolds:

  • Inciting event. What event arouses the main character's superobjec- tive-the goal that drives the rest of the story-and thus launches the character's quest? (For more details about this type of dramatic event, review "Inciting Event" earlier in this guide.)

  • End-of-act reversal(s). Each act ends with a significant turning point, often a reversal that radically changes the world of the story. For example, peace changes to war. Or war changes to peace. If your script has two acts, what is the turning point at the end of act i? If your script has three acts, what are the turning points at the end of acts i and 2? (For more details about this type of dramatic event, review "Turning Points" next in this guide.)

  • Crisis. The final act typically includes a crisis that leads to the climactic action and resolution of the dramatic journey. What step will pose the greatest crisis for your character? (For more details about this type of dramatic event, review "Crisis Decision" later in this guide.)

  As you develop your step outline, remember to keep event descriptions brief. By keeping each act to about one page, you will have an at-a-glance view of the story and how it unfolds.

  2. Identify the connecting steps. The key events of the story are connected by a certain number of intermediate steps that shape how the dramatic journey unfolds. Work in sections-sequence by sequence, act by act-to see how the story builds. For example, what intermediate steps connect the inciting event to the end-of-act reversal? If you are working with a three-act structure, what steps connect the reversal at the end of act i to the reversal at the end of act 2? What steps connect the second reversal to the crisis of the story?

  EVALUATING THE STEPS OF YOUR STORY

  Use questions like these to review the steps of the story as you write and edit your script:

  i. Are these the right steps for this unique character in this unique situation?

  2. Does each step make sense based on what the character has experienced up to now, what the character knows now, and how the character feels now?

  3. Is each step truly unique? Can any be eliminated because it duplicates what another step already accomplishes?

  4. Does each step connect to least one other step in the story? Can any be eliminated because it is only a tangent with no significant impact elsewhere?

  5. Do any new steps need to be added in order to motivate a later action or show more clearly why a later step occurs?

  6. Is this the best order for these steps? What would happen if a critical event happened earlier or later in the chain of events?

  7. What big transition does your main character undergo as a result of all these steps? Identify the poles of the journey: the starting point and end point.

  8. How well do early steps establish the starting point?

  g. How well do final steps establish the end point?

  io. In summary, how well does the overall sequence of steps connect the starting point to the end point?

  WRAP-UP

  As you develop your story, try to stay aware of the big transition that your character is undergoing. Track the steps of this journey and be sure they make sense for this character in this situation. Many forks in the road will present themselves as you work, and it is easy to take a wrong turn every now and then-for example, to write a scene that doesn't really serve the whole. A step outline can help you avoid such pitfalls by keeping the throughline in view.

  THE QUICK VERSION

  Flesh out two basic types of turning-point experiences

  BEST TIME FOR THIS

  Any time during story development

  MANEUVERING THE TURNS OF THE DRAMATIC JOURNEY

  A character's dramatic journey typically includes a number of turning points: experiences, large or small, positive or negative, that move the character's life in different directions. These are often times when decisions must be made.

  It is typically a turning point that launches the character's quest, that brings each act to its conclusion, and that triggers the climax of the story. To function as a true turning point, the experience must change the character's course of action from this point forward so that a new, untried path must be taken. The first step on this new path may be a small, subtle shift or a large and obvious change.

  Some turning points are things that happen to the character. They are caused by someone or something else, but have a significant impact on the character's future. The agent of change might be an individual, group, organization, or government. Or it might be the force of nature or chance. The character here is passive. This type of turning point usually works best early in the story, when we are more likely to accept character passivity and believe events that occur only by chance. In many cases, the inciting event of the story is something that happens to the character. For example, the city where you live is invaded by Nazis (The Pianist).

  Some turning points are things that your character does. Whether the action is wise or unwise, and whether its consequences are expected or unforeseen, the character initiates a change. For example, you decide to become a ballet dancer in spite of your father's disapproval (Billy Elliot). The character in this case is active: a doer who causes a new sequence of events. This type of turning point can work well anywhere in the story and becomes increasingly important in the latter half, when we most need active characters to keep us engaged.

  Turning points vary in size and scope. Major turning points are sometimes known as "reversals": experiences so powerful that they force the dramatic journey into a radically different-often opposite-direction. A reversal can be something that happens to the character or something that the character does. Either way, its effects are large and far-reaching. The turning point at the end of each act is often a reversal. At the end of act I, the reversal forces the story into the new territory of act 2. In the final act, the reversal forces the story to its climax and conclusion.

  ABOUT THE EXERCISE

  Use this exercise to explore the causes and effects of two basic types of turning points: something that happens to the character and something that the character does. As you do this, look for opportunities to flesh out what you already know about your story, and try to make new discoveries in the process. Exercise examples are from my play How I Became an Interesting Person.

  SOMETHING THAT HAPPENS TO YOUR CHARAC
TER

  Think about the different turning points that your character experiences in the story. Choose one where something important happens to your character. It's a change caused by someone or something else. In How I Became an Interesting Person, for example, someone leaves a matchbook on Wayne's desk with an ad that reads, "Ever feel like you're just too boring?" If you can't find this type of event in your story, look for one in the backstory. Briefly sum up the turning point: the important thing that happens to your character. Then use the following steps to explore this event in more depth:

  Causes of this turning point

  i. Agent of change. You already know that this is someone or something other than your character. Identify the primary direct cause of the turning point-for example, the matchbook was the anonymous work of Wayne's boss Judy.

  2. Reason. The turning point may be the intended result of someone wanting to affect your character. Or it may be a matter of accident or chance. In the case of the matchbook, Wayne's boss fully intended to send him a message about his personality. Think about what happens to your character. Did the agent of change intend to affect your character in some way?

  • If the impact was intentional, identify the specific motivation behind it. For example, Wayne's boss wanted him to realize how boring everyone in the office thought he was.

  • If the impact was not intentional, consider the reason for what happened. If the agent of change is another person or group, what motivated the action? If the agent of change is a thing or blind force, what set it into motion?

  3. Contributing factor. Other forces from the past or from the bigger picture of the present may have played a less direct role in what happens to your character. These background influences may be other people, organi zations, or perhaps even society itself. Or they may be events that occurred in the past or are taking place elsewhere now. For example, office politics played a background role in the decision to taunt Wayne: it was a way of establishing the pecking order. Think about the contributing factors that could possibly share the credit or blame for what happens to your character. Identify an important contributing factor.

  Effects of this turning point

  i. Immediate emotional impact. If this is indeed a true turning-point experience, it will produce an important change of some kind, positive or negative, and set your character on a new, untried path of action. Think about the significant short-term impact of this experience on your character, starting with its emotional effect. After discovering the matchbook on his desk, for example, Wayne experiences a gamut of feelings-from anger to hurt to panic. In your story, what is the short-term emotional impact of the turning point on your character?

  2. Immediate intellectual impact. Think about how the experience affects your character intellectually. It will somehow influence what's going on in the character's mind. Perhaps it will rekindle old memories or stir up new ideas. These thoughts may later prove to be true or false, profound or trivial, helpful or harmful. After discovering the matchbook on his desk, for example, Wayne realizes that he is, in fact, a boring person. In your story, what is going through your character's mind immediately after the turning-point experience? Briefly identify an important memory, idea, perception, or conclusion, and state it in your character's unique voice like a line of inner monologue.

  3. Analysis. Wayne's feelings of distress and realization of boringness will eventually prove to be a helpful first step in his escape from an isolated life. Though painful, it's good that he sees the truth now. If you were to step back from your character's turning point and look at it within the context of the whole story, how would you evaluate your character's thoughts and feelings now?

  4. New desire. Thoughts and feelings often lead to desires which, in turn, lead to behavior, and that puts us into the realm of drama. Some desires are short-term: they drive only the next scene or sequence of the story. Some are long-term: they drive the rest of the story. Wayne's matchbook experience, for example, is the inciting event of the play so the desire it sparks is a big one: the need to find a connection in the world. This is Wayne's primary objective in the play. Short- or long-term, what new desire is stirred up in your character by the turning point?

  5. Personal impact. Some of the traits that define us individually are genetic. We inherit them from our parents whether we like it or not. Some traits are acquired: the product of our life experiences. Such traits may be physical, psychological, or social. A turning-point experience probably has a significant effect on your character in one or more of these areas. It may reinforce a trait that's already there, change a trait that's already there, or lead to the development of a new trait or habit. For example, Wayne's matchbook leads him to change several defining traits by the time the story is over. He evolves from an isolated narcissist who cannot handle the truth into a socially involved and loving person who can face the world honestly. In your story, how does the turning point affect your character? Describe at least one important way that the experience affects your character's identity.

  6. Resulting event. Dramatic events are connected through cause and effect. A turning point, by definition, will lead to a new chain of events that would not have otherwise happened. In most cases, the experience triggers the next event, but sometimes the effect is not seen until later. For example, Wayne's discovery of the matchbook prompts the next step of the story: Wayne goes out and buys the self-help book being advertised. This, in turn, prompts him to follow several different sets of advice from a guru named Doctor Betty X.

  Think about your story and identify one important event that is directly caused by the turning point you are exploring. This is a discovery, revelation, success, failure, or other event that can be directly linked back to this turning point and occurs only because of it.

  7. New possibility. Think about your unique character's dramatic journey. Then try to see the turning point and its possible effects with new eyes. As an exercise, look for something completely new and define another event that the turning point could possibly lead to either next in the story or later down the road. This is an event that could conceivably make sense for your particular character in your particular story, but is not actually in your script now. Take a creative leap and briefly describe this new possibility.

  8. Key short-term change. Think about how you would sum up the immediate effects of this turning-point experience in your story. In the short term, for example, the matchbook ad prompts Wayne to begin a self-help program that he would not otherwise have even considered. In your story, what is the most important short-term change that the turning point produces or might produce?

  A turning point is a river of no return. Once this river has been crossed, the characters cannot go back to the other side. They must continue forward into the unknown territory that now lies ahead.

  9. Key long-term change. Now consider the long-range consequences of this turning point. These effects may be less direct than the one you just identified, but still have an important link back to this event and the knowledge and experience your character gained from it. In the long term, for example, the matchbook ad leads Wayne to find love and truth where he least expected it: in his landlady Mrs. Walker. In your story, what is the most important long-term change that results from this turning point?

  SOMETHING THAT YOUR CHARACTER DOES

  Some turning points are caused directly by the character. For example, Wayne decides to romance his much older landlady Mrs. Walker. This decision leads to a major shift in his behavior in the second act, when he begins to pursue Mrs. Walker rather than flee from her. Think about your story and choose one character action that significantly changes the direction of the character's life for better or for worse. Then use the following steps to explore this action in more depth:

  Causes of this turning point

  i. Reason. Think about your character's motivation. Identify the most direct and immediate reason for this action here and now. Include what your character expects to happen as a re
sult of it. For example, Wayne decides to romance Mrs. Walker because he has fallen in love with her. He is worried, however, that he will say or do the wrong thing and drive her away.

  2. Highest stake at risk. What's at stake for your character is what will be gained if the action is successful or lost if it's not. If this is a critical turning point, the stakes are probably high, but are they high enough? Consider what the character has experienced so far in life, and what the character now knows and believes. See if you can raise the stakes in a way that would add importance and urgency to the story. For example, what's at stake for Wayne is love. This high stake could be even higher if he sees Mrs. Walker as his last chance for love: it's now or never. Briefly identify the highest version of what's at stake for your character.

  3. Contributing factor. Think about the contributing factors from the past or from the bigger picture of the present that could possibly share some of the credit or blame for your character's turning-point action. Identify one important contributing factor or background influence. For example, Wayne has felt lonely and isolated since his last girlfriend unexpectedly jilted him.

  Effects of this turning point

  i. Immediate emotional impact. Think about the immediate consequences of what your character does, starting with the emotional impact. Briefly describe how your character feels as a result of this turning-point action. For example, Wayne feels exhilarated and anxious about his decision to woo Mrs. Walker.

  2. Immediate intellectual impact. Think about the short-term intellectual impact of this action on your character. Briefly identify one new belief, idea, perception, discovery, or conclusion that results from the experience and state it in your character's unique voice like a line of inner monologue. When Wayne now compares the other parts of his life to a life with Mrs. Walker, for example, he realizes that "nothing-nothing-seems quite as interesting as it did before."