Character, Scene, and Story

by Will Dunne

  ABOUT THE EXERCISE

  Use this exercise to flesh out why a dramatic event matters and why it happens now. Examples are from an early scene in Joe Turner’s Come and Gone by August Wilson, which received the 1988 New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award for Best Play and is part of his ten-play cycle about the African American experience in the twentieth century. Set in Pittsburgh in 1911, the story was inspired by a blues song with the same name. It was once sung by black women after the men in their lives had been illegally enslaved by a notorious plantation owner named Joe Turner.

  A few characters are present in Wilson’s scene, but the exercise focuses on the two who matter most. Character 1—who drives most of the action—is Herald Loomis, age thirty-two, an African American man who was once enslaved by Joe Turner’s men and is now searching for his missing wife. Character 2 is Rutherford Selig, a white man in his fifties with greasy hair and two occupations: he is a door-to-door peddler of pots, pans, and other metal goods and also a People Finder who, for one dollar, helps locate missing persons. The relationship between Loomis and Selig: strangers. The scenic event is a transaction: Loomis hires Selig to find his wife.

  To prepare for the exercise, choose a scene you wish to develop, identify the two most important characters in it—Characters 1 and 2—and define their relationship. Then sum up the main event of the scene as you see it now: what happens overall.

  ■ SCENIC CONTEXT

  Define the context for the dramatic action.

  1. Setting. Wilson’s scene takes place in the kitchen of a Pittsburgh boarding house run by Seth and Bertha Holly. This is where Loomis and his daughter have been staying for the past week. Define the setting for your scene.

  2. Time. The action occurs on a Saturday morning in August, 1911, after the owner, Seth, has finished his weekly business with the traveling salesman Selig. Define when your scene occurs.

  ■ WHY THIS?

  The importance of a scenic event can be measured by what it reveals about the past, what it reveals about the characters in the present, and how it affects the future.

  1. Evidence of the past. Loomis hires Selig to find his wife. This scenic event matters dramatically because of what it reveals about the history of the story. Eleven years ago, Loomis was enslaved by Joe Turner’s men and forced to work on a chain gang. When he finally returned home seven years later to reunite with his family, he found only his young daughter still living with his mother-in-law. His wife, Martha, had left home to seek work elsewhere. For the past four years, Loomis and his daughter have been traveling the country in search of Martha. The transaction between Loomis and Selig is a consequence of that previous chain of events and thus evidence that they happened. What important information does your scene reveal about the past?

  2. Information about Character 1. Loomis has become desperate after searching for his wife for years. The prospect of getting help from a professional People Finder is now so important to him that he will spend his last dollar to make it happen. To put that dollar in perspective, the cost of lodging and food for a entire week in the boarding house is two dollars. And Loomis is unemployed. What’s at stake is not only a reunion with his wife but also a mother for his daughter and the means to become a new man: Loomis believes that he cannot know who he is until he sees his wife’s face again. What important information does your scene reveal about your Character 1?

  3. Information about Character 2. While the deal between Loomis and Selig is vitally important to Loomis, it is a routine matter for Selig, who is actually a fraud. The only people he finds are those whom he has previously transported to other places on his sales route after charging them a dollar for a lift in his wagon. This information is revealed later when Bertha learns that Loomis has hired Selig to find his wife. “This old People Finding business is for the birds,” she says. “[Selig] ain’t never found nobody he ain’t took away. Herald Loomis, you just wasted your dollar.” What important information does your scene reveal about your Character 2?

  4. Impact on the future. The scene between Loomis and Selig is a key stepping stone in the plot of Wilson’s play. If it weren’t for the deal with Selig, Loomis would have no reason to stay and wait in the boarding house, which he cannot afford and where he is not welcome. It is because of this deal that the rest of the story will take place here. It is also because of this deal that Loomis will ultimately be reunited with Martha. She will be returned here by Selig, who will find her by chance in a town on his sales route. The transaction between Loomis and Selig is thus critical to the rest of the story. How and why is your scenic event essential to your story? Describe its impact on the future.

  ■ WHY NOW?

  Ideally, there are reasons for a dramatic event to occur at a particular time in the lives of the characters and at a particular point in the story. These reasons translate into given circumstances that bring some degree of urgency to the dramatic action.

  1. Physical circumstances. Sometimes the urgency of a scene is due to the physical state or condition of a character or to circumstances surrounding the setting and what’s in it. On Saturday mornings Selig meets in the kitchen with Seth, the boarding house owner, to do business: Selig delivers sheet metal, which Seth then uses to make pots and pans, which Selig in turn sells to his customers from door to door. It is now Saturday morning, and Selig has just finished up with Seth in the kitchen. If Loomis wants to meet with Selig, this is the only time and place he can do so. What physical circumstances, if any, contribute to the need for your scene to happen now?

  2. Psychological circumstances. The urgency of a scene also may be due to the inner world of a character: the realm of emotions, thoughts, beliefs, and desires. All of Loomis’s efforts to find his wife have failed. He has now reached the end of his rope and feels exhausted. The discovery of a People Finder is a renewal of hope and creates the psychological imperative to meet with this professional as soon as possible. What psychological circumstances might contribute to the urgency of your scene?

  3. Social circumstances. The necessity for dramatic action may also be the result of social factors related to a character’s family, workplace, or life in the community. Society is a powerful influence in Wilson’s play. Though slavery legally ended decades earlier, the sons and daughters of those freed now find themselves lacking in cultural identity and social status as they struggle to start new lives in the North. Loomis’s lack of identity and low social standing add to his need to find outside help now. What social circumstances might contribute to the urgency of your scene?

  4. Economic circumstances. Most of the characters in Wilson’s play are economically deprived, especially Loomis, who has no job and so little money in his pocket that he must offer up his young daughter as a household servant to cover part of the week’s rent. This boarding house is the only place he can find Selig, but Loomis cannot afford to stay here longer than a week. He must meet with Selig now, while the People Finder is still in the kitchen. What economic factors, if any, could add urgency to your scenic?

  5. Political circumstances. Power—or lack of it—often explains why a dramatic event must happen now. As a white man in the racially imbalanced world of Wilson’s play, Selig has the most money, mobility, and power. His personal stature is increased by the fact that he is a lifeline to the boarding house: he brings business here. Loomis, however, as a black man in 1911, is a second-class citizen with limited control over his life and destiny. He also has the lowest status in the boarding house because he is new here and without many resources. These dynamics feed his desperation to hire Selig and thus acquire a powerful ally in the search for his wife. What political circumstances—personal or societal—might add urgency to your scene?

  6. Spiritual circumstances. Sometimes the pressure of necessity is created by spiritual factors: beliefs or practices related to higher powers, religion, the supernatural, the afterlife, miracles, psychic phenomena, or anything else above and beyond the material plane. When we first meet Loomis, he rej
ects spiritual matters. His lack of faith may contribute to his decision to rely on a People Finder rather than prayers to realize his goal. What spiritual circumstances, if any, might add urgency to your scene?

  ■ KEY FINDINGS

  Sum up your key findings about the importance and urgency of your scene.

  1. Importance. While many factors contribute to the significance of the transaction between Loomis and Selig, the scene is important mainly because it establishes three critical story facts: how desperate Loomis has become in the search for his wife, why he will remain here at the boarding house for the rest of the play, and how Martha will eventually be found and brought back to him. What makes your scene important?

  2. Urgency. Wilson’s scene must happen here and now because of the high stakes involved for Loomis and because this is the only place and time that he can meet with Selig, his last hope for finding Martha. Why does your scene have to happen here and now in the lives of your characters?

  WRAP-UP

  As you enter any new scene, know why it is essential to your story and why it must happen now. If you run into trouble writing a scene, you may need to make the scenic event a bigger and more meaningful turning point for the character. Or you may need to find new reasons why it cannot be put off until later.

  Related tools in The Dramatic Writer’s Companion. For more about given circumstances, go to the “Causing a Scene” section and try “The Roots of Action.” For more about a scenic event, try “Scene in a Sentence” in the same section.

  RELATIONSHIP STORYBOARD

  THE QUICK VERSION

  Use the dynamics of a character relationship to map out a scene

  BEST TIME FOR THIS

  During scene planning, writing, or revision

  HOW CHARACTERS CONNECT

  In most dramatic stories, we come to know the characters in relationship to one another. Their connections may be personal or professional, friendly or unfriendly, distant or close. Or one relationship may be all of these things as the story unfolds. The changing dynamics of a relationship can reveal a lot about the characters involved and how they affect, and are affected by, the dramatic journey. A principal character relationship can thus be a tool to understand the causes and effects of a scenic event.

  ABOUT THE EXERCISE

  This exercise can help you map out the structure of a scene by developing a simple storyboard for it. Unlike a traditional storyboard, which uses visual images to portray action, you will be using words to describe the relationship between the characters at three points in the scene: the beginning, middle, and end.

  Examples are from act 2, scene 5, of Becky Shaw by Gina Gionfriddo. A finalist for the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, the comedy explores the crisis that ensues when a newlywed couple arranges a blind date for two romantically challenged friends, who get robbed at gunpoint after their first dinner together.

  Character 1—who drives most of the action—is Becky, in her thirties, a needy temp secretary with few friends and a family that shuns her. Character 2 is Max, also in his thirties, a successful money manager who cannot keep a girlfriend for more than three months. Their relationship: they met five days ago on a disastrous blind date. The scenic event is a showdown over the future of their relationship: he wants to end it, she doesn’t.

  To prepare for the exercise:

  • Choose a scene you wish to develop, identify the two most important characters in it—Characters 1 and 2—and define their relationship. Then sum up the main event of the scene as you see it now: what happens overall.

  • Set up the storyboard by creating a row of three panels labeled “Beginning,” “Middle,” and “End.” Each needs to be large enough to allow a few words to be added.

  ■ SCENIC CONTEXT

  Define the context for the dramatic action.

  1. Setting. Gionfriddo’s scene takes place in a café in Providence, Rhode Island. Identify the setting for your scene.

  2. Time. The action begins on a Thursday afternoon, five days after the blind date on which Becky and Max were robbed. Identify when your scene takes place.

  3. Given circumstances. When Becky and Max were at the police station after the robbery, Max let it slip that he had slept with Suzanna, the wife of Becky’s coworker and only friend, Andrew, who arranged the blind date. On the way home, Becky was still so upset by the robbery that Max let her come up to his hotel room, where they ended up having sex. He wouldn’t let her spend the night, however, and instead gave her cab fare to go home. Becky has tried many times since then to reach Max, but he has not returned her calls. He is here now only as a favor to Suzanna. Think about the world of your story as your scene begins. Identify any physical, psychological, social, economic, political, or spiritual circumstances that could affect the dramatic action.

  ■ BEGINNING OF SCENE

  Imagine what happens in the beginning of your scene, and complete the following steps before filling in the first panel of your storyboard.

  1. Description. When the scene between Becky and Max begins, they have different views of their relationship. Becky sees it as a romance with a promising future. Max sees it as a mistake he wants to forget. Their relationship is extremely imbalanced. How would you subjectively describe the relationship between your Characters 1 and 2 as your scene begins? This is your interpretation of the facts.

  2. Emotional connection. Becky feels attracted to Max but worries about his failure to return her many calls. Max feels annoyed about sitting here now with a woman whom he considers pushy and not up to his standards. How do your Characters 1 and 2 feel about each other as your scene begins?

  3. Subtext. At any given time, the relationship between two characters has a subtext that reflects what they are thinking but not actually saying. Becky’s subtext now might be “Poor Max feels embarrassed about looking like a fool during the robbery, and that’s why he was afraid to return my calls.” Max’s subtext might be “I wish this freak would leave me alone.” What is the subtext for each of your characters as your scene begins? Write each subtext in the character’s voice.

  4. What matters most. When all is said and done, the relationship between Becky and Max at the beginning of the scene might be summed up as “emotionally imbalanced.” How would you sum up the relationship between your Characters 1 and 2 as your scene begins? You can repeat any of your previous responses or find a new one. Write your summary in the “Beginning” panel of your storyboard.

  ■ END OF SCENE

  If something important happens in a scene, the character relationship will likely be affected in important ways. The changes that occur may be positive or negative, long term or short term, and the characters may or may not be aware of these effects and their significance. Skip ahead now to what might happen at the end of your scene. Complete the following steps before filling in the third panel of your storyboard.

  1. Description. Becky and Max are now in a confrontation that borders on violence. She is threatening to tell her friend Andrew that Max slept with his wife. Max knows that this could ruin not only Suzanna’s marriage but also his own relationship with her. He is now grabbing Becky’s arm as if he might hurt her. Their relationship has thus become adversarial and threatening. How would you subjectively describe the relationship between your Characters 1 and 2 as your scene ends?

  2. Emotional connection. Becky and Max are now both in a rage. Her anger is controlled. His is on the verge of exploding. How do your Characters 1 and 2 feel about each other as your scene ends?

  3. Subtext. The subtext of the relationship between Becky and Max has changed significantly. Hers now might be “You’re going to be sorry you treated me this way.” His might be “I wish I had never met you.” What is the subtext for each of your characters as your scene draws to a close?

  4. What matters most. With Becky threatening to blackmail Max and with his nearing the threshold of physical violence, their relationship has grown “scary.” What matters most about the relationship between yo
ur Characters 1 and 2 as your scene ends? Write your summary in the “End” panel of your storyboard. Look for as much contrast as possible between this and your summary in the “Beginning” panel.

  ■ MIDDLE OF SCENE

  If a character relationship changes in a significant way, the transition probably begins well before the scene ends. Focus now on the middle of your scene as the breeding ground for the change that occurs. Imagine what happens, and complete the following steps before filling in the second panel of your storyboard.

  1. Description. In the middle of the scene between Becky and Max, she begins to realize that he never intended to have a serious relationship with her, even when they were having sex. Her discovery of his cold-heartedness is the catalyst for the threatening changes in their relationship later. For now, they have become brutally honest. How would you subjectively describe the relationship between your Characters 1 and 2 in the middle of your scene? Think of this as a transition point between the beginning and the end.

  2. Emotional connection. Becky’s attempts to woo Max not only fail but also make his rejection of her increasingly blunt. Their relationship is now cold and unfriendly. How do your Characters 1 and 2 feel about each other in the middle of your scene?

  3. Subtext. While Becky and Max confront the truth, the subtext of their relationship moves into new territory. Hers might be “You’re a pig who used me for sex.” His might be “I want to get out of here.” Think about how your character relationship is changing in the middle of the scene. What is each character’s subtext now?