Character, Scene, and Story

by Will Dunne

  3. Obvious causes. In many cases, the causes of a dramatic event are obvious. For example, she died because she accidentally drank poison. Identify at least one obvious cause of the event you are exploring.

  4. Underlying causes. Some events have underlying causes that may not be immediately apparent. For example, she died because her husband would not acknowledge that he had poisoned a drink that was intended for her son. Identify at least one underlying cause of your event. See if you can discover something new.

  5. Positive impact on character. Your character may view this event initially as a good or bad experience. Either way, it can have positive consequences. What is an example of how this event affects your character in a good way now or later?

  6. Negative impact on character. What is an example of how this event affects your character in a negative way now or later?

  7. Positive impact on someone else. What is an example of how this event affects someone else in a good way?

  8. Negative impact on someone else. What is an example of how this event affects someone else in a bad way?

  9. Impact on the world of the story. The importance of a dramatic event can be measured by how much it affects the world of the story, with the most important events having the greatest and most far-reaching consequences. Whether positive or negative, what is an example of how this event could affect the world of your story? Look for an impact that encompasses more than one or two characters—for example, a family, business, neighborhood, organization, society, or even the whole world.

  10. Character strengths. Dramatic events often expose important information about those involved. Identify any physical, psychological, or social strengths that are revealed in your character as a result of what happens.

  11. Character weaknesses. Identify any physical, psychological, or social vulnerabilities that are revealed in your character as a result of what happens.

  12. Key consequence. Think about how this event moves the story forward. What is the most important consequence of this event? For this final step, you may repeat a previous response or find a new one. Focus on what matters most.

  WRAP-UP

  A dramatic event may be something that a character does—for example, he decides to become a ballet dancer against his father’s wishes. Or it might be something that happens to a character—for example, her house is destroyed in a fire. Either way, the character crosses a river of no return and ends up in uncharted territory where new resources must be tapped and new skills learned.

  To understand the impact of an event and how it affects the rest of the dramatic journey, you need to know what the event entails, how it arose, why it matters, and how it differs from other events. By fleshing out each event fully, you can build a story that keeps moving forward as your characters continue to be challenged and revealed.

  Related tools in The Dramatic Writer’s Companion. To learn more about a dramatic event, go to the “Building Your Story” section and try “Turning Points” or “Twelve Word Solution.” To explore how story events connect, try “Step by Step,” “What Happens Next,” or “Picturing the Arc of Action” in the same section.

  THE DRAMATIC CONTINUUM

  THE QUICK VERSION

  Explore how an event arises from a certain past and leads to a certain future

  BEST TIME FOR THIS

  After you are well into the story

  THROUGHLINE: ONE THING LEADING TO ANOTHER

  The lives of most dramatic characters often begin long before the opening scene and continue long after the final one. The only characters without a backstory are those who, like Frankenstein’s monster, are born or created during the story. The only characters without an afterstory are those who, like Hamlet, die before the story ends.

  To understand any story event is to know how the past brought each of the characters to this particular place and time. It is also to know how their actions here and now are paving the way for a certain kind of future. The events of the story thus occur not in isolation but in relation to one another. Each is part of a dramatic continuum, or throughline, that holds the story together and enables it to unfold.

  ABOUT THE EXERCISE

  This exercise can help you strengthen your story’s throughline by exploring how the dramatic event of a scene connects to both past and future events. Examples are from a scene in act 2 of Our Town by Thornton Wilder. Recipient of the 1938 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, the play introduced the world to the fictional town of Grover’s Corners, New Hampshire. Character 1—who drives most of the action—is George Gibbs, age seventeen, a popular small-town boy. Character 2 is Emily Webb, also age seventeen, a popular small-town girl. Their relationship: classmates who grew apart after a flirtation last year. The main event of the scene: George and Emily rekindle their romance.

  Choose a scene from your script that you can use as a focal point for this story exercise. Identify the two most important characters in the scene—Characters 1 and 2—and their relationship. Then sum up the main event of the scene as you see it now.

  ■ THE PRESENT

  Define the here and now of the scene through which you will enter the throughline of your story.

  1. Setting.. The scene between George and Emily takes place on Main Street in Grover’s Corners, New Hampshire. Define where your scene takes place.

  2. Time. It is springtime, 1904, near the end of the school year. Classes have just let out for the day, and everyone is heading home. Identify when your scene takes place.

  ■ THE RECENT PAST

  In any story, the past includes events that happened both recently and long ago. Some of these experiences were positive, some negative. Some were things that characters did. Some were things that happened to the characters. Begin to focus on the recent past of your characters and how it might influence them in your scene. You can define “recent” any way you wish, from moments to days to weeks ago.

  1. Fact from the recent past. George has just been elected president of the junior class, and Emily has just been elected secretary and treasurer. This fact from the recent past is important because it will influence their interaction on Main Street here and now. Identify a fact from the recent past that will affect your scene. This fact may pertain to any or all of those present.

  2. Character most affected. George is the one most affected by the election victory. Which of your characters has been most affected by the experience you identified from the recent past? Focus on this character for the next few steps:

  • Impact on self-perception. George’s election victory has boosted his self-esteem. How will your character’s self-perception be affected during your scene by the fact you identified from the recent past?

  • Perception of other character. While harboring a secret crush on Emily for the past year, George has viewed her as unfriendly and unattainable. She still seems unfriendly, but, as a result of their election victories, they have a new common ground, which could make her more available. In your scene, how will the fact from the recent past affect your character’s perception of whoever else is here.

  • Impact on feeling. George’s success at school has made him feel more confident and less shy. In your scene, how will the fact from the recent past affect your character physically or emotionally?

  • Impact on behavior. Buoyed by his election victory, George will speak to Emily for the first time in a year and attempt to walk her home. He will approach this daring task by offering to carry her schoolbooks. Identify at least one thing your character will do in your scene as a result of what happened in the recent past.

  ■ THE DISTANT PAST

  The past of the characters stretches back to the start of their lives and may thus include events that happened long ago. Whether the characters know it or not, some of these experiences may still be influencing them. Begin to focus on the distant past of your characters and how it might affect them during your scene. You can define “distant” any way you wish, from months to years to decades ago.
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br />   1. Fact from the distant past. Last year George became the star of the school baseball team. That success was a turning point in his life: he became a big fish in a small pond. At the same time, however, his friendship with Emily mysteriously ended. That falling-out from a year ago will influence their interaction now as he walks her home from school. Identify a fact from the distant past that will influence your scene, whether the characters are aware of it or not. This fact may involve any or all of those present.

  2. Character most affected. George’s baseball success had an impact on both Emily and him—it ended their friendship—but it was George who was most changed. Which of your characters has been most affected by the experience you identified from the distant past? Focus on this character for the next few steps:

  • Positive impact. George’s baseball success boosted his popularity and set him on a path that led to his election more recently as president of the junior class. For your scene, think about who is most affected by the fact from the distant past. How has that experience affected your character in a positive way?

  • Negative impact. George’s new popularity as star of the baseball team made him feel self-conscious and awkward in social situations—traits that others, especially the girls at school, interpreted as “conceited and stuck up.” This misperception was the reason Emily stopped being friendly to him. How has the experience from the distant past affected your character in a negative way?

  • Impact on behavior. George’s loss of Emily’s friendship last year affects much of what he does in the scene on Main Street. It is what triggers his scenic objective—to win her back—and makes him emotionally vulnerable when she reveals her true feelings. Identify at least one thing your character will do in your scene as a result of what happened long ago.

  ■ THE NEAR FUTURE

  Dramatic writers have the gift of knowing the future of their characters. This future includes events that will happen soon and events that will happen later—even after the story ends. Begin to think about the near future of your characters, how it will be shaped by the present, and how it might help you understand what needs to happen now so that the near future will make sense. The term near future here refers to anytime soon after the scene you are developing—for example, the next scene.

  1. Fact from the near future. George and Emily are on Main Street trying to patch things up after a year of unhappily misunderstanding each other. This present-tense action concludes with her accepting his invitation to have an ice-cream soda at Morgan’s Drugstore. But what will happen in the near future as a result of this? After spending more time together, George and Emily could discover that they no longer have much in common. Or they could instead form a deeper bond. Perhaps they will go steady. Whether positive or negative, many near futures are possible as a result of their reunion now.

  In the actual near future—the next scene in the story—George and Emily will share that ice-cream soda through two straws while awkwardly expressing their love for each other. Their connection will be so strong that George will make the decision not to go to the State Agricultural College so that he can stay here with Emily and never be apart from her again. Think about how the main event of your scene might affect the lives of any or all present. Identify an important event in the near future that will occur as a result of what happens now.

  2. Impact on the present. The renewal of George and Emily’s relationship will lead to a proclamation of love so strong that George will change the direction of his life. This near-future event dictates that in the present, as her carries her schoolbooks down Main Street, we must see that they really do care for each other in spite of their differences and that they are both trying to repair their friendship. All of this paves the way for his big decision in the next scene. Think about your near-future event and how it will reflect back on the scene you are developing now. What needs to happen in this scene so that the later event will feel truthful and logical in the world of your story?

  ■ THE DISTANT FUTURE

  The future of your characters stretches forward to include the rest of the story and, in most cases, the afterstory, where the characters continue their lives without the audience. Any given scene may thus have important long-term effects. Unless the story ends with a deus ex machina—a purely coincidental event—its conclusion will be the result of everything that happened along the way. Begin to think about what lies further ahead for your characters and how the scene you are developing now might help pave for the way for that distant future.

  1. Fact from the distant future. In the present scene, George and Emily are on Main Street trying to revive their friendship, and in the next scene he will cement their reunion by deciding to give up college in order to stay with her. But what will happen in the distant future as a result of this? They could end up getting married and having children. Or they might discover that they can’t have children. Or they might never marry for one reason or another. Many distant futures are possible as a result of their reunion now.

  In the actual future, George and Emily will get married and live happily together for four years. During the delivery of their second child, however, Emily will die. She will then join the other dead citizens of Grover’s Corners to watch the world of the living from a distant hilltop and to see her grieving young husband lying prostrate on her grave. Think about what happens in your scene. Identify an important event in the distant future that will occur as a result of what is happening now.

  2. Impact on the present. In Our Town an innocent young love will end in tragedy while the rest of the world continues its everyday activities. This future outcome dictates that in the present, as we watch George carrying Emily’s schoolbooks down Main Street, we must see that what is beginning to blossom is not only love but great love. It is the nature of this love that will make the loss of Emily so tragic that George will have no words to express his grief. The story will end with the Stage Manager drawing the curtain as George lies on his wife’s grave. Think about your future event and how it will reflect back on the scene you are developing. What needs to happen in this scene so that the later outcome will feel truthful and logical in the world of your story?

  WRAP-UP

  The dramatic continuum is a chain of events. It is referred to as a chain because each event in it is connected to at least one other event—either as its cause or as its effect. At the same time, each event differs from the others so that something new keeps happening as the story unfolds. To build a strong throughline, keep looking at your story events in relation to one another. Know how each is not only a product of the past but also a gateway to the future.

  Related tools in The Dramatic Writer’s Companion. To use visual imagery to map out key points in your story’s throughline, go to the “Building Your Story” section and try “Picturing the Arc of Action.”

  AN END IN SIGHT

  THE QUICK VERSION

  Use the end of the story to flesh out the beginning and middle

  BEST TIME FOR THIS

  Anytime during story development

  WHEN THE ENDING IS THE BEGINNING

  At some point during script development, the writer must figure out how the story will end. Some writers don’t make this discovery until they reach the final pages of the script. Others like to know the ending well in advance so that they can have a specific destination in mind as they make writing choices. Their knowledge of the ending helps them figure out the sequence of events that will be necessary in order to make that final outcome understandable and credible.

  Regardless of when it is crafted, the ending of the story is one of its most critical parts. The final moments often define what the dramatic journey has been about and contribute significantly to its impact on the audience. A weak ending can deflate the power of an otherwise great story, just as a strong ending can sometimes make up for flaws earlier in the script.

  ABOUT THE EXERCISE

  Use this exercise to flesh out your story by exploring possibi
lities for the ending. You may or may not already know what this conclusion will be. Either way, the exercise may lead to discoveries that can help you develop your script further.

  Examples are from my play The Roper, which was nominated for a 2014 Joseph Jefferson Award for Best New Work. Set in Chicago in 1876 and based on actual events, the story explores what happens when a convicted horse thief is hired as an informer by the US Secret Service and assigned to infiltrate a gang of Irish counterfeiters. What he uncovers is more than he bargained for: a plot to steal the body of Abraham Lincoln and hold it for ransom from the state of Illinois.

  ■ KEY STORY ELEMENTS

  Define the basic elements of your story.

  1. Main character. The main character of The Roper is Lewis Swegles, a horse thief living in nineteenth-century Chicago after being released from prison. Describe your main character. If you have more than one protagonist, focus for now on one of them.

  2. Quest. Every story is a quest: the pursuit of an important but difficult goal. The quest of Lewis Swegles is to do something important in his life that will be remembered after he is gone. More specifically, he wants to get his name in the newspaper for something other than stealing horses. Identify your main character’s overall goal. Ideally, this is the need that drives most of the action and makes the story happen.

  3. Inciting event. The quest is usually set into motion by an event that occurs early in the story and upsets the balance of the character’s life. Whether positive or negative, this turning point is often known as the inciting event. For Swegles, it occurs in scene 1 when he is hired by the US Secret Service to be an informer, or “roper,” who will work undercover in pursuit of criminals. What event sets your character’s quest into motion?