Character, Scene, and Story

by Will Dunne

  4. Reversal. Dramatic stories usually lead to unexpected developments—some good, some bad—that turn the quest in new directions. Big changes of this nature are often known as reversals. In a two-act story, for example, the event that ends act 1 is typically a reversal that brings the characters into the new territory of act 2. A key reversal for Swegles is a discovery he makes in act 1: he learns that the gang he infiltrated is planning to kidnap Lincoln’s body from the tomb in Springfield. Identify a reversal that occurs at any time during the first half of your script.

  5. Ending. The quest will ultimately succeed, fail, or end up in a mix of success and failure. Try a few “what ifs” to explore different possibilities for your story’s ending, Stay open to new possibilities—even if you already know what the ending will be.

  • Happy ending. If The Roper had a happy ending, Swegles would do something important and receive public recognition for his success. More specifically, he would help the Secret Service arrest grave robbers in the act of stealing Lincoln’s body and would be hailed in the press as a hero who will be remembered for years to come. If your story had a happy ending, what would it be?

  • Unhappy ending. If The Roper had an unhappy ending, Swegles would fail to become a hero. Perhaps he would begin to identify more with the criminals than with the government agents and would secretly help the grave robbers escape. He would then lose his job as a roper and be sent back into obscurity without the legacy he had sought. If your story had an unhappy ending, what would it be?

  • Mixed ending. If The Roper had a mixed ending, Swegles would manage to do something important, such as protect Lincoln’s body from harm, but, instead of being hailed as a hero, would lose his job after being unjustly accused of allowing the grave robbers to escape. If your story had a mixed ending—a blend of success and failure—what would it be?

  ■ WHAT THE ENDING REVEALS

  Review the three endings you imagined for your story and choose one to explore further, such as Swegles’s mixed ending. Then answer the following questions.

  1. Impact on character. The ending of a story, in its contrast to the beginning, usually shows that the main character has undergone a big change—either for better or for worse. Swegles starts out with the hope that he can rise above his criminal past and accomplish something important. He ends up a failure in the eyes of the law and loses hope of becoming a better person. As a result, he will return to a life of crime and spend most of his remaining years in prison. Think about the ending of your story in relation to the beginning. How will the character change as a result of what happens?

  2. Impact on a key relationship. The changes that a character experiences often affect his or her relationships over the course of the story. Swegles’s primary relationship is with Jack Hughes, one of the gang members whom he was assigned to watch but whom he comes to understand and like. In the end, Swegles must betray this friendship in the name of good. This ending shows that his quest for legacy is more important than the well-being of his closest ally. Identify your character’s primary relationship. What new information will the ending of your story reveal about this relationship?

  3. Enduring truths. Regardless of the changes that occur during a story, there are usually important aspects of the character that remain the same. These traits lie at the unshakable core of the character’s true nature. The ending of The Roper shows that in spite of his efforts to reform himself, Swegles has a lawless bent that he cannot overcome. This is why he retreats to criminal activity when the world fails to respond the way he expected. Think again about the ending of your story in relation to the beginning. In what important ways will your character stay the same?

  4. Broader impact. A character’s dramatic journey often changes the world of the story or uncovers its hidden truths. Swegles tries to use the system to reform himself and create a legacy, but the system proves to be more powerful than he had imagined. Those on top, such the Secret Service, stay on top. Those on the bottom, such as Swegles and the grave robbers, stay on the bottom. In the end, the system does not allow him to rise above the criminal underclass. How will the world of your story be changed or revealed by the time the dramatic journey ends?

  5. Contributing character facts. For a story’s conclusion to be credible, certain character traits, qualities, and experiences need to be introduced during the dramatic journey. These facts will contribute to our understanding of how and why the story ends the way it does. A look back from the ending of The Roper suggests that certain facts about Swegles need to be established along the way—for example, that he has

  • lived a hard life as a horse thief, one of the most hated types of criminals,

  • developed a true desire to change who he is,

  • felt inspired by Lincoln to want a legacy of his own,

  • developed a need to win the respect of his boss, Captain Tyrell,

  • maintained a strong love of money, and

  • developed an increasing affinity for others who live outside of the traditional laws of society.

  Think about the ending you chose to explore. Then look back through your story to see what facts about your character need to be revealed along the way. List at least six character facts that must be introduced earlier for your ending to make sense.

  6. Contributing story events. For a story’s ending to be credible, certain events need to occur during the dramatic journey. Some of these events will contribute directly to the final outcome, some indirectly. A look back from the ending of The Roper suggests that events like these must occur along the way:

  • Swegles’s boss, Tyrrell, must have a reason to suspect that Swegles has a certain affinity for the grave robbers. On the morning of the tomb break-in, for example, when Tyrrell refers to them as swine, Swegles defends their humanity, blaming poverty and social oppression for their desperation.

  • Swegles must actually accomplish something good. For example, he protects Lincoln’s body from harm by preventing Mullen, one of the grave robbers, from using an ax to smash open the sarcophagus and coffin.

  • The grave robbers must be able to escape from the tomb due to circumstances that do not involve Swegles. It is the accidental firing of a distant Pinkerton’s gun that alerts them to the hidden presence of the law.

  Think again about the ending you chose to explore. Then look back through your story to see what events need to occur during the dramatic journey. List at least three events that the story must include for your ending to make sense.

  7. Theme. A story’s ending often demonstrates the themes being dramatized. In the end, Swegles has a life-changing reaction to not getting the credit he deserves for protecting Lincoln’s body. This reaction shows how much he values his reputation and demonstrates the main idea that the desire for legacy is a common human need. Think again about the ending you chose to explore. What theme does it illustrate?

  WRAP-UP

  Your story’s ending can teach you many things about your characters and plot. Once you know the ending, you may better understand what needs to be added, clarified, or removed during the dramatic journey that leads to it. From a technical perspective, a key purpose of this journey is to pave the way for the ending so that when it finally occurs, it is a believable outcome in the world of this story.

  Related tools in The Dramatic Writer’s Companion. To continue exploring how story events connect, go to the “Building Your Story” section and try “Pointing and Planting.” To clarify your story’s subject and theme, try “What’s the Big Idea?” in the same section.

  TWO CHARACTERS IN SEARCH OF A STORY

  THE QUICK VERSION

  Explore the arcs of action for your two most important characters

  BEST TIME FOR THIS

  After you are well into the story

  CHARACTERS IN TRANSITION

  Most dramatic characters undergo a fundamental change as a result of what happens in the story. Sometimes this is a change for the better. When we first meet Lane
in The Clean House by Sarah Ruhl, her obsessive need for perfection has alienated her from her husband, sister, and maid. Lane thus begins her dramatic journey in isolation. By the time the story ends, she has learned to accept life’s messes and, in doing so, to develop meaningful connections with those around her.

  In other cases the character’s transition may be a change for the worse. In Topdog/ Underdog by Suzan-Lori Parks, Booth begins his dramatic journey in hope. He believes that he can get rich quick by playing three-card monte, win back his beautiful ex-girlfriend, and outshine his older brother. Booth’s journey ends, however, in hopelessness. He has abandoned his dream of wealth, murdered both his girlfriend and his brother, and ended up alone in a seedy furnished room.

  In a story driven by a single protagonist, such as Nora in A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen, it is the main character’s transition—or arc of action—that provides a framework for all that happens. The transitions of the other characters typically influence this journey. It is thus important for the writer to know how these various arcs of action inform and affect one another.

  In a story with two or more protagonists, such as the Ranevskaya family in The Cherry Orchard by Anton Chekhov, it is even more important for the writer to know how the arcs of the central characters relate to one another. It is the intersections of these dramatic journeys that hold the story together as one main event.

  ABOUT THE EXERCISE

  Use this exercise to explore the dramatic journeys of your two most important characters: where these journeys begin and end, how they unfold, and how they affect each other. This is a focusing exercise that asks you to simplify, set priorities, and decide what matters most in each character’s arc of action.

  Examples are from Hamlet by William Shakespeare. Written over four hundred years ago, the play focuses on a young man’s attempt to avenge the death of his father who, he believes, was murdered by his uncle. This quest is complicated by the fact that the uncle has since married the young man’s mother and is now therefore also his stepfather. The quest is further complicated by the fact that the young man is the prince of Denmark, the murdered father was the king of Denmark, and the evil uncle/stepfather is now the reigning monarch.

  To begin, identify the two characters in your story who matter most. Write down their names in order of importance—for example, Character 1 is Hamlet, prince of Denmark; Character 2 is Claudius, his uncle, stepfather, and king.

  ■ CHARACTER ARCS

  Ideally, each of the characters you named will experience an overall transition, or arc of action, as a result of story events. You can understand each arc by identifying the starting and end points of the character’s dramatic journey and then seeing how they compare. These points are not physical locations but rather states of being. For example, a character might travel from hatred to forgiveness (Nancy in Frozen by Bryony Lavery) or from facade to exposure (Amir in Disgraced by Ayad Akhtar).

  Character 1. As a result of what he experiences in the story, Hamlet travels dramatically from injustice to revenge: he starts out as the son of a murdered man and ends up as the avenger of his father’s death. What are the starting and end points of your Character 1’s dramatic journey? Identify each point in a word of phrase.

  Character 2. As Hamlet moves from injustice to revenge, Claudius also undergoes a dramatic journey, moving simultaneously from success to ruin: he starts out as a powerful king and ends up as a dead traitor. How would you define the starting and end points of your Character 2’s dramatic journey?

  ■ STARTING POINTS

  The start of each character’s dramatic journey often ties to the backstory: what happened in the lives of the characters before the story begins.

  Character 1. When we first meet Hamlet, something is rotten in Denmark. This state of injustice is due to such backstory facts as these:

  • Hamlet’s father, the king, was murdered in his sleep.

  • The murderer has not been found.

  • A ghost resembling the dead king has been seen wandering the castle at night.

  Think about how your Character 1’s dramatic journey begins. Identify at least three facts from the backstory that contribute to this starting point.

  Character 2. When we first meet Claudius, he is in a position of success due to such backstory facts as these:

  • He had two burning desires: to be king and to marry his brother’s wife.

  • He fulfilled both desires by poisoning his brother in his sleep.

  • He has been perceived in the Kingdom of Denmark as a capable monarch.

  Think about how your Character 2’s dramatic journey begins. Identify at least three facts from the backstory that contribute to this starting point.

  ■ OPENING IMAGES

  The beginning of a character’s dramatic journey can be translated into a visual image that occurs early in the story and shows, not tells, important information about this point of departure. Early images matter because they create a first impression that can influence our perception of the character as the story unfolds.

  Character 1. Hamlet’s dramatic journey begins in injustice. This starting point might be depicted by an image of him in the moonlit courtyard of the castle at night, staring in horror at the ghost of the king, who addresses him while pointing to the castle tower. Translate the beginning of your Character 1’s dramatic journey into a visual image that depicts something important about it. Describe what you see.

  Character 2. The dramatic journey of Claudius begins in success. This starting point might be depicted by the image of Claudius in a grand room of the castle, sitting on the throne with his wife, Gertrude, beside him. He holds a letter in his hand and speaks to his courtiers, who listen with rapt attention. Translate the beginning of your Character 2’s dramatic journey into an image that depicts something important about it.

  ■ END POINTS

  The conclusion of each character’s dramatic journey is the result of what has happened in its course. Whether positive or negative, the events of the story have worked together to bring the character to this final destination.

  Character 1. Hamlet travels dramatically from injustice to revenge. His final destination is the result of certain major story events, such as these:

  • His father’s ghost appears and claims that Claudius murdered him.

  • Hamlet exposes Claudius by presenting a play about murder and watching his reaction.

  • Hamlet, though wounded in a duel by Laërtes, kills Claudius.

  Identify at least three major story events—successes, failures, or discoveries—that contribute to your Character 1’s final destination.

  Character 2. Claudius moves from success to ruin. Here are three of the most important story events that lead to his final destination:

  • His guilt is exposed by his victim’s son, Hamlet.

  • His attempt to have Hamlet killed in exile fails.

  • He is slain by Hamlet and thus loses both the throne and his life.

  Identify at least three major story events that contribute to your Character 2’s final destination.

  ■ CLOSING IMAGES

  The end point of a character’s dramatic journey can also be translated into a visual image that shows, not tells, important information. Final images matter because they can leave an impression that stays with us after we leave the theater.

  Character 1. Hamlet’s dramatic journey ends in revenge. This final destination might be depicted by an image of him, wounded and bleeding, forcing the dying Claudius to drink from a poisoned cup as he lies on the floor. Translate the end of your Character 1’s dramatic journey into a visual image. Look for contrast between this and the image you found for Character 1 at the start of the journey.

  Character 2. Claudius’s dramatic journey ends in ruin, a final destination that intersects with Hamlet’s revenge and can be depicted by the same final image. As Claudius lies on the floor bleeding from the wound of a poisoned sword and being forced to drink from a
poisoned cup, he could not be further from the royal stance with which he began the play. Add more dead bodies, such as those of his wife, Gertrude, and the fallen Laërtes, and the picture of ruin is complete.

  Your Character 2’s final destination may or may not intersect with that of Character 1. If these end points do intersect, you may already have found a final image that includes Character 2. If they do not intersect, find a telling image that depicts Character 2’s final destination. Again, look for contrast between this and the image you found for Character 2 at the beginning of the journey.

  ■ MOST DIFFICULT DECISION

  Dramatic stories show us characters at crucial decision points. These decisions tend to get more difficult and more risky as the story goes on.

  Character 1. One of Hamlet’s most difficult decisions occurs near the end of the play, when he must decide whether to remain in Claudius’s presence and risk death or flee to safety and let his father’s murder go unavenged. What is the most difficult decision your Character 1 must make? Identify at least two options the character faces.

  Character 2. One of Claudius’s most difficult decisions is whether to allow his wife to accidentally drink poison rather than acknowledge his wrongdoing. Think about your Character 2’s most difficult decision. Identify at least two options the character faces.