20 Master Plots Lesson 1.3 Plot vs. Story
Jul 3, 2021 9:29:32 GMT -6
Post by ScienceGirl on Jul 3, 2021 9:29:32 GMT -6
Before Plot There Was Story
Tobias brings us back to the days of people who lived in "makeshift homes" that they left daily to search for food, or that they abandoned seasonally to move their herds. The days when people sat around the fire at night and told stories. "Stories about the prowess of the hunter, stories about the swiftness of the gazelle or the slyness of the coyote or the brute strength of the walrus. He says:
Plot, he explains, grew out of religious rituals that existed even before Christ, and evolved into the "classic drama" we know today.
He offers the story of "The Whale Husband" from the Indians of the Pacific North West:
Tobias contrasts this story with "The Choking Doberman" one that we studied in a previous lesson. "The Choking Doberman," according to Tobias, "arouses and directs our expectations." This story about the Whale Husband does not.
The difference as he sees it is that "The Choking Doberman" creates unity between each event in the sequence. There are connections that bring the story together in a "united whole." It uses the questions of who, what, when, where, and most importantly, why. And, he argues that there are too many unanswered questions in "The Whale Husband."
This is why "The Whale Fisherman" lacks plot! It fails the expectations of what story should be.
Story Vs. Plot
According to Tobias:
You can also have plot with a "deficiency of story."
Tobias quotes the following from Somerset Maugham's notebooks on writing:
Maugham saw this as a story without form. He said he couldn't call it story without bringing it to a concclusion that left "no legitimate room for questioning."
So what's the problem?
This story has no real ending! There's no resolution. What happens next? What does it mean for these two guys? Will they hate each other forever over this letter? Could it lead to murder or injury? Would Clive be driven to go through Geoffrey's things and steal it back? And more importantly, WHAT IS IN THE STUPID LETTER? How dare the writer cheat I, the reader, out of this desperately-needed knowledge. Does it contain something that could hurt Clive and Geoffrey is protecting him? Who knows? Because we weren't given the story!
But, as Tobias points out, both "The Whale Husband" and "The English Gentleman" are stories on the verge of plot. If the writers gave them a good finish, the story would be whole.
He quotes a fundamental principle from Aristotle:
Wow! So simple, and yet so hard to do in our writing.
We'll wrap up Tobias' first chapter in one more post focusing on that beginning, middle, and end!
Tobias brings us back to the days of people who lived in "makeshift homes" that they left daily to search for food, or that they abandoned seasonally to move their herds. The days when people sat around the fire at night and told stories. "Stories about the prowess of the hunter, stories about the swiftness of the gazelle or the slyness of the coyote or the brute strength of the walrus. He says:
Story was a narration of events in the sequence that they happened.
He offers the story of "The Whale Husband" from the Indians of the Pacific North West:
A fisherman caught a strange fish, which he gave to his wife to clean. When she finished her task, the wife washed her hands in the sea.
Suddenly, a Killer Whale rose out of the water and pulled the woman in. The Killer Whale took the fisherman's wife to his home at the bottom of the sea, where she worked as a slave in his house.
With the help of his friend, Shark, the fisherman followed the Killer Whale to his house at the bottom of the sea. Using trickery, Shark snuffed the light in the Killer Whale's house and rescued the wife for the fisherman.
Suddenly, a Killer Whale rose out of the water and pulled the woman in. The Killer Whale took the fisherman's wife to his home at the bottom of the sea, where she worked as a slave in his house.
With the help of his friend, Shark, the fisherman followed the Killer Whale to his house at the bottom of the sea. Using trickery, Shark snuffed the light in the Killer Whale's house and rescued the wife for the fisherman.
The difference as he sees it is that "The Choking Doberman" creates unity between each event in the sequence. There are connections that bring the story together in a "united whole." It uses the questions of who, what, when, where, and most importantly, why. And, he argues that there are too many unanswered questions in "The Whale Husband."
What does the strange fish have to do with the appearance of the Killer Whale? (no causal relationship developed here) Was the strange fish the Killer Whale's wife maybe? Who knows, but we don't get that connection.
Why does the Killer Whale kidnap the fisherman's wife? Revenge? He had a dirty house?
What was the alliance between Shark and the fisherman? Was there some long-standing disagreement between Shark and Killer Whale?
Why does the Killer Whale kidnap the fisherman's wife? Revenge? He had a dirty house?
What was the alliance between Shark and the fisherman? Was there some long-standing disagreement between Shark and Killer Whale?
This is why "The Whale Fisherman" lacks plot! It fails the expectations of what story should be.
Story Vs. Plot
According to Tobias:
Story is a series of events strung like beads on a string. (This happend and then this happened and then...)
Plot is a chain of cause-and-effect relationships that constantly create a pattern of unified action and behavior. Plot involves the reader in the game of "Why?"
Story requires only curiosity to know what will happen next.
Plot requires the ability to remember what has already happened, to figure out the relationships between events and people, and to try to project the outcome.
Plot is a chain of cause-and-effect relationships that constantly create a pattern of unified action and behavior. Plot involves the reader in the game of "Why?"
Story requires only curiosity to know what will happen next.
Plot requires the ability to remember what has already happened, to figure out the relationships between events and people, and to try to project the outcome.
Tobias quotes the following from Somerset Maugham's notebooks on writing:
Two young Englishmen were working on an isolated tea plantation in India. One of the men--we'll call him Clive--got a handful of letters in every post, but the other man--we'll call him Geoffrey--never got any mail.
One day Geoffrey offered five pounds to his friend for one of his letters.
"Of course," Clive replied. "Take your pick."
Geoffrey looked over the mail and then chose a letter. At dinner that night, Clive casually asked his friend what was in the letter he'd bought.
"None of your business," Geoffrey replied.
"At least tell me who it was from," asked Clive.
Geoffrey refused to tell him.
The two men argued, but Geoffrey wouldn't back down. A week later, Clive offered to buy the letter back for twice the amount.
"Not on your life," said Geoffrey, and he walked away.
One day Geoffrey offered five pounds to his friend for one of his letters.
"Of course," Clive replied. "Take your pick."
Geoffrey looked over the mail and then chose a letter. At dinner that night, Clive casually asked his friend what was in the letter he'd bought.
"None of your business," Geoffrey replied.
"At least tell me who it was from," asked Clive.
Geoffrey refused to tell him.
The two men argued, but Geoffrey wouldn't back down. A week later, Clive offered to buy the letter back for twice the amount.
"Not on your life," said Geoffrey, and he walked away.
So what's the problem?
This story has no real ending! There's no resolution. What happens next? What does it mean for these two guys? Will they hate each other forever over this letter? Could it lead to murder or injury? Would Clive be driven to go through Geoffrey's things and steal it back? And more importantly, WHAT IS IN THE STUPID LETTER? How dare the writer cheat I, the reader, out of this desperately-needed knowledge. Does it contain something that could hurt Clive and Geoffrey is protecting him? Who knows? Because we weren't given the story!
But, as Tobias points out, both "The Whale Husband" and "The English Gentleman" are stories on the verge of plot. If the writers gave them a good finish, the story would be whole.
He quotes a fundamental principle from Aristotle:
A unified action creates a whole made up of a beginning, middle, and an end.
We'll wrap up Tobias' first chapter in one more post focusing on that beginning, middle, and end!
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