20 MP Lessons 5 and 6--A Drive By
Jul 8, 2021 9:57:02 GMT -6
Post by ScienceGirl on Jul 8, 2021 9:57:02 GMT -6
I'm just going to do a quick drive-by of chapters 5 and 6. Chapter 6 is just an overview prologue of all twenty plots, and we'll be covering each of them in detail anyway. And Chapter 5 discusses a triangular system for character and plot that I don't completely subscribe to. You're certainly welcome to read the book and judge this for yourself.
Tobias argues the rule of threes. One does not bring enough depth or tension, two confines the writer to a "one or the other" conundrum, but three gives a certain balance that makes for better story. He argues this from different angles. Three characters are better than two. Three tries to succeed are better.
One person isn't enough, he says, to get good interaction. Two works, but that third person adds a wildcard to make things interesting.
I personally believe that a good enough writer can make the phone book interesting. Although, I can see Tobias's point that three can work out well.
He uses the movie Ghost to convey this, where Patrick Swayze's character has just died, and he wants to talk to his still-living girlfriend (Demi Moore). He does this through a fake psychic, played by Whoopi Goldberg, and it gives an extra, more interesting element to the story.
He lays out six interactions in the movie:
1) Swayze convinces Goldberg that he's a ghost and talking to her from the great beyond
2) Goldberg must convince Moore that she can really talk to her dead boyfriend
3) Moore relates directly to Goldberg and indirectly to Swayze
4) Swayze relates directly to Goldberg and indirectly to Moore
5 and 6) Goldberg relates directly to both Swayze and Moore.
To me, all this analysis of relationships is a bit intimidating and overbearing.
So instead of explaining his method of analysis, I'm going to focus instead on the idea of a wildcard.
In fiction, a good wildcard is a third object, person, or event that has no direct bearing on good vs. evil. It may be a person who roots for both teams. The third, irrelevant choice (like in Harry Potter and the Room of Doors) can be in place to confuse the POVC and take away their ability to have a clear choice of what to do. A wildcard is perfect for adding conflict and tension.
But a wildcard is a plot device, and not a plot itself.
With all that said, let's get right to it! Next post begins our deep examination of our twenty Master Plots!
Tobias argues the rule of threes. One does not bring enough depth or tension, two confines the writer to a "one or the other" conundrum, but three gives a certain balance that makes for better story. He argues this from different angles. Three characters are better than two. Three tries to succeed are better.
One person isn't enough, he says, to get good interaction. Two works, but that third person adds a wildcard to make things interesting.
I personally believe that a good enough writer can make the phone book interesting. Although, I can see Tobias's point that three can work out well.
He uses the movie Ghost to convey this, where Patrick Swayze's character has just died, and he wants to talk to his still-living girlfriend (Demi Moore). He does this through a fake psychic, played by Whoopi Goldberg, and it gives an extra, more interesting element to the story.
He lays out six interactions in the movie:
1) Swayze convinces Goldberg that he's a ghost and talking to her from the great beyond
2) Goldberg must convince Moore that she can really talk to her dead boyfriend
3) Moore relates directly to Goldberg and indirectly to Swayze
4) Swayze relates directly to Goldberg and indirectly to Moore
5 and 6) Goldberg relates directly to both Swayze and Moore.
To me, all this analysis of relationships is a bit intimidating and overbearing.
So instead of explaining his method of analysis, I'm going to focus instead on the idea of a wildcard.
In fiction, a good wildcard is a third object, person, or event that has no direct bearing on good vs. evil. It may be a person who roots for both teams. The third, irrelevant choice (like in Harry Potter and the Room of Doors) can be in place to confuse the POVC and take away their ability to have a clear choice of what to do. A wildcard is perfect for adding conflict and tension.
But a wildcard is a plot device, and not a plot itself.
With all that said, let's get right to it! Next post begins our deep examination of our twenty Master Plots!
You add them to your profile as you do them around the forum.
