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Plot #19+#20: Ascension & Descension: 20
Apr. 6th, 2008 06:57 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
mbarker.livejournal.comoriginal posting: Fri, 27 Feb 1998 09:27:00 EST
Based on the book "20 Master Plots (And How to Build Them)" by Ronald B. Tobias. ISBN 0-89879-595-8.
Master Plot #19+#20: Ascension & Descension
Tobias combines the last two plots, so we'll follow right along...
(p. 218) "_Real_ drama, they've been telling us, is a story about a person who falls from a high place because of a tragic flaw in character. ... These days there aren't a lot of kings and queens to choose from, but still we have a fascination for stories about people who fall from high places."
"We have an equal fascination with people who rise from humble beginnings to great prominence, the so-called rags-to-riches scenario..."
"These are stories about people, first, last, and foremost. Without a centerpiece character, you have no plot. The main character is the focus of the story. ..."
"...you must develop a main character that is compelling and strong enough to carry the entire story, from beginning to end. ..."
(p. 220) "These stories [ascension plots] are less common, which might say something about ourselves, but the ascension plot (the character's spiritual movement from sinner to saint rather than from saint to sinner] is uplifting. Whereas the descension plot serves as a cautionary tale, the ascension plot serves as a parable. ..."
"Stories [like this] are uplifting because they ultimately explore the positive aspects of human character. Your main character should overcome odds not just as a hero who has obstacles to conquer but as a character in the process of becoming a better person. ..."
(p. 223) "Just as the ascension plot examines the positive values of human character under stress, the descension explores the negative values of human character under stress. These are dark tales. They are tales about power and corruption and greed. The human spirit fails in its moment of crisis."
"...As you develop your central character, you will find that she will quickly become extraordinary. Your main character may start out average, but events (Fate, if you prefer) lift the character above the ordinary and the trivial. The question that ultimately backs most of these stories is simple: How will fame (or power, or money) affect this character? We see her before the change, during the change and after the change, and we compare the phases of character development she has gone through as a result of these circumstances. Some handle it well; others don't."
Stages:
(p. 224) "As you fashion your character, keep in mind that it's important for the reader to know and understand the stages of development that your character is going through. We should know what he was like _before_ the great change in his life so we have a basis of comparison. This constitutes the first movement of your plot."
Second movement: show us the change that propels the character from his former life into his emerging life. Gradual or instantaneous, "these events make it impossible for your character to remain the same."
(p. 225) "The third movement is the culmination of character and events. If the character has a flaw, we will see the expression of the flaw and how it affects him and those around him. Your character may overcome that flaw after some drastic event forces him to confront himself, or he may succumb to the flaw. Usually (but not always) some catastrophe--the result of your character's behavior--forces a realization of what he has 'become.'..."
Checklist:
So, we'll start right off. How about a number from one to six?
Okay, so there's a quote about character. Now, let's flip a coin...
Take time to think out the character. What's their name? Where did they go to school? Have they started working--at what? Relationships, friends, enemies...think about all the parts that make this a real person in your imagination. And don't forget those human quirks, those flaws and points of tension waiting for the right pressures to explode.
First, think of a really good, interesting scene to introduce our character. Whether they are being awakened by their masseur or having their shoulder shaken by the cop on the beat, show us who they are. Take us on a quick tour, setting the scene, showing us the world they inhabit and some of their neighbors, and planting the seeds of what is to come.
Next, think about the "initiating event." One of the interesting ways to do this is to plant a hint of it right in the very beginning paragraphs...but not let the reader really understand what it means until you've introduced the character to us. For example, if the beginning scene in the limo includes the radio news announcing a string of stuff among which is "Filor International was the target of a hostile takeover today" but we don't realize until our character can't get into their office that they are the CEO of Filor International--well, we're ready for the developments to come.
Let's take another number, one to six:
Put that into a scene or two. Show us the character encountering the change--and reacting to it! Show us the initial reaction, the delayed double-take, the denial, anger, bargaining, depression and all that...
Building to the climax. This is where we (as writers) test that character to its limits. Here is where the character goes through the tempering, the final forging--and some crack and break, while others come out transformed. Think about what kind of scene you want to use to show us this conflict, and make it really tough for the character. Don't make it too easy--the person who is falling apart should become all too aware of how far they've fallen, while the person who is rising, defying all the odds...let them struggle!
This is one where it's often good to go back after you've written it (having learned more about the character and the situations through writing) and consider "enriching" the characterization. Redo the dialogue, add in those little bits of "business" that mark this character, make sure that every action really shows this character--not just a character.
It's a simple pair of story plots--rags to riches; and the fall from glory. But they're also a place where you as writer can shine, bringing out the depth of characterization, making us feel the rich life of your stories.
So write!
[p.s. don't look now, but there's another chapter in Tobias's book. So we'll have another one in the series, too.]
Based on the book "20 Master Plots (And How to Build Them)" by Ronald B. Tobias. ISBN 0-89879-595-8.
Master Plot #19+#20: Ascension & Descension
Tobias combines the last two plots, so we'll follow right along...
(p. 218) "_Real_ drama, they've been telling us, is a story about a person who falls from a high place because of a tragic flaw in character. ... These days there aren't a lot of kings and queens to choose from, but still we have a fascination for stories about people who fall from high places."
"We have an equal fascination with people who rise from humble beginnings to great prominence, the so-called rags-to-riches scenario..."
"These are stories about people, first, last, and foremost. Without a centerpiece character, you have no plot. The main character is the focus of the story. ..."
"...you must develop a main character that is compelling and strong enough to carry the entire story, from beginning to end. ..."
(p. 220) "These stories [ascension plots] are less common, which might say something about ourselves, but the ascension plot (the character's spiritual movement from sinner to saint rather than from saint to sinner] is uplifting. Whereas the descension plot serves as a cautionary tale, the ascension plot serves as a parable. ..."
"Stories [like this] are uplifting because they ultimately explore the positive aspects of human character. Your main character should overcome odds not just as a hero who has obstacles to conquer but as a character in the process of becoming a better person. ..."
(p. 223) "Just as the ascension plot examines the positive values of human character under stress, the descension explores the negative values of human character under stress. These are dark tales. They are tales about power and corruption and greed. The human spirit fails in its moment of crisis."
"...As you develop your central character, you will find that she will quickly become extraordinary. Your main character may start out average, but events (Fate, if you prefer) lift the character above the ordinary and the trivial. The question that ultimately backs most of these stories is simple: How will fame (or power, or money) affect this character? We see her before the change, during the change and after the change, and we compare the phases of character development she has gone through as a result of these circumstances. Some handle it well; others don't."
Stages:
(p. 224) "As you fashion your character, keep in mind that it's important for the reader to know and understand the stages of development that your character is going through. We should know what he was like _before_ the great change in his life so we have a basis of comparison. This constitutes the first movement of your plot."
Second movement: show us the change that propels the character from his former life into his emerging life. Gradual or instantaneous, "these events make it impossible for your character to remain the same."
(p. 225) "The third movement is the culmination of character and events. If the character has a flaw, we will see the expression of the flaw and how it affects him and those around him. Your character may overcome that flaw after some drastic event forces him to confront himself, or he may succumb to the flaw. Usually (but not always) some catastrophe--the result of your character's behavior--forces a realization of what he has 'become.'..."
Checklist:
- Is the focus of the story about a single character?
- Is the character strong-willed, charismatic and seemingly unique? Do the other characters "revolve" around this one?
- Is there a moral dilemma at the heart of your story? Does the dilemma test the character of your protagonist/antagonist, and is it the foundation for the catalyst of change in their character?
- Are character and events closely related in your story? Does the main character make things happen? Is she the force that drives events, instead of being driven? (There may be events that affect the main character, but the main focus must be on how the character acts upon the world)
- Does your story show your character as she was _before_ the major change that alters her life? Do you show us bases for comparison?
- Does the story show the character progressing through changes as the result of events? Do you show us the character suffering horrible circumstances, and then overcoming those circumstances--and show us how that looks? Do you show us various states of the character, with motivations and intents?
- Does your story show us that reasons for a fall are the result of the character, not gratuitous? And if the character overcomes adversity, make sure you provided solid character-based background for that ability...
- Do you have some variations in the rise or fall? Vary the tempo, do two steps forward and one back, then one down and two up...keep the reader guessing!
- Does your story focus on the main character? Do all the events and characters relate to the main character? Do you show us that main character before, during, and after the change?
So, we'll start right off. How about a number from one to six?
- "Character is tested by true sentiments more than by conduct. A man is seldom better than his word." Lord Acton, postscript, letter to Mandell Creighton, April 5, 1887.
- "People seem not to see that their opinion of the world is also a confession of character." Emerson, Worship, The Conduct of Life (1860).
- "Old age and sickness bring out the essential characteristics of a man." Felix Frankfurter, Felix Frankfurter Reminisces (1960), 2.
- "Genius is formed in quiet, character in the stream of human life." Goethe, Torquato Tasso (1790), 1.2.
- "No man can climb out beyond the limitations of his own character." John Morley, Robespieere, Critical Miscellanies (1871-1908)
- "The things that really move liking in human beings are the gnarled nodosities of character, vagrant humours, freaks of generosity, some little unextinguishable spark of the aboriginal savage, some little sweet savour of the old Adam." Alexander Smith, "On Vagabonds," Dreamthorp (1863).
Okay, so there's a quote about character. Now, let's flip a coin...
heads -- ascentSo, now we know which way we are going to take the character. If we're going up, you may want to start with a character in that great wasteland of the middle classes -- or one a bit below. If we're going down, on the other hand, you probably want to start with a little extra edge.
tails -- descent
Take time to think out the character. What's their name? Where did they go to school? Have they started working--at what? Relationships, friends, enemies...think about all the parts that make this a real person in your imagination. And don't forget those human quirks, those flaws and points of tension waiting for the right pressures to explode.
First, think of a really good, interesting scene to introduce our character. Whether they are being awakened by their masseur or having their shoulder shaken by the cop on the beat, show us who they are. Take us on a quick tour, setting the scene, showing us the world they inhabit and some of their neighbors, and planting the seeds of what is to come.
Next, think about the "initiating event." One of the interesting ways to do this is to plant a hint of it right in the very beginning paragraphs...but not let the reader really understand what it means until you've introduced the character to us. For example, if the beginning scene in the limo includes the radio news announcing a string of stuff among which is "Filor International was the target of a hostile takeover today" but we don't realize until our character can't get into their office that they are the CEO of Filor International--well, we're ready for the developments to come.
Let's take another number, one to six:
1. Business (change in work -- losing or changing job)These are some of the most stressful incidents in our lives. Pick one! and then let your character face it as the catalyst for their change.
2. Change in family relationships (death, marriage, etc.)
3. Change in physical being (illness, etc.)
4. Accident
5. Transitions (leaving home, graduation, retirement)
6. Change in home (moving, loss, etc.)
Put that into a scene or two. Show us the character encountering the change--and reacting to it! Show us the initial reaction, the delayed double-take, the denial, anger, bargaining, depression and all that...
Building to the climax. This is where we (as writers) test that character to its limits. Here is where the character goes through the tempering, the final forging--and some crack and break, while others come out transformed. Think about what kind of scene you want to use to show us this conflict, and make it really tough for the character. Don't make it too easy--the person who is falling apart should become all too aware of how far they've fallen, while the person who is rising, defying all the odds...let them struggle!
This is one where it's often good to go back after you've written it (having learned more about the character and the situations through writing) and consider "enriching" the characterization. Redo the dialogue, add in those little bits of "business" that mark this character, make sure that every action really shows this character--not just a character.
It's a simple pair of story plots--rags to riches; and the fall from glory. But they're also a place where you as writer can shine, bringing out the depth of characterization, making us feel the rich life of your stories.
So write!
[p.s. don't look now, but there's another chapter in Tobias's book. So we'll have another one in the series, too.]
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