TECH: The 36 Dramatic Situations (Book Notes)

[mbarker.livejournal.com]

original posting: Tue, 8 Feb 1994 18:35:02 JST

One of the books that is often referred to when discussing "how many plots are there" is one by Georges Polti. Having stumbled across the name several times, and having thoroughly learned to investigate original sources when possible (they often say something very different from what "everyone knows"), I have a copy of this book.

[I don't recommend this book, mostly because it is written in an older, flamboyant style that makes it painful to figure out what he's talking about. Interesting oddity of the writing world, though.]

Frankly, I think Polti was interested in a whole different question - what are the basic situations into which literature can be divided? Note that a novel or play may use several situations, and may make variations on those. He is looking for the "basic colors" used to paint the pictures - not trying to limit the combinations and permutations, but trying to identify what "underlies" all the plots.

If the artist tells us that there are only 3 primary colors (or whatever), no one interprets that to mean that there are not an almost infinite number of shadings available. Yet when Polti or someone says there are X basic situations, somehow we think that means there are limits on the plots available.

Anyway - Polti's own words, for your consideration...

The thirty-six dramatic situations
Georges Polti (1868-)
(translated by Lucille Ray)
Copyright 1977 (original copyright 1921)
The Writer, Inc. Boston

"...for there were indeed, as he [Gozzi] had indicated, thirty-six categories which I had to formulate in order to distribute fitly among them the innumerable dramas awaiting classification. There is, I hasten to say, nothing mystic or cabalistic about this particular number; it might perhaps be possible to choose one a trifle higher or lower, but this one I consider the most accurate." (p. 9)

here is a summary of his dramatic situation #1 - with the 10 varieties
that Polti noted under it!

1. Supplication (Persecutor, Suppliant, and a Power in authority, whose decision is doubtful)

a power whose decision is awaited is a distinct personage

(1) Fugitives imploring the powerful for help against their enemies
(2) assistance implored for the performance of a pious duty which has been forbidden
(3) appeals for a refuge in which to die

b undecided power is an attribute of persecutor himself

(1) Hospitality besought by the shipwrecked
(2) charity entreated by those cast off by their own people, whom they have disgraced
(3) Expiation: the seeking of pardon, healing, or deliverance
(4) The surrender of a corpse, or of a relic, solicited

c suppliant divided into two persons, the Persecuted and the Intercessor

(1) supplication of the powerful for those dear to the suppliant
(2) supplication to a relative in behalf of another relative
(3) supplication to a mother's lover, in her behalf

In the conclusion, Polti first talks about how to obtain nuances of the situations - e.g., enumerate the ties of friendship or kinship possible among the characters; determine the degree of consciousness, of free-will and knowledge of the real end to which they are moving; divide a character into two with one acting as a blind instrument of the other; modify the energy or target of the actions resulting from them; or substitute a group of characters for any single character. He also mentions combining situations in various ways. He alludes to a separate work on "Laws of Literary Invention" which would show how these thirty-six basic situations "may be endlessly multiplied."

[challenge for the librarians amongst us - did he write that book? it would probably be in French, if he did.]

He also offers ten thousand scenarios, realistic, effective, and totally different.

I think Polti was trying to lay out the basic categories, with some hints at the finer divisions, within which we might fit the pieces of all literature. He mentions that in this exposition he only cites a mere 1,200 examples. However, he seems to take care not to say that these dramatic situations are "plots" - indeed, at several points he talks about the uncountable numbers of plots that can be built using these situations. I think he was trying to identify "building blocks" or some such abstraction, without any intent of constraining the artist.

Sorry, chums, but as far as I can tell, Polti didn't mean there are a few plots - in fact, he was more interested in finding out which situations we rarely use, and in developing ways of multiplying the number of plots available by wringing variations, combinations, and other changes on these building blocks!

So - don't worry, we only got two sexes, but we make lots and lots of people out of those two basics. With 36 situations, think how many different plots you could make, especially stirring in characters, setting, etc.

TECH: Book Notes: Self-Editing for Fiction Writers

[mbarker.livejournal.com]

original posting: Fri, 29 Apr 1994 18:35:01 JST

Self-Editing for Fiction Writers
Browne, Renni and King, Dave
ISBN 0-06-270061-8
HarperCollins, NY
1993, $11.00

An excellent book for any writer, especially if you believe in revision as a key part of their writing. If you don't, this book may help convert you.

The two authors are both writers and "book doctors," making a living providing editorial help to writers, and know their business inside out.

Each chapter focuses on one key topic of self-editing, looking at it with examples from both well-known authors (critiquing the classics!) and other sources. They end with a checklist and exercises (which let you try out the principles). There also are rather droll cartoons to help remind you of the principles. Good for self-study, and I could see structuring workshops around this book without any difficulty.

One of the interesting points about the book is that it rarely rules out something entirely, preferring to discuss the reasons you might or might not want to use some technique and the alternatives. They also stress balance - e.g. don't cut out all repetition, but use it for a reason. They seem to be more interested in developing authors who understand what they are doing than in simply laying out a blind pattern for beginners, and that's something I like in a book.

Incidentally, they indicate that publishers now rarely do much editing, mostly taking the author's work as it stands and putting it in print. Given some of the junk I see in print, this may be true. Unfortunately, it means the author needs to be even more careful about revision and self-editing because that final polishing isn't being done by the publishers anymore.

I'm still writing up my notes from the book, but if you're looking for help in the revision process, I'd recommend trying this book.

TECH: Book Notes: Self-Editing for Fiction Writers

[mbarker.livejournal.com]

original posting: Mon, 9 May 1994 18:35:01 JST

Self-Editing for Fiction Writers
Browne, Renni and King, Dave
ISBN 0-06-270061-8
HarperCollins, NY
1993, $11.00

A short outline of points of the book I noted (but read the book - it's worth it!)

1. Show and Tell

• Prefer showing scenes to narrative summaries telling us about things. The scene is setting, character, dialogue, action. Every main event should be a scene!
• Balance - narrative summaries are a kind of rest, a good place for off-stage and minor action.
• Don't tell us about emotions - show them. Wherever possible, cut explanations. Then if it is needed, figure out a way to show it.
• Resist the urge to explain (R.U.E.)

2. Characterization and Exposition

• Don't stop the story to give us a summary of character - let these emerge from action, reaction, and dialogue. I.e., avoid thumbnail character sketches.
• Beware flashbacks, analysis, history - do you really need it?
• Watch for the dialogue or interior monologue that is only there to feed information to the reader - cut it!
• Give your readers the benefit of the doubt - let them interpret the character. Assume your reader is intelligent.
• Let the way the character looks at things or does things introduce us to the character.
• Rule of thumb: give your reader only as much background info, history, or characterization as they need at this point.
• Don't let your characterization and exposition show...

3. Point of View

• 1st, 3rd, omniscient - consider how intimate your reader and viewpoint should be. Then use the one that does the job.
• Establish POV fast.
• Whenever POV changes, check how fast you establish it.
• Make sure - are you using your characters' voices?

4. Dialogue Mechanics

• R.U.E. - make the dialogue show the emotion, don't tell us about it.
• Kill -ly adverbs.
• Prefer "said".
• Start a paragraph with dialogue, then attribute at the first natural break.
• Use beats (little actions).
• Dash for interruption; ellipsis (...) for trailing off.
• Make it natural.

5. See How It Sounds

• Use contractions, fragments, commas instead of periods, short words, and misdirection (let your characters misunderstand, answer the wrong question, talk at cross-purposes, hedge, lie, etc...)
• read it aloud.
• Try reading only one character all together, then another, etc.
• Are the "voices" distinct?
• Use word choice, cadence, grammar - not spelling.

6. Interior Monologue

• very powerful tool of text - make sure it's unobtrusive.
• trim unneeded - explanations and descriptions.
• change "He wondered ..." to "Why did he ...?"

7. Easy Beats

• Beats are the "little actions" between dialogue lines - stage business.
• good - show action, vary rhythm of dialogue.
• bad - overused (as I tend to do) they are distracting.
• balance - trust your reader.
• use fresh beats that characterize and help rhythm. Be especially careful of repeating the same strong characterizing beat again and again.

8. Breaking Up Is Easy To Do

• Prefer short paragraphs, but balance long and short.
• Watch long scenes - break them up!
• Watch for speeches - bust them into pieces.

9. Once Is Usually Enough

• avoid repetition. don't repeat. and, of course, saying something twice may not be a good idea, even if the words are different.
• note that repetition can be words, effects, information, characterization, characters, whole scenes... 1 + 1 = 1/2! Repeated effects lose effect, instead of increasing it.

10. Proportion

• Watch for excess descriptive detail, pet interests out of hand.
• Be careful when cutting - you may destroy proportion and balance.
• Time (words spent) on character, scene, plot element, etc. roughly indicates importance to the reader - don't disappoint them!
• Try marking the interesting parts, then consider the leftovers - are they needed? Do they add? Should they be shorter? Longer?
• Cut or rework...
• Use jump/cut - don't walk someone along every step, just jump the scenes.
• Avoid overblown details, overdone flashbacks, and excess tangents.
• But - the little subplots or descriptions not strictly advancing plot - are they all effective? if you don't have any, do you need some?

11. Sophistication

• avoid "pulling on her coat, she xxxx." and "As she cried, she xxxx." both bury an action in dependent clause.
• avoid cliches and cliched characters. at least, try warping it for effect. e.g. They vanished into thick air.
• every time you find a verb-adverb, try to find the right verb instead.
• comma string sentences, reproducing the urgency of action, pushing the reader ahead.
• Watch "quotes" ,_italics_, and exclamation points!!!
• avoid overly poetic figures of speech in the midst of action.
• sex and profanity have tended to flourish - try light use.

12. Voice

• relax - if it comes, it comes on its own.
• a mechanical aid - read your work, and note each line that "sings" to you. then read just those lines - that's your voice at present!
• now read it all again - and note the winces, the tinny lines.
• read just those, and consider applying:

• flat? is it buried in lines of the same structure?
• abstract or vague? rewrite it for specific
• obvious? see if you aren't explaining - and cut it!
• forced or other problem - read it aloud and fix it.