TECH: M. I. C. ... oops, no E yet?

[mbarker]

Original posting 2021/9/23

Let's see. Over on Writing Excuses, they are walking through the elements of the M. I. C. E. Quotient. Next week, they'll hit the E (Event!) but... right now, they have milieu, inquiry, and character pieces. So, a quick roundup so far?

Milieu is place, or setting. Typically, it starts with the character crossing a threshold of some kind, entering the milieu, and ends when the character exits the milieu. Conflicts in the middle (or should that be muddle?) are mostly things blocking the character from leaving. Heist stories and survival stories. https://writingexcuses.com/2021/09/05/16-36-deep-dive-into-milieu/

Inquiry stories start with a question, and end when the character finds the answer. The conflicts in the middle are things blocking finding the answer. Mysteries, and many science fiction stories. https://writingexcuses.com/2021/09/12/16-37-deep-dive-into-inquiry/

Character stories start with the question "Who am I?" and end with the declaration "This is who I am!" Heavy on internal conflicts, an exploration of self-discovery. Wanting to change, to be somebody different. Coming of age stories. https://writingexcuses.com/2021/09/19/16-38-deep-dive-into-character/

There's a running attempt to talk about obstacles versus complications in these different types of stories. I think if you start with the old try-fail cycle, and the paired no-and, yes-but endings which often go with that, you might be able to figure it out. Basically, obstacles result in failure, the standard no, we didn't succeed, AND now we've got some new problems. Complications arise when yes, we succeed, BUT now we've got new problems. 

So in a milieu story, the obstacles keep the character from exiting, and add new issues. The complications look as if we're succeeding in getting closer to exiting, but... now we've got different issues.

In an inquiry story, the obstacles keep the character from finding the answer, and add new questions. The complications... well, we've gotten a little farther, but there's these other issues now...

And, of course, in character stories, the obstacles make the character want to turn back, to hold onto that old self-identity, and add more burdens, too. The complications mean the character may have moved a bit forward, but... now there are these other little problems, too!

Y'a know, I don't think I helped that discussion of obstacles and complications at all. Well, maybe the original podcasts will clear it up for you...

Anyway, probably the key to get from all this is these three (soon to be four!) elements of stories. They tend to be nested, so the character may very well step through a door, start looking for the way out, find a dead body on the floor, start trying to figure out who did it, find the killer, and now... get out of the house! Okay? 

How can you use this? Well, two possibilities. First, as you are writing, especially for those who prefer discovery writing, thinking about these elements provides at least a little guidance. Second, when you are editing, looking for the elements can help uncover problems, especially when threads are either not finished, or simply out of order.

Okay? So... there's three of the MICE elements. I'll try to remember to fill in the last one, event, next week. Events are mostly about changes in the status quo, something happens, and we gotta react to it. But we'll talk about that next week!

In the meantime, keep writing!