What I want to explore today is the element of Drama that makes you bite your nails and yell at the book. I'm talking about the collosally stupid decisions that characters make in the flustered moments of a dramatic scene. My husband is reading a suspense novel by a popular author and I peroidically see he cringe or suck in his breath through his teeth. He even threw the book down once, disgusted...only to pick it back up a few seconds later. That's a good read. What he's reacting to is the Duh! decisions the character is making...hiding the body, accidentlly leaving his GPS device behind in the woods, using something that can be tied to his work to weigh down the body...dumb decicions, sure...but understandable given the circumstances.
An important element of Drama is the emotion, the gut twisting ride the reader takes with the main character. From surging emotions to disproportionate reactions, the Drama created by the consequences of bad decisions on the part of the main character hightens the reader's suspense. If you're interested, Christian Fiction Online Magazine has a great article on drama and the reader, pulling them back from the brink of disaster.I write Romance/Suspense, so a large part of my Drama is based on emotional conflict. Misunderstanding, failure to communicate, insecurity...these all come straight from Duh! moments, but they're relatable because we've been there. My question to you is this: What is your favorite Dramatic scene ever...from young Skywalker learning about his father while dangling over the abyss to Mr. Darcy's proposal at Rosling Park, movie or book. What set you're heart in motion?
Until next time, Go Write!
Photograph by epSos.de, Uploaded on February 21, 2010. Photograph by Lin Pernille, Uploaded on March 31, 2007.