Let's talk about plot for a moment.
Talia and I spent most of this weekend watching Downton Abbey. By most, I mean nearly all our waking hours. We watched all seven episodes of season one between the hours of 8:30 and 3:30 AM. The next day we began again at 10:30 and took a break at 4:30. Yes, that would be thirteen hours of British drama.
Somewhere around hour eight, I started to catch patterns in how the creator and writer Julian Fellowes was toying with us.
Plot Is The Manipulation of Desire
Good plot is all about messing with your characters' desire. You give your characters what they want, but you do it too late. You give them what they want, but you give more of it than they can handle. They want one thing, but you give them something unexpected and uncomfortable. Two characters want conflicting things and you give something to one but nothing to the other.
It takes a certain amount of psychopathy to create a good plot.
Something unexpected and uncomfortable
For example, in Downton Abbey, Lord Crawley's heir dies in the Titanic, and when they find out their next in kin, Matthew, is a middle class lawyer, they invite him and his mother to live with them in Downton. In other words, they didn't get what they wanted. Instead they got something unexpected and uncomfortable.
Give them what they want too late
Later, just as the family is growing to like Matthew, Lady Crawley gets pregnant, perhaps with a boy who would be the heir of Downton Abbey. In other words, they got what they wanted but so late that it threatened to ruin everything.
Give something to one, nothing to another
Then, Lady Crawley slips on a bar of soap. The fall causes her to lose the baby. Two characters want different things—Matthew wants Downton while Lady Crawley wants a child—and you give something to one and nothing to the other.
The Foundational Question
The foundational questions for a good plot, then, are these:
- What does each character want?
- How can you mess with them?
PRACTICE
Spend some time brainstorming about how to manipulate the desires of the characters in your work in progress.
First, go through each character and name something they want.
Then, think of three ways to mess with them.
Ex: Matthew wants to marry Mary.
- But Mary loves the Turkish man.
- Instead, he gets engaged to Lavinia
- But now that he's engaged, Mary falls in love with him.
Make sense?
Good luck!
Why, WHY does everybody insist that Downton Abbey is awesome? I don’t have time to watch another British show! *cries*
That said, your post really shows nicely how to manipulate the characters to give the reader what they will enjoy (not necessary what they want, I bet they would just want Matthew with Lady Crawley)
Hi, Jane. Do you dislike it because you would like to watch it but don’t have time or because you think it’s poorly made?
You’re right, we would of course prefer Matthew and Lady Mary together, but as soon as they got together, we would lose interest in them. Did you notice how boring Mr. Bates got as the series progressed? That’s because more than the marriage, we love the dance toward it.
My problem is that I would LOVE to watch it, but I don’t have the time (because I just know that if I start with the first episode, I won’t be able to watch it one episode a week). I’m hoping that once I get some time off I will be able to catch up on all the awesome things, Downton Abbey included.
Of course everybody would lose interest in the characters once their relationship happened. I believe Hollywood calls it the Moonlighting curse (or something similar, sorry if I got it wrong). Then again, it’s a pity if the main plot the character has is the relationship one.
I understand. That’s why I always get into these things a few years after they start so I can burn through them on DVD and Netflix. Speaking of which, you can stream all of season 1 from Netflix, and all of season 2 from pbs.com. That way you don’t have to wait 🙂
Moonlighting Curse. Brilliant. I hadn’t heard of it, but of course it’s true. Thanks for the lesson, Jane 🙂
If that could be so simple. Netflix isn’t available in my part of the globe.
And you’re welcome, Joe 🙂 TV I know a lot about 😛
Well shoot, Jane. That’s a bummer. What part of the globe is that?
Poland. The food is awesome, but geoblocking messes with my viewing experience.
Poland? Very cool. And yes, I can imagine how that would hinder your TV watching.
I do know what Jane means though. I have watched several “series” in one or two days, losing sleep and writing time in the process. I was “caught up” on Downton Abbey though so I only watched two episodes last night. Shirley McLaine is going to be on the third season as Cora’s mother.
Haven’t seen the show, but I’m familiar with the advice. Write someone you enjoy, then make them miserable. Make them suffer and struggle for their happy ending. It’s downright cathartic.
13 hrs, that’s pretty hardcore. You must be ready for the butler to bring you a nice cup of tea.
Yes, I actually did have a few cups of tea during the marathon.
I just started watching the show and I’m getting hooked. I’ll have to analyze it now. (What a great excuse to watch more episodes!)
Ha, great point, Caitlin.
You are the second person this week to recommend this program to me as a way to see how to handle characters and conflict. I’m going to the library to get the 1st season DVD’s.
Here’s my 15 minute, actually, 20 minute practice.
Severino: Wants/Needs
He wants to earn money, he wants his wife, Angela, and his son to come to America and live with him.
Angela decides to come to America to see if she wants to live there, but she arrives on Black Tuesday, 10/29/29. Severino lives in a boarding house and is having an affair with the landlady.
Angela: Wants/needs
Wants her husband Severino to return to Italy and live as a family there.
Angela visits America and becomes suspicious of Antonia.
Mussolini signs a pact with Germany and becomes a member of the Axis Powers. Travel is restricted and no money can be sent to Angela from the U.S.
The story:
Severino has waited for this day ever since coming to America six years ago. The subway car’s steel wheels screech against the rails as the train enters the station. Severino exits the train car as it comes to a halt. He takes the stairs up to the street where the cool autumn breeze blows in from the harbor. Even from here he can see the big ship Angela and his son boarded nine days ago in Trieste.
As he walks to pier nineteen his excitement is tempered by his nervousness over Angela and Antonia meeting. She owns the building where he rents a room, and for the last six months he and Antonia have been having an affair. Antonia knew all along that he is married, but over time she has become more possessive than he is comfortable with. As he stands facing the black hull of the ship Colombia, Severino wonders is his wife’s arrival, something he has wanted for a long time, will also be his downfall.
After greeting his wife and young son, Severino takes their hands and leads them along Fifth Avenue, past shops displaying goods that Angela has only dreamed of. The sidewalks are teaming with well-dressed people, horns sound in the paved street as a steady line of automobiles clank their way to some unknown destination. As they approach Wall Street the sounds of people screaming makes Angela crane her neck to see what is happening up ahead. As she gets nearer she hears people shouting in a language she does not understand.
It is October 29, 1929, and while she can’t read the newspaper headlines written in bold letters, Market Crashes: Billions Lost, she senses that something is wrong. People have gathered around bodies on the sidewalk, trails of blood flow between people’s outstretched legs and into the gutter. She looks up at Severino and asks him what is happening.
“Severino,” she asks, “Qui passé?” “The look of confusion in her eyes is unmistakable.
“People have jumped from the buildings,” he replies as his eyes travel up the length of the marble walls of office buildings.
“But why?”
“Because they have lost all their money in the stock market, they were rich yesterday, but today they are poor.” He directs his small family to the entrance to the subway.
Angela’s eyes linger on the horrid scene before her on the sidewalk and her thoughts return to home. “The people of Bresimo are poor, very poor, but they do not jump from buildings and kill themselves. Why did I think I could live here?”
“This is the place,” Severino points to an old brownstone building they are now standing in front of.
“This is where you live?” Angela asks as she steps into the foyer.
A door at the end of the hall opens and a woman steps from her apartment. “Hi Severino,” she says. As her eyes take in Angela and the little boy her smile fades into a frown. “Who is this?” she asks in a flat voice.
“I told you my wife and son were coming today, don’t you remember?”
“Yes, you did mention something about that.” She looks at Angela and without a smile says, “I’m Antonia, I own this building.”
“Ciao,” Angela says, then reaches her hand out to shake Antonia’s hand. Antonia ignores the gesture.
“Your room is much too small for a family,” Antonia says as she eyes Angela and the young boy. “They cannot stay here with you.” She turns and walks into her apartment and slams the door.
After a brief silence Angela turns to Severino and says, “I get the feeling she doesn’t approve of you having a wife and son. Why does she care?”
“I have no idea,” he replies, scratching his head. “I’ll talk to her.”
“Perhaps you have talked to her too much already, Severino. I hope you have not forgotten that you are married.”
Wow – you have many of the elements Joe discussed in here. It sounds like you’re on your way. I’m curious – who is your protagonist? How many POVs do you have? I could see it going a number of ways. Best to you!
I started writing from my grandmother’s POV, Angela. However, the more I write the more I think the central character will be my grandfather, Severino. There will be about 4 important characters in the novel, and they will all get their chapter to provide their POV.
Interesting. Severino is actually the one who interested me the most from the material you posted. My knee-jerk reaction was not to be sympathetic to him, yet I had the impression that he was a good man at heart who had reasons and circumstance to contend with. I think he would be a good one to give “voice” to in a story as well. Lots of good story-stuff there!
Aack – like my use of “good” thee times in one paragraph on a writing blog?! (-: Time for bed….
Oh boy! He’s in trouble now. I like how you have them come on the day of the stock market crash. It’s a good backdrop to Severino’s drama because it shows how touch and go life can be.
That my grandmother arrived in New York Harbor on Black Tuesday is true. She stayed three weeks. I don’t know why she returned home, maybe it was the economy, maybe something else.
I imagine it may have been like you say, she wondered, why stay in this miserable place. That’s so cool that she came that day, well for your book it’s cool.
Oh wow. Oops. Angela sounds like a keen lady. Yet Servino sounds like he is trying to do right by his family. I can sympathize with him. People can make terrible mistakes, but that is all they are–mistakes.
Now this might be the Dumb Question of the Day, but am I correct in my urge to do this to my antagonist as well? It seems like the more I round Bad Guy out, the more complete Good Guy becomes as well (thinking back to one of your posts here….).
Absolutely. Great point, Steph.
I suppose I will need to break down and watch this show. For some reason, British dramas are not appealing to me at all but everyone I know is raving about this one. As I see it, it’s just a soap opera with an accent!
Thank you for pointing out the plot and character aspects. I’ve learned so much since I discovered your corner of the net, and I soak up everything I read here. In my “older” age, my creative side is crying for release so I have returned to what I enjoyed as a youngster – writing. But, I realize from reading others here and devouring your posts that I have so much to learn. And, I am eager to learn.
Thanks.
I’m not posting it, but I did the practice. It helped point out some gaps in my wip. Thanks!
Katie
Dowton Abbey! I adored season 1, season 2 had a couple of slow moving spots for me. The finale was worth it all, so satisfying! I can’t say I was ever sure I wanted Matthew and Mary to get together, my thoughts on them changed as they did, but by the time it all came together I was happy!
I’ve been pondering this post all day and I think I need to refine this aspect of my story. I’m not sure I let conflict or disappointment linger long enough, I like to wrap it up neatly. I may need to work on this some more.
This is from my current story.
Shane is my main guy. He wants a normal life. He lives with his girlfriend, and might want to marry her one day. Likes the life of no responsibility, other than to pay the rent and buy a joint, and hang out with friends when the mood strikes.
Darla is Shane’s girlfriend. She is an ambitious attorney (I think) and is trying to work her way up the firm’s ladder (that will be research for later–are there ladders in a law firm?).
There are two more characters: Eric, Shane’s friend, and Chloe, Eric’s girlfriend. I’m not too sure how they will fit into the story yet.
And before I go on, let me say this: I started this story not sure that I was going to like it. Tonight I feel better about it, almost giddy. I think I might like Shane, but I’ve already heaped some trouble on him and it has been great fun. I don’t think I’ve ever enjoyed tormenting a character so much. And I’m not entirely sure how he’s going to get out of his mess.
How I’ve messed with Shane:
Shane’s girlfriend told him that she’s been sleeping her way up the firm’s ladder.
One of Darla’s friends saw Darla later that morning with her her face bruised and cut up.
Shane came home after a day at work, and an afternoon of trying to avoid going home, to find Darla with a slit throat in the bath tub.
Darla obviously didn’t have much of a chance.
If this sounds like a bad set-up, let me know.
absolutely nice article.
What a great insight. Yes, this device is quite central to the plot, and seems to be what really drives the characters on the show. Desire is treated as something of a zero-sum game, which is exemplified in the resolution to season 2.
Amen, Joe! There should be a college writing class on this show.
My wife & I did a similar Abbey-thon in January. We noticed the same thing (though not as keenly as you), and though we all know the necessity of good conflict, it’s something altogether different to see it played out over the course of back-to-back episodes. My observation was that “no one is allowed to stay happy for more than one episode.
I happen to love Mr. Bates & Anna. If you watch their story, you will say – out loud – “They canNOT catch a break!” Yet Fellowes gives us enough places to catch our breath with them that we don’t get frustrated by their bad run.
Here’s our challenge: Do you like your characters too much to put them through the ringer? If so, you’re in trouble.
Thanks for the inspiration today, Joe.
Yay! Awesome post about plotting. Boo! Downton Abbey spoilers!! 🙁
And if you haven’t even watched Season 3 yet, OMG…
I like to put my characters through absolute hell and then provide a reasonably happy ending, but a lot of my readers gripe about all the hell I put them through. So here’s the question–can you put your characters through enough hell to lose the readers?