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Writing a Plot: "Avoiding" Cliches

DelusionalZ · 2010-01-08T06:54:01

Introduction Many stories have the same, tired plots-- evil overlords who have an almost obsessive drive to take over the world, alien fleets advancing on a civilisation much below them at a technological level, or large, continent spanning empires with a not-so-benevolent disposition focusing on a few small groups of characters that rebel against their "absolute" rule. Some writers tend to have an attraction to the cliché; this is natural. We immediately, when trying to create something, refer to past experiences or already existent knowledge. However, clichés are fragile things-- a simple twist in their formula, and they can shatter, leaving a new, more acceptable form. The greatest stories can become successful simply because of a new approach to an old scenario. This is the same as the game design area—a new approach to a tired mechanic. The Golden Rule Ah yes. The golden rule of story-writing is… Never assume there is a golden rule. Yes. That’s it. Stories are creative works based entirely around manipulation of emotion. They require effort, skill with communication, visualisation and adaption. A golden rule is a stupid thing to plaster on this industry. Part 1: Avoiding those Clichés So you’ve clicked this guide for some help on creating something totally original. I hope it helps you there, but for starters, I’m going to have to break something to you. It’s impossible. “What?” you ask? “You said ‘avoid’ in the title, what do you mean?” Nothing can ever be totally original. Sooner or later, in a complex or simple story, you are going to reach a point where you have used something from another story, somewhere. However, this is using the term “originality” in a very strict form. If you were to measure originality in the twists and turns of a plot, then yes, something purely original can be created. So what does it take? There are many, many techniques of storywriting that are used to excite the reader/player’s senses and emotions. There are also an equal amount of techniques to deceive, confuse and bewilder these readers/players. These fit under a single category: Twists. Twists are the lifeblood of a story. Sure, a story can be missing a plot twist, but at what cost? None, since the most beautiful and powerful deception is expectation without deliverance. A twist is a turn within the plot where the reader/player is introduced to an impacting fact or scenario that either subtly alters or entirely changes their view of the story. A plot twist may be conscious or subconscious, subtle or dire, earth-shattering or mundane, or anything in between. Since a twist implies that the reader/player has been deceived this whole time, it is a realisation. Common twists include a good character’s darker nature being revealed, the realisation that something never existed, or even a sudden discovery of the world around the characters. There are many others to think about, but here are a few pointers on twists: - Remember that twists are revealing acts that inform the reader/player of something that they hadn’t realised earlier in the story. - Hiding a cliché plotline behind an original context is a very effective technique, and not as cheap as it sounds. A good plot can quite easily pull this off. - Character development makes a plot twist’s impact heavier. I cannot stress this enough—if you intend to make a twist based on a character, develop that character in the way that would deceive the reader/player into thinking differently about them. - Don’t be afraid to do something odd, and don’t be afraid to turn something mundane on its head. Sometimes the best twists can come from the bending of a truism, as I mentioned before. Ideas don’t necessarily have to be extremely complex and confusing to begin with. - Try not to make a plot twist too complicated. If something goes completely over the reader/player’s head, or they have trouble understanding it, this can cause it to lose impact (unless you did it on purpose, of course!) Make sure your plot twists are clear, unless you plan to put a twist on that twist. - Don’t overuse twists unless it’s warranted. Smaller, subtler twists are okay to spread quite liberally throughout the story, but larger, more impacting ones should not be overused. - You always have control over what you write. Plot twists are your domain. These are only guidelines—if you feel that a slew of impacting twists suit your story, go for it! Got an army of legless chickens ready to attack the planet? With enough persuasion of the reader’s mind, you’re ready to roll. Part Two: Holding the Player’s Attention This is where it would begin to sound like a Game Design article, but keep reading—these points are all extremely important. We are all entertainment junkies. Whether we like it or not, at some point during our lives, we need that trip to another world (controller supplied), or tickets to that new movie. But why? Escapism? Perhaps. Masochism? Maybe. We strive for something flavoursome. Something new. Something gripping. And in a story, nothing grips more tightly than emotional involvement. Without emotional involvement, stories would be horribly boring. From this involvement, conflicts and consensuses can bring forth impact, the main focus of this article. Clichés remove this impact because of our minds—if we’ve seen it before, it’s quite likely that we’ll have an expectation. If the story meets that expectation, we mark it as predictable, or “cheesy.” Character development is a powerful technique. It moulds the reader/player’s feelings towards that character. Since our imaginations are a powerful thing, a fictional character’s actions can have a profound effect on a person if enough character development is involved. A “plastic” character is where the character has no apparent weaknesses, just a slew of strengths. A “flat” character is one that either through too little character development or craftsmanship, seems to have only one side, with no deeper involvement. Some tips on holding the player’s attention: - Avoid using “plastic” or “flat” characters, even for small roles. This can ruin the feel in a game, and make the character seem unrealistic and petty. - Don’t be afraid to use contrast in your plot development. Contrast is a powerful tool in many areas of creativity, including music. - Humour is an extremely powerful contrast effect, or just a grabber of the player’s attention. It can be used even in serious games to lighten the mood. - Slip details in about the character in a realistic and clever way. Perhaps the way they react to certain situations, or their facial expressions. Dialogue isn’t the only way to get a message across. - Use symbolic references. This can be classified as a twist, too, but a symbol is an extremely powerful invoker of emotion, and they can be used to great effect. - Link gameplay mechanics to the story in a way that is fresh and innovative. This is easier than it sounds in most cases. Part 3: Using Shock and Familiarity Since the terms “originality” and “uniqueness” are entirely subjective, you might find a story that someone else loves to be horrible, or vice versa. Getting the balance right between minority and majority is a great place to start. Some games, like Xenosaga, use well known symbols (often religious, like the crucifix) to evoke some sort of reaction from the player. This works because we have seen the symbol before—to most, it registers as an important, if not sacrosanct image. Certain symbols appearing in certain places have a shock effect. Biblical references, or stories based upon a well known myth or legend have a familiarity effect. The person knows that they’ve seen this before, and this has an impact on their views of the story, usually in a positive way, if the way it’s based upon it is original. Of course, none of these techniques are rules. This whole article is simply a set of guidelines, and I don’t recommend following it to the last word, ever. With that information, I hope it’s given you some help (or at least an entertaining read) on writing a plotline that, in its truest form, can be called original. Article ©Copyright 2010, Duncan McPherson [Edited by - DelusionalZ on January 4, 2010 4:11:00 AM]

Writing for Games Game Design

Started by DelusionalZ January 01, 2010 12:13 AM

10 comments, last by DelusionalZ 14 years, 6 months ago

BLiTZWiNG

362

January 05, 2010 07:14 PM

Quote: Original post by DelusionalZ
I'm British, thanks. However, I do reside in Tasmania, obviously.

So... Nice reply for an Australian. :P

Glad you understand our humour :)

Though it's quite clear many here don't (my rating suffered for that comment). I wish I could turn ratings off. Ratings make me depressed.

There are lots of Brits here in QLD too. Actually I think QLD is made of Brits and Victorians. I'm the latter. You do have to wonder why a Brit would choose to move to TAS over QLD though. Why not just go straight to Antarctica?

Quote: Since I've always loved English as a subject

It's so hard to not touch that line :p

DelusionalZ

164

Author

January 08, 2010 06:54 AM

... Resist, my friend, the line may be flammable (or poisonous).

You lost rating for a light-hearted joke? Tsch. That's harsh.

I might have to attempt to up your rating for that, it's unacceptable.

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