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Writers write :: Pick a first line and write for 10 minutes :: Don't stop. Don't edit. Don't judge. :: Write.

Monday, April 16, 2012

Writing Tip from Trey Parker

Matt Stone and Trey Parker

One thing I plan to do in this blog is pass along brilliant writing tips I've gathered over the years.

There are a gazillion books and classes about writing, and most say variations on the same theme.

Occasionally, a statement rises above the din and cuts to the heart of the craft.

My favorite of those tips comes from Trey Parker.



He's one of the guys who created South Park, and he still writes every episode himself.  Anyone who knows me knows how much I worship his craftsmanship.  He's consistently brilliant.

In 2011, Comedy Central aired a behind-the-scenes peek at the show, called 6 Days To Air:  The Making of South Park. Each episode goes from concept to broadcast in just six days.

That's about 144 hours.

It takes me about 144 hours just to get my desk cleaned off enough so I can write!

In 6 Days To Air, Trey mentions the single most valuable bit of writing advice I've ever heard.

He says most people think of storytelling like this:
This happens, then this happens, then this happens, then this happens, then this happens, then this happens.....
...etc. until the end.  He says that's a big mistake.  The trick is to think of storytelling this way:
This happens, therefore this happens, therefore this happens.  But then this happens.  Therefore this happens, therefore this happens, and therefore this happens.  But then this happens, therefore this happens......
...etc. until the end.  See the difference?  The first is just a sequence of events.  It's a portrait, not a story.  The second is a cause-and-effect sequence.  That is a story.

I've done script reading for about five years now, and I cannot tell you how many scripts I read whose scenes do not have a causal relationship.  There are some lovely vignettes, and when taken as a whole, you know what's going on.  But it doesn't convey an emotional journey, for the characters or for the audience.

The human mind doesn't like random events.  It struggles to assign meaning (even when none exists, like bunnies in clouds or faces in the moon's topography).  It's the storyteller's job to craft a sequence of scenes into a relationship which conveys meaning.

A bunch of events becomes a story because it conveys cause and effect.  A situation has a consequence, which evokes an emotional response in someone, which in turn motivates an action, which prompts a reaction by someone else, which in turn has a consequence...... etc. until the end.

Sure, you can do something more free-form.  It's absolutely valid in the world of artistic expression.  But I'm talking specifically about storytelling.  Each scene causes the next one.  Each line of dialogue causes the next line.  Each action is a reaction to something.

For a great example of cause-and-effect storytelling, check out the episode of South Park called The List.  It's flawless.

Love,
Lisa

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