Quantum Storytelling

I find it interesting that in the search for explanations into the Virginia Tech tragedy that everyone is focusing on the violent fiction of the shooter. It is only natural to want answers, but it often disgusts me that in the search for meaning, people focus in on these things.

I remember when Columbine happened, there was an uproar over the fact that the teen shooters had played the computer game DOOM. Yeah? So did millions of other teens who… *gasp* actually stayed sane and somehow managed to NOT shoot up their school!

Millions of people write or have written violent stories, just as millions play violent video games. It doesn’t even come close to explaining why a young man decided to kill a bunch of his fellow students.

Now any student who creatively expresses themselves by writing violent stories is going to be suspect as someone who might go on a rampage. I guarantee that violent fiction itself is going to become a central topic in the coming months.

I suppose it’s only natural for a society in shock and frustration over senseless deaths be motivated to go on a witch hunt. I know lots of people are hurting, and in addition, searching for answers. But let’s keep the search rational. There’s no need to knee-jerk into the realm of alarmism and censorship. But unfortunately everytime something like this happens, that’s exactly what we as a society do.

Cho Seung-Hui obviously had serious mental and emotional problems. Why can’t we leave it at that? What does his writing, or any writing, have to do with what his decision to mass murder? He made a condemnable choice of premeditated murder, and that’s all we really need to know. Why?

Because he was an unstable person. It’s not a great answer, but it’s probably the only rational one we’re going to get.

Do you know what a template or a springboard is? What about a teaser, or a tag? 4 act structure? 5 act structure? What is an act-out?

They’re all reliable tools used on hit TV shows to keep them consistent and compelling. There are too many tools in this toolbox to possibly explain them all in one post, so for now I’ll simply direct you to Alex Epstein’s book Crafty TV Writing: Thinking Inside The Box.

Some of these tools have fundamentally changed the way I’m approaching my stories. I think things will be much smoother sailing from here on out, as I’m going to focus on creating a template for my stories that reinforce the hooks in every ‘episode.’

Keep in mind that some of these tools may be less useful to you if you’re only writing one-offs — stories and characters you are only writing once before moving onto something else. These tools mostly apply to long term projects, such as an entire series.

That shouldn’t stop you from taking a peek at some of these tools. You never know what might work for you.

StoryLink — A huge site related to writing with content provided by dozens of working writers. Amazed I haven’t found this sooner.

Screenplay Beat Calculator — Some of you who enjoy structural guides may find this useful.

Blake Snyder — He has a cool blog. In Tools you’ll find a more general Beat Sheet form in the vein of the Beat Calculator.

Alex Epstein — I ordered his book on TV writing, and in looking at his site I found a few useful resources, including a links page on where to find popular movie scripts for study.