How to Write Your Plot and Characters with the Question-Answer Metaphor© 2009-2010 Ugur Akinci For over ten years I've thought about the fascinating question of the relationship between a story plot and characters in a screenplay. At long last I believe I solved the puzzle to my own satisfaction. I think my answer to a large degree resolves the issue of whether the "story" or the "character" is more important in writing a screenplay. Here is my answer: A Plot "limits" but fails to "predetermine" what a Character will do just similar to the way a Question limits but does not predetermine what the Answer will be. For example, the set of possible answers to the question "What day is today?" includes all seven days of the week but not "yellow," or "six hundred twelve," or "eggplants and strawberries." In that sense the Question limits what answers we can give to it without, however, reducing it down to a single possible answer. The same conceptual "limiting" relationship holds true in screenwriting as well. Imagine this plot point: a guy traveling by plane finds a fat wallet sitting on the empty seat next to him. Now what is he going to do? We know that he probably will not write an opera about it or cook it and eat it. In that sense, his responses can not be infinite and will be limited to a number of "possible actions" that "make sense." He can call the stewardess and turn the wallet over to her, for example, or, he can pocket the wallet and keep it for himself. Or perhaps, he'll do nothing and continue to read his paper. Which one of these actions our character will follow depends on the kind of character he is. Thus a brilliant story plot is not enough to write a good screenplay because in itself it is not sufficient to tell us how the people in our story will "answer" the "questions" put to them by our plot line. Authentic responses to plot questions require not random but appropriate answers by characters. Otherwise you'll hear your viewers complain out loud with that familiar "no way!" Decide who your characters are while building up your story line. Otherwise your "answers" to plot "questions" will be pretty random, as is the case with a lot of bad movies out there. If you keep this Question-Answer Metaphor in mind, it'll be easier for you to weave through the complex web of Character-Plot interactions. How to Write Your Screenplay Backwards How to Write Your Plot and Characters with the Question-Answer Metaphor How to Create Fresh and Original Characters for Your Screenplay How to Generate New Screenplay Ideas from Existing Movies 12 Ways to Get Your Screenplay Rejected Right Away How to Write a Screenplay Plot with "Tennis Paradigm"
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