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Adding drama into your writing can be tough and many are leery about adding this due it skewing toward the negative. Yet, it’s fairly unavoidable if you sit down and consider what can be born from it. We may even add it without realizing what we’re doing. There are days I think we all have different views and definitions of drama. Some people consider it a genre while others call it a literary tool. So, are there any tips that can cross every genre and be seen as universal?
- Drama tends to be seen as highly emotional, which means it can be the cornerstone of conflict. When a person or character goes through change, they have emotions that guide them just as much as thoughts. This is part of their growth, so we have to consider this in our writing. Without this type of drama, the characters become stagnant and never change. There might not even be a story at all because every event has at least a touch of drama.
- It doesn’t always have to be negative. A definition of drama is ‘an exciting and emotional series of events’. That doesn’t mean it’s always bad. Sure, there can be some downturns, but the characters can remain optimistic or happy. We tend to relate drama to characters being put through some type of trauma or being pushed to the brink of sanity. Yet, it really doesn’t have to be that way if you stick to the mentioned definition.
- You can still have humor when working with drama. There is a type of person who will crack jokes in the face of stress and despair. Others will do it when they’re happy. My point is that you can still have at least a basic level of comedy when drama is taking the spotlight. It’s risky though. You’ll have readers that don’t like this, but everybody has their own take on when the right time for humor is.
- Male characters are allowed to cry too. Doesn’t matter if people see it as a sign of weakness. Crying is a natural response to physical and mental pain. The character’s equipment doesn’t change this, especially if he’s struck in the equipment. That could be either a dramatic or comedic event.
- Drama doesn’t have to be the main plot point of a story. Sometimes, it works best as a subplot to give a specific character a stronger foundation. This is especially true for genres like fantasy, science fiction, and horror. Their focus can be more on the adventures in that world, which isn’t always drama. So, while the characters proceed along their path, these smaller, personal stories can help them evolve. It doesn’t even have to be for the main story, but to pose them as multi-dimensional characters. After all, those of us in the real world deal with our main job and personal dramas all the time.
- There should be a payoff for drama since it can be very taxing on the author, characters, and readers. Going through an unexpected and emotional event with no closure can feel like a waste of time. You don’t have to have a clear idea of the finale of the drama when you start, but it needs to be there. This also has to make sense within the context of the story. Twists are fun and can earn praise, but they can backfire if there’s no foundation to make them plausible.
- Never be ashamed of including drama within your story. These things happen in real life, so why should fiction be any different?
Legends of Windemere 
Great tips! I can’t help thinking of Luke’s drama with Kira and Sari. I also think of the old Spider-Man 2 and Peter Parker’s money issues and problems with Mary Jane. I know some people complain about heroes having drama. But drama makes them seem real. We can relate to people who have drama in their lives.
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Drama has always been the best way to humanize superheroes. Spider-Man was actually one of the first to have real life problems. The Luke/Kira/Sari thing was in my head for this.
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Drama gives the readers something else to think about too. Granted, some people complain about love triangles in young adult novels because they seem to be a given lately. But many people like them.
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My biggest issue with them is how they’re rather formulaic. The first pairing nearly always wins with the second rarely getting out of unrequited. So there’s not much of a question of who will end up with who.
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Reblogged this on Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog.
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Thanks. 😊
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Welcome 👍😃
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Reblogged this on Writing for the Whole Darn Universe.
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Another great post. Drama can smolder behind the main plot issues, but it makes the characters come alive. Love the graphic too. I had a regular soundtrack going on with my last book.
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Great post, Charles. Utilizing music when writing is one of my favorite ways to set the mood for the necessary dramatic sequences. I’m currently listening to Ravel’s Bolero, the tension is building and frankly I’m having a great time with this story. Thanks for sharing your insights.
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It’s funny, but I could never use classical music for writing time. Rock and metal seemed to be the best for me.
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My music selection depends entirely on the genre of the book I’m currently working on. I have been known to blast out ‘IRON BUTTERFLY – IN A GADDA DA VIDA – amongst other faves, if I’m working on one of my darker thrillers.
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Makes sense. My books always have action in them. Probably why rock works so well.
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It certainly motivates me, Charles.
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Very good tips! I think most authors could use to read them.
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Thanks. 😁
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I definitely agree with this. The best stories can sometimes come out if the characters come across as believable as opposed to far fetched. People do get emotional in real life and having characters that don’t show actual human emotions that people show in real life makes them less believable.
My friend dismissed the protagonist of my novel The Hartnetts as a bit of a cry baby. But people would be emotional if they were in certain situations.
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Totally agree. It’s weird when characters shrug off horrible events. I got the same thing with one of my main heroes. It’s a fantasy adventure, but he was inexperienced and built himself up for a bad fall. So, him complaining and crying for a bit made sense given his age. Yet, some readers called him a crybaby and weak. People aren’t born emotionally invulnerable, so I don’t see why characters should be the same.
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Pingback: 7 Tips to Being Dramatic . . . In Fiction – From the Legends of Windemere blog | Author Don Massenzio
Great post, Charles! Who says fantasy can’t be deep and literary…
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Thanks. I have heard people say that though. Not sure why. There’s always been drama in fantasy.
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Yes, it’s just a misunderstanding of fantasy or preconceived notions that it’s not as good as other fiction.
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Also, that it’s for kids. I’ve seen that statement a lot.
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Yes, those make the rounds too.
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I’m reminded of that old saying, “happy nations have no history.” I guess that’s true of people (real or fictional) as well.
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Unless they already got through the terrible parts of history and figured it was about time to take a break from the chaos.
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You mean, people learning from their mistakes? Yeah, that happens all the time, doesn’t it?
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I hear it does, but I do believe it.
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You’re really a romantic, aren’t you? Even when you’re trying to be cynical, your typing betrays you 😀
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Dang autocorrect is really giving me trouble toward. A previous response had it trying to add three whole words to the sentence. Why does it go that far with guessing my intent, but it still refuses to accept that I’m not interested in waterfowl?
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Sounds like you need to get your ducks in a row.
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Easier to make pillows that way.
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Excellent 😊
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Thanks. 🙂
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