The Architecture of Story

by Will Dunne

  Revelation about the past. In scene 6, as the rivalry between the brothers grows, Booth reveals that he slept with Lincoln’s wife, Cookie, while they were still married and that this betrayal occurred in the very bed beside them now. The revelation raises questions about how Lincoln will respond and foreshadows an escalation of the conflict.

  Examples of plants

  Traits that will motivate future behavior. In a story that leads a man to murder his girlfriend and brother, certain character traits need to be planted so that these tragic outcomes ring true. Such traits include a penchant for violence, a possessive view of women, and an intense need to win at any cost. While Booth’s near shooting of Lincoln in scene 1 works as a pointer that generates suspense, it is also one of many plants that establish his violent nature. His controlling attitude toward Grace is introduced in the same scene when he brags about giving her a ring too small for her finger so that she will be unable to take it off. His need to win is likewise introduced in scene 1—for example, when he competes with his brother over a petty issue: who will cross the room to get the Chinese takeout food so they can eat dinner.

  Statement with hidden significance. In scene 5, Lincoln reveals that he has lost his job at the arcade. Plants earlier in the story have prepared us to accept this turning point as a credible development. In scene 2, Lincoln mentioned first that “Theyre talking about cutbacks at the arcade” and later that “theyre talking about cutting me.” In scene 3, he expressed the fear that “they gonna replace me with a wax dummy.” References to his unfair treatment at work—being underpaid and overly scrutinized by his boss—also foreshadowed his impending layoff.

  Loaded object. Booth’s impulsive decision to kill Lincoln is triggered by the sight of his brother about to cut open a tied-up nylon stocking with $500 inside. Several plants have established the importance of this money stocking to Booth. He first referred to it in scene 1 as his “inheritance,” and Lincoln acknowledged Booth’s reverence for the gift by describing it as cash he would never spend. In scene 5, we learned how Booth secretly received the stocking from his mother on the day she left. In scene 6, we further learned that he has never opened the stocking to verify its contents, a fact that adds to its status as a sacred object in his life.

  ■ THE CLEAN HOUSE

  Examples of pointers

  Provoking trait. In act one, scene 12, Lane returns home from work late at night and finds her new cleaning woman sitting alone in the dark. When Lane asks what she is doing, Matilde explains, “I was trying to think up a joke.” Her dedication to humor is reinforced by other comments she has made about following in her parents’s footsteps by thinking up jokes, particularly the perfect joke. This character trait raises questions about whether Matilde will succeed and, if so, what the perfect joke will be.

  Loaded object. As Virginia irons the laundry of her sister and brother-in-law, she comes across a pair of women’s underwear that clearly does not belong to Lane. This happens first in act one, scene 10, when Virginia finds black underwear in the laundry, and again two scenes later, when she finds red underwear. Since Lane only wears white, these physical items raise questions in the minds of both the characters and the audience. Whose underwear is it? Is Charles seeing another woman? Does he wear women’s underwear himself?

  Provoking statement and action. In act one, scene 13, Lane emerges from the kitchen with a bloodied dish towel around her wrist and claims to have cut herself accidentally. When she then reveals that her husband has gone off with a patient, her injury leads us to infer that she attempted suicide. This raises questions about how she will deal with her husband’s betrayal and whether she will try suicide again. Questions about Lane’s stability are revived later by other provoking actions, such as asking for hard alcohol when everyone else is drinking coffee (act two, scene 5) and launching into a tirade because her sister is vacuuming (act two, scene 9).

  Revelation about the past. In act two, scene 7, Matilde informs Lane and Virginia that Ana’s cancer has returned and that she refuses to go to the hospital. Two scenes later, Matilde reveals the further news that Ana is now alone because Charles has gone to Alaska. These revelations about the recent past raise questions about Ana’s future and about Lane’s response to the fact that her husband’s soul mate is dying.

  Statement of willful intent. In act two, scene 12, Ana tells Matilde, “I want you to kill me with a joke.” Her request stems from Ana’s knowledge that Matilde has been thinking up jokes and that, in the world of The Clean House, the perfect joke can cause one literally to die laughing. Ana’s statement thus raises questions about whether Matilde will be able to grant her wish and, if so, how and when this extraordinary event will occur.

  Examples of plants

  Circumstances with hidden significance. In act one, scene 13, Lane confesses that her husband Charles has left her for one of his cancer patients. Certain plants in the story have prepared us for this news. Two scenes earlier, for example, while having coffee with Virginia, Lane revealed that she and Charles have both become so busy they rarely have time for each other. In the next scene, Lane arrived home late from work and discovered that Charles was not here and had not called to explain his whereabouts.

  Traits that will motivate future behavior. In act two, scene 13, when her cancer has become unbearable, Ana asks Matilde to help her die. This impulsive, no-nonsense approach to problems was foreshadowed in act two, scene 4, when Ana first learned that she has breast cancer and demanded an immediate mastectomy, with no willingness to consider other treatment options.

  In act two, scene 9, Matilde reveals that Charles has left for Alaska to search for a yew tree that might help treat Ana’s cancer. His decision to embark on an ill-timed and questionable journey was foreshadowed by plants that established his sometimes childish behavior. In act two, scene 5, he displayed a sudden change of personality by extolling the virtues of apple picking and going to exotic places like Machu Picchu. Two scenes later, we learned that he was neglecting his responsibilities at the hospital so he could spend the day in bed with his soul mate. In the next scene, he tried to read Ana’s mind and insisted on joining her in the sea even though he couldn’t swim. His childishness helps explain his misinterpretation of Ana’s needs, as she herself explains after he is gone: “I want him to be a nurse and he wants to be an explorer.”

  Revelation about the past that paves the way for future developments. In act two, scene 13, Ana literally dies laughing at a “cosmic joke” that Matilde tells at her request. While this cause of death might seem far-fetched in other stories, we are more likely to accept it as credible in the world of The Clean House because of certain plants earlier in the script. That one can literally die laughing was established in act one, scene 4, when Matilde revealed that this was how her mother died and offered the theory that she may have choked on her own spit. We have since been reminded of this fact a number of times, as in act one, scene 13, when Matilde expressed her concern to Virginia that thinking up the perfect joke might kill her.

  ANALYZING YOUR STORY

  Explore how pointers and plants can help prepare the audience for the key events of your story.

  POINTERS

  • For any event that you want the audience to wonder or worry about in advance, what pointers are you using to prepare them for this story development?

  • What question does each pointer raise?

  • For each pointer, how and when does the payoff occur?

  • How does this payoff answer the question that the pointer raised? Does this answer include anything the characters or audience didn’t expect?

  • Before the payoff occurs, have you given the audience enough time to think about the pointer and anticipate the range of outcomes that might result? If not, how can you delay the payoff to increase the audience’s investment in it?

  • What other pointers, if any, need to be inserted into the script to raise additional questions in the audience’s mind. To increase suspense, for ex
ample, can you highlight any:

  • Provoking statements?

  • Provoking actions?

  • Provoking traits?

  • Revelations about the past?

  • Statements of willful intent?

  • Loaded objects?

  PLANTS

  • If any story event may be difficult for the audience to understand or believe, what plants prepare them for this development?

  • For any big emotional events, what plants prepare the audience to feel the full impact of what will happen?

  • What is the apparent purpose of each plant when it is introduced? Its true purpose?

  • How well have you hidden the true purpose of each plant? If it is an obvious plant that draws attention to itself, how might you change or replace it?

  • Before the payoff occurs, have you given the audience enough time to accept the planted fact as true? If not, how might you delay the payoff to increase its credibility?

  • What other plants, if any, need to be woven into the script to prepare the audience for important developments later in the story? For example, can you plant any:

  • Traits that will motivate future behavior?

  • Traits with hidden significance?

  • Statements with hidden significance?

  • Circumstances with hidden significance?

  • Revelations about the past that pave the way for future developments?

  • Rituals that will become important later?

  • Loaded objects?

  REVERSALS

  A reversal is an event that turns the dramatic journey in a significantly new direction. Whether positive or negative, this turning point may be something that the character does or something that happens to the character due to outside forces, such as other characters, nature, or chance.

  In Martin McDonagh’s The Cripple of Inishmaan, for example, Billy wants to rise above his status as the village cripple on a remote Aran island and become a movie actor in America. He eventually succeeds in making it to Hollywood, but his quest for respect suffers a setback when he fails a screen test and ends up sick and alone in a squalid hotel room. As a result of this reversal in his dramatic journey, he realizes that Inishmaan is where he belongs and returns to his island home, not knowing that more trouble awaits him there.

  Reversals create complications that cause the conflict to rise by introducing new problems or by making current problems worse. Such turning points make the quest more difficult and often require the character to deploy new resources and take greater risks. In plays with more than one act, each act usually ends with a major reversal that leads to the new territory of the next act.

  While plot twists can add variety to a story and keep it from growing predictable, too many changes can have a diminishing effect. To feel the dramatic impact of a reversal, the audience needs to understand what has been happening in the character’s life, what new developments have arisen, and what changes will result from these developments. Time is needed to flesh all of this out. If there are too many turning points or if they occur too closely together in the play, the audience may not have time to accept them as credible. The effect may be melodrama, where exaggerated conflicts come and go without emotionally engaging the audience.

  ■ DOUBT: A PARABLE

  Once Sister Aloysius’s quest has been incited, she encounters certain turning points that test her commitment to her goal and lead to her final showdown with Father Flynn. Each of these twists increases the conflict, but none reverses the action enough to divide the play into separate acts.

  Aloysius receives disturbing news about Flynn

  Aloysius experiences her first reversal in scene 4, when Sister James reports the possibility of an inappropriate relationship between Flynn and eighth grader Donald Muller. Her concerns stem from the boy’s unusual behavior after a visit to the rectory and the possible smell of alcohol on his breath. “I don’t have any evidence,” James admits. “I’m not at all certain that anything’s happened.” For Aloysius, who already mistrusts Flynn, the suggestion of wrongdoing is all she needs to take decisive action. Her journey changes from mistrust to investigation.

  Aloysius and Flynn square off

  Another reversal occurs in scene 5, when Aloysius openly confronts Flynn about his relationship with Donald. With this, her suspicions about the priest become public and he finds himself unexpectedly having to defend his integrity. While Flynn easily persuades James of his innocence, he fails to convince Aloysius and, angered by her insinuations, leaves with a threat to have her removed from the school. She telephones Donald’s parents to request a meeting, a sign that she wants to intensify her campaign against the priest. The scene thus ends with the battle line drawn between Aloysius and Flynn. Her journey has changed from investigation to attack.

  Mrs. Muller sides with Flynn

  Another reversal occurs in the first half of scene 8, when Aloysius meets with Donald’s mother in hopes of enlisting her as an ally. Instead Mrs. Muller turns against her. The tipping point comes when, in reference to the possibility of an inappropriate relationship between Flynn and her son, Mrs. Muller says, “I think I understand the kind of thing you’re talking about. But I don’t want to get into it.” It is an unexpected and devastating setback for Aloysius that contributes to her doubts at the end of the play. As a result of this setback, she must now face Flynn alone and resort to such tactics as lying to accomplish her goal.

  ■ TOPDOG/UNDERDOG

  As they compete for topdog position, the dramatic journeys of Lincoln and Booth undergo reversals that lead ultimately to murder. The biggest reversal is the loss of the brothers’ dreams, which begins at the end of scene 4 when Lincoln returns to the cards. The reversal peaks in scene 5 when it becomes clear that Lincoln has lost his job and Booth has lost Grace.

  Lincoln returns to the cards

  A major change in the dramatic journeys of both brothers occurs at the end of scene 4 when Lincoln succumbs to his inner demons and begins to throw the cards again after several years of resolutely avoiding them. He thus changes from one who resists card hustling to one who embraces it. This development in Lincoln’s life also affects Booth’s journey, since Lincoln will now become more involved in his brother’s three-card monte scheme.

  Both brothers lose their dreams

  In scene 5, Lincoln reveals that, due to cutbacks at the arcade, he has been laid off from his job as an Abraham Lincoln impersonator and will be replaced by a wax dummy. This development shatters his dream of maintaining a legitimate lifestyle. He changes from one who wants to work within the system to one who is willing to work outside it. As a result, he will return to the world of three-card monte and eventually use his card hustling skills to con his brother out of his inheritance.

  In the same scene, Booth, after making elaborate preparations for a dinner date with his ex-girlfriend Grace, must face the fact that she will never show up. This realization shatters his dream of winning her back. He changes from one fueled by hope to one driven by loss and despair. As a result, he will go to Grace’s home later and kill her, a reckless act of violence that in turn will lead to the murder of his brother.

  Lincoln and Booth play three-card monte “for real”

  Another key reversal is the brothers’ decision, in scene 6, to play three-card monte, with Lincoln as the dealer. Unlike earlier displays of the game, this one is “for real,” with each brother risking $500 cash. For Booth, the stakes are particularly high, since his money is the inheritance he received from his mother two decades ago. The decision to play for this treasure changes the relationship of the brothers from reluctant allies to deadly foes.

  ■ THE CLEAN HOUSE

  The dramatic journeys of the protagonists—Lane, Matilde, and Virginia—each undergo reversals that cumulatively lead the three women to a common bond. The biggest reversal is the collapse of Lane’s marriage, which ends the first act and affects all of the characters in important ways.

 
Virginia and Matilde make a secret pact

  Once the story has been set into motion, the first reversal occurs in act one, scene 7, when Virginia convinces Matilde to let her secretly clean Lane’s house. This development has an impact on all three protagonists. Matilde gains more time to think up jokes. Virginia acquires a task to distract her from her empty life. Lane gets a clean house. The secret pact also begins a friendship between Matilde and Virginia that will deepen as the story unfolds.

  Lane loses her husband

  In act one, scene 13, Lane returns home from work distraught and reveals that her husband has gone off with a patient. This turn of events is a catalyst for multiple new story developments. Lane tries unsuccessfully to slit her wrist. Virginia gets so upset that she compulsively rearranges the objects on Lane’s coffee table and, in doing so, inadvertantly reveals that she is the one who has been cleaning Lane’s house. As a result, Matilde gets fired and ends up living part-time with Ana and Charles.

  Ana’s cancer returns

  In act two, scene 7, Matilde returns from her stay with Ana and Charles with disturbing news: Ana’s cancer has returned and, though she is in pain, she refuses to go to the hospital. This reversal eventually affects all five characters. Charles leaves for Alaska to search for a yew tree that might help treat the cancer. Ana is left alone and in need of medical assistance. Matilde becomes Ana’s caretaker. Lane is challenged to forgive Ana and tend to her medical needs. Virginia is given an opportunity to help both her sister and Ana through a crisis.