Cause and effect is one of the staples of a cohesive plot. Every cause leads to an effect. It’s often described as a chain reaction: one event leads to another and another.
But when we think of cause and effect solely in what happens, we’re missing a big piece of the story. When taken at face value, cause and effect can lead to relatively shallow stories where things just happen to the characters.
So what is cause and effect? What do we mean by cause? What do we mean by effect?
In today’s episode, we’ll go deeper so that you can use cause and effect more effectively.
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Episode at a glance:
[02:58] The Effect
Your character has a desire which is expressed in concrete goals. The goal itself is not the cause. What the character does in a given scene is not the cause. The goal is the effect.
[04:08] The Cause
The goal is always preceded by a deeper need. The deeper need is the cause. The goal is the effect, and what the character does to reach that goal is an action. The effect leads to an action, a choice. That’s the cause and effect chain.
[07:13] Build Belief In The Cause
If your character is hungry and wants food, build belief in the cause – the hunger. Build belief in the anger, the fear, the uncertainty. What desire will this fear and uncertainty give rise to? What desire, goal or scene objective will that fear cause? What will be the effect?
[08:15] Don’t Reduce Story Only to What Happens
When you limit cause and effect to what happens, you’re creating a character from the top down. You’ve decided before you’ve discovered. If you can figure out your character before you write, he or she is too small to give life to.
[08:15] The Causal Chain Link
The cause,( the inner drive) leads to a desire (the effect.) The effect leads to a choice which leads to an action. Those actions lead up to the sequence of events that make up your plot.
Link Mentioned In This Episode
Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates
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