Audiences won’t want to follow your core idea and plot unless there is depth in your writing.
“Writing needs to be as rich and deep as life feels to people.” We recently discussed this topic in our Script Development and Outlining Course. Here is an insights article from writer and WriteMovies Academy subscriber Claire Heathcote where she discusses her thoughts on depth in writing after watching the Netflix comedy-thriller “Dead to Me” – see if you agree!
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Writing needs to be as rich and deep as life feels to people. Discuss.
by Claire Heathcote, WriteMovies Academy Subscriber
I’m invested.
Not in stocks and shares; or the bond or gold market. Or the housing market; a horse racing syndicate or even Bitcoin. None of which I have the slightest clue about by the way.
No, what I’m currently invested in, is a comedy thriller I found on Netflix.
What makes people, like me, who to be honest, should be doing a hundred and one other things, devote so many hours, and show up, night after night, sometimes, hour after hour, into the night, to watch “Dead to me?”
I should be doing the laundry, paying bills, or standing on my head in yoga class. But I find myself drawn to watch, just one more episode, and maybe just the first minute or two of the next one. Because I really need to know what happens next. But most of all, I need to know why things worked out that way. What made that seemingly innocent and kind woman get involved in the murder of her best friend’s husband?
Why do I care so much? I mean I’m not planning on any murderous activities anytime soon. And I’m pretty unlikely to meet any potential murderers, in my leafy suburban neighbourhood. So why do I need to know, why?
What has made me become so emotionally and intellectually invested in the two main characters? I need to understand why Judy is so lacking in self-belief that she put up with that awful boyfriend, beyond his all-American good looks. I really care about Jen, who is volatile and potty-mouthed, and simultaneously capable of swearing at her workmate one minute and inviting them for dinner the next. I share their pain at the loss of loved ones.
Jen and Judy are so richly drawn, that I get to see beyond their outward roles and the way they present themselves superficially. To go beyond what they wear, how they speak, where they work and understand what really makes them tick. To work out why a sweet and gentle, art and crafts instructor, working in an old people’s home, can drag the dead body of their ex-partner through a wood, in cahoots with their best friend who killed him.
I get to realise that their real identity is much more complex and intersectional than visible appearance and behaviour would have us believe. Through characters that are well-developed, I appreciate the complexities of what motivates them to act in a certain way, under certain circumstances.
When important details of Jen and Judy’s character and life story are revealed, over time, in response to the challenges they face, I feel I’m really getting to understand them more and more. I’m invested in finding out what life holds for them and cheering from the sidelines.
Yet, as I don’t envisage having to dispose of a corpse any time soon, how does this explain why I am devouring two episodes, minimum, a night? After all, it’s not likely to be part of my lived experience, as long as my partner stays in line! The story grabs me because it captures aspects of the universal experience of being human.
The political thinker, Hanna Arendt named it, “the human condition.” I don’t like that term.
It sounds too medical and restrictive. Like being human is an ailment to put up with, and a limit on people’s behaviour. Whilst there are certainly challenging aspects to life; and normative rules to adhere to, human beings are capable of having different reactions to a situation. Plus, “being human,” is not all doom and gloom, most of us at some point will have experiences that make us grateful and joyful too.
Humans, as far as we know, are the only creatures on earth, capable of describing, our thoughts and feelings through words. Able to convey the stories of our lives.
Although we might inhabit very different roles and identities, what most of us have in common, is a range of emotions; from happiness to sadness; generosity to greed; love to hate; hope to despair; fear to bravery and so on. Good storytelling mirrors these universal emotional experiences but presents them within a unique life story. That takes us on a journey, alongside the characters, on a rollercoaster of unpredictability, complexity and poignancy.
After all, being human means relying on relationships with others. Sharing thoughts and ideas is important for our well-being. Yet, today, we often live and work in relative isolation from others. Distanced from family, we are disconnected, spending little meaningful time with others. Busy scrolling, on our mobiles, we haven’t the time or interest to listen and really hear others.
Stories are more important than ever now. They show us the complexity of being human. Through them, we can experience all ways to be human. We see positive ways of expression, like mutual cooperation, tolerance, and love, played out. Or witness, the negative parts of our natures, like intolerance, aggression, and hatred. They show us how, as humans, we might mitigate the demons in our nature and become a better person.
Returning to my current obsession, “Dead to me,” through this story I am sharing the following things about the human experience; attachment and loss; falling in and out of love; feeling lonely; and being flawed. And many more besides.
So, when Judy, who desperately wants a baby attends a grief group after a miscarriage, I think about the loss of loved ones, the miscarriages, my mother, grandparents and friends. I understand the feeling that Judy is going through. I, like, most people have lost someone.
Judy’s story portrays something compelling and important. As she talks about her loss in a group setting she gets comforted, in different ways, by group members. She makes a new friend and goes away feeling much better than when she arrived. We are reminded how difficult, but necessary, it is to open up to others, about our grief, rather than shutting it off.
What good stories do is speak to our commonality as humans? Without disregarding identities and backgrounds, or pretending they don’t exist. They present universal experiences, regardless of what sets us apart. We all go through love, loss, joy, pain, achievement and disappointment. While our individual differences might present different challenges, these are all experiences we can relate to.
Stories that show characters who manage to transcend their frailties and faults, to become a better version of themselves, give us hope. So, when Judy, finally learns to say no to her convict mother; after a lifetime of people pleasing, due to low self-esteem, no doubt caused by her mother’s poor parenting, we see how much happier and self-confident she becomes. Part of me is nodding along thinking, I get that.
That’s why stories have to present us with conflict, to mirror the many times in life when we have to face making difficult decisions, and how those “crossroad” moments offer the hope of a different, often better, future. To take a job away from home, dump that lying cheat of a boyfriend, or even to keep your wounded rabbit alive, or let it go to the great hutch in the sky.
So, when Jen is conflicted about whether to tell Judy she was responsible for killing her boyfriend, we see how much she fears losing their friendship. Maybe the odds haven’t been quite as high, but how many of us have not exactly lied, but ever so slightly tinkered with the truth, in order to preserve an important relationship?
As the story progresses, the truth is revealed, she did not, as she suggested, act in self-defence. Jen responded to his deeply insulting remarks, by bludgeoning him to death with a wooden bird and pushing him into her pool to drown. Although there is little call for outdoor pools in the West Midlands, I can definitely relate to feeling extreme anger following a personal insult, that has penetrated my heart. And if there had been a blunt object available and a pond, who knows? The scene shows the conflict that occurs in the instance. A “there for the grace of god” moment.
When a story doesn’t quite connect emotionally, it’s usually because the characters are one-dimensional. I find it easier to go with a seemingly impossible plotline, if the characters are relatable, and go through recognisable emotions. It doesn’t seem to matter how clever, or intellectually stimulating the plot is. In the words of a petulant teenager. I. Just. Don’t. Care.
By watching “Dead to Me”, an everyday story of two accidental murderers, I’ve related to loss and despair, the pain of emotionally abusive relationships, and the loneliness of having no immediate family. But, also, the power of close friendships; the joy, camaraderie and emotional support they provide in my life.
About to start the concluding season, I find myself hoping Judy and Jen get away with murder. But more importantly, I hope they arrive at a better understanding of themselves because that gives me hope for my future.
I’m invested.
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