Last week, TV was the devil’s tool. This week, it’s a learning device. Writers are often told to read a lot to get a feel for the written word as well as to learn techniques for character development and plotting. However, watching other forms of entertainment can be educational in this regard as well.
Consider these examples of character development in two genre TV shows.
In an episode of Star Trek: Voyager, the human-Borg hybrid Seven-of-Nine is forced to fight in a death-match. She is reluctant to kill her opponent though her own life is in danger. Eventually she loses control and is poised to kill.
This is not the most original storyline in the SFF world. An Angel episode puts the title character, the vampire with a soul, into a Gladiator-style arena. Angel refuses to kill his opponent until he, like Seven, loses control and starts fighting back.
The two situations are more than superficially similar. Both characters are fighting to maintain/regain their humanity and struggle to control their dark non-human (vampire/Borg) sides.
The difference lies in the outcome: Seven is rescued by her crewmates before she strikes the killing blow. Asked if she would have done it, she replies, ‘I don’t know’. Angel kills his opponent and suffers the consequences, a tangible setback in his struggle to conquer his demon.
My point? The situations create a challenge to each characters’ development. At the last minute, the Voyager writers shy away from giving Seven-of-Nine a real setback. Instead the impact on her and the viewer is fleeting. The audience lacks an emotional response.
On the other hand, Angel suffers. His creator Joss Whedon is master of not letting fondness for his characters interfere with a ‘if it doesn’t kill me, it’ll make me stronger’ storyline. Sometimes it really does kill them…
So these two shows had something to show us about how to put real obstacles in a character’s way. There’s endless characters and plotlines for you to watch and learn from.
If you want to use TV as a writing tool, here’s some tips:
Watch actively
Decide what you want to learn about: character development, foreshadowing, twists, dialogue, comedic timing, plot arcs, whatever. Find an episode of a show (either you watched it already or critical buzz has tipped you off) and watch it with notepad and pause button in hand. What works for you? What doesn’t? Try to find bad examples of what you’re studying too. Even better when you can directly compare, as with the example I gave.
Watch diverse shows
Just as we’re told to read a wide variety of genres for writing-improvement purposes, dipping into shows outside your usual viewing pleasure might help you discover new ways of handling dialogue or portraying conflict.
Feedback
If you really liked the way something was done in a show, check the critical and fan response. Did it have the emotional impact on them you thought it might have? Did they hate it? What about something you thought was poorly done? Was it widely loved by fans? Just because you disagree with wider opinion doesn’t mean you’re wrong, but it might mean you have to go back and re-assess the technique. It can still work even if it didn’t personally work for you, and that’s an important lesson to learn.
