Emotional drama is great. Crossing the line into fictional whining and wallowing is not. But where do you draw the line?
Today, I'm going to explore three differences between tragic, sad, dramatic stories I enjoyed, and ones that left me rolling my eyes and wishing the characters would just get over it.
Today, I'm going to explore three differences between tragic, sad, dramatic stories I enjoyed, and ones that left me rolling my eyes and wishing the characters would just get over it.
1: The balance of light and darkness
Tragedy in a story is like ketchup. It's a great addition to many dishes, but very few people want to drink a bottle of ketchup straight. You have to have other stuff on the table.
In other words, even the darkest story can avoid a descent into wallowing by adding bits of light and hope.
Yes, the situation is utterly horrible, but you've still got that one character who will keep fighting and believing in the possibility of a good outcome, no matter how bad things get.
Sure, characters are dying like spiders in a vacuum cleaner, but that just makes those who survive cherish each other more.
True, it is unbelievably hard for the characters to make any headway toward their goal, but once in a while, they do get to make an encouraging bit of progress, or fulfill one of their small, cherished dreams.
After all, conflict and danger aren't just there for their own sake - or at least, they shouldn't be. They're there to raise the stakes for characters we have a reason to care about, so it's important that the audience always has something to root for.
In other words, even the darkest story can avoid a descent into wallowing by adding bits of light and hope.
Yes, the situation is utterly horrible, but you've still got that one character who will keep fighting and believing in the possibility of a good outcome, no matter how bad things get.
Sure, characters are dying like spiders in a vacuum cleaner, but that just makes those who survive cherish each other more.
True, it is unbelievably hard for the characters to make any headway toward their goal, but once in a while, they do get to make an encouraging bit of progress, or fulfill one of their small, cherished dreams.
After all, conflict and danger aren't just there for their own sake - or at least, they shouldn't be. They're there to raise the stakes for characters we have a reason to care about, so it's important that the audience always has something to root for.
2: Unavoidable, or self-inflicted?
Unavoidable danger, tragedy or setbacks are heart-wrenching.
Pointless, avoidable and self-inflicted ones just make me want to smack my palm against my forehead. Or smack my palm against their forehead. Or both.
For example, in Spiderman 2, Peter Parker got into an accident and his bike got wrecked. As a result, he was late to MJ's play. Do you think he explained to her that he had a very good reason for missing her performance?
No. He just stood there, apologized, and let the situation get very avoidably worse.
Now, there ARE some instances where characters' downfalls are both self-inflicted and very moving. A certain character in Madoka Magica went spiraling into madness, broken by a series of events much milder than the ones that other characters in the series had survived, and her death was very avoidable.
But instead of being a cheap plot device, it was an exploration of her character, and of the different reactions that different personalities had to the same painful situation.
Pointless, avoidable and self-inflicted ones just make me want to smack my palm against my forehead. Or smack my palm against their forehead. Or both.
For example, in Spiderman 2, Peter Parker got into an accident and his bike got wrecked. As a result, he was late to MJ's play. Do you think he explained to her that he had a very good reason for missing her performance?
No. He just stood there, apologized, and let the situation get very avoidably worse.
Now, there ARE some instances where characters' downfalls are both self-inflicted and very moving. A certain character in Madoka Magica went spiraling into madness, broken by a series of events much milder than the ones that other characters in the series had survived, and her death was very avoidable.
But instead of being a cheap plot device, it was an exploration of her character, and of the different reactions that different personalities had to the same painful situation.
3: The baseline level of angst for your 'verse
If Sasuke Uchiha had lived in the world of Azumanga Daioh, the poorly-aimed, self-destructive and utterly counterproductive vengeance mission to which he committed himself at one point would have seemed pretty understandable. (Details withheld for spoiler reasons.)
Unfortunately, he lives in a universe with characters like Gaara, who went through WAY more crap than he did, with far less support, and chose to become better.
The baseline level of angst in a story tends to affect my perception of the characters' reactions to various traumas. If a character loses his whole family in a slice-of-life, it's a big deal, and it's understandable if he becomes a rampant psycho.
If the same thing happens in a universe where almost every single character has lost people, and many of them have endured more abuse than the angsty character in question, it's still a big deal, but I find myself comparing the angster to his peers, and finding him whiny by comparison.
Admittedly, that assessment is probably unfair. But on an emotional level, that's what happens when a traumatized character rises well above their universe's standard reaction to traumatic events.
What do you think of dark, dramatic stories?
Where do you draw the line between engrossing drama, and annoying angst? Are there any differences I missed?
I look forward to hearing your opinions!
Unfortunately, he lives in a universe with characters like Gaara, who went through WAY more crap than he did, with far less support, and chose to become better.
The baseline level of angst in a story tends to affect my perception of the characters' reactions to various traumas. If a character loses his whole family in a slice-of-life, it's a big deal, and it's understandable if he becomes a rampant psycho.
If the same thing happens in a universe where almost every single character has lost people, and many of them have endured more abuse than the angsty character in question, it's still a big deal, but I find myself comparing the angster to his peers, and finding him whiny by comparison.
Admittedly, that assessment is probably unfair. But on an emotional level, that's what happens when a traumatized character rises well above their universe's standard reaction to traumatic events.
What do you think of dark, dramatic stories?
Where do you draw the line between engrossing drama, and annoying angst? Are there any differences I missed?
I look forward to hearing your opinions!
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