Week 8 - Aristotle's Incline

Well we've completed part one of our journey and spent the last eight weeks on character development.  Hopefully by now you should know who your main characters are and what motivates them.  Now let's move on to Part Two: ThePlot.

The backbone of your play is its plot.  Louis E. Catron in "The Elements of Playwriting" describes plot as the master design of the play's conflicts, the selection and arrangement of incidents to achieve maximum impact."  He continues by saying that plot keeps the play moving forward with clashes that create dramatic tension."

Plot can be divided into 6 parts:

1.) THE SETUP: which contains the inciting incident which sparks your play, introduces the characters, and sets up the main conflict which will drive your play.  Near the end of the set up should come

2.) PLOT POINT ONE: At this point your first major complication should arise.  It is at this point that your plot first pivots and the conflict is set in motion.

3.) THE COMPLICATION:  the middle section and largest portion of your script which further complicates your plot; it forces your characters to deal with the ever growing conflict.  The tension rises as you add plot twists, complications and reversals.  near the end of this section should come

4.) THE MIDPOINT: an extra element of drama or action that keeps your audience's attention focused on the growing conflict.

5.) PLOT POINT TWO, the third major shift in plot, and further complicates the story often putting your characters in a state of crisis.

6.) THE CATHARSIS, in which your plot reaches it's climax and all is resolved.

The first part of your script from the beginning to Plot point one should equal roughly a quarter of your manuscript.  From plot point 1 to plot point 2 should equal roughly half your script.  And the last quarter of your script should go from plot point 2 to the end.  This is the standard dramatic formula and will work for all scripts no matter their length... only their placements will vary depending on whether you are writing a one act or a five act play.  Aristotle developed his "incline" to demonstrate the rising tension as the plot moves forward.  Check out my rendering of Aristotle's Incline.

The Exercise:

1.  Copy the plot diagram (Aristotle's Incline) and place the elements of your plot on the

diagram and label them (i.e. Plot Point 1, Plot Point 2, etc.)  For each element of your

plot write down the names of your characters who are there and what they are doing.

2.  Describe the inciting incident that sparks your play.  When did it happen and who was

involved.

3.  Write a brief narrative paragraph that describes the exposition that the audience must

know.

4.  Out line your play' point of attack (plot point 1).  Write as much as you can using dialogue

and action.

5.  Describe the protagonists goal and what stops him from attaining that goal.  List a number

of complications and obstacles.  What are the protagonists reactions to each obstacle?

6.  Describe the climax of your play... Does the protagonist reach his goal? Does the play

end on an up beat or a down beat?