by Larry Brody
One of the things that keeps viewers viewing is a constant increase in the dramatic tension of a teleplay.
That means you have to do more than just drop your hero or heroine into a jam and then help him or her get out of it. You’ve got to keep piling on the woe.
Even as the heroine is doing all she can to achieve her end, life, circumstances, and bad guys should be doing all they can to stop her.
In other words, no matter how hard your protagonist works to make things better, you the writer have to work even harder to make things worse. Think of your teleplay as a video game. The heroes win one level and immediately move to the next one – which turns out to be even harder.
This device is crucial in comedies, dramas, and of course action shows. Ever wonder why the prosecution is always coming up with a surprise witness that the defense attorney hero has to counter in legal shows? Or why something unexpected always seems to go wrong during an already dangerous surgery? Or why bumbling sitcom ensembles always make the problem they’re trying to solve worse instead of better?
Here’s a handy trick for when you’ve piled all the crap you can think of on top of your hero and can’t figure out how to ratchet up the tension any further. Add a timeclock.
Your protagonist knows they have to do X in order to survive their goal. Now, just when they should be coasting to the end of the episode, they learn that although they have only one more step to go, they have to do it right now, before they’re ready, or they’re toast!
Yes, I know you’ve seen that one before. And you’ll see it again. Because it always – I mean ALWAYS – works.
Another in what I hope will be a long run of helpful hints for TV writers here on TVWriter™ every week. Which brings up a point: If you’d like to share some writing tips with your fellow TVWriter™ visitors, please get in touch with me at larrybrody@tvwriter.com and we’ll try to make a guest post happen.
