1. Sci Fi / Fantasy Lit September 19, 2016
Hello and welcome and Happy Stress Awareness Day! You are stressed. Be aware.
Grab a handout from the Sci-fi Tray.
Today’s agenda:
Plot structure
How to create suspense
Doctor Who “Blink”

2. Plot structure
Every good story has a plot, even when it doesn’t seem like it.
Plot refers to the sequence of events in a story or film.
There are five main components to a plot.

3. Plot Structure: Freytag’s pyramid
Plot structure is visualized as Freytag’s pyramid, although it isn’t always quite so neat and tidy as this.

4. Why is plot structure Important?
An author uses the plot structure in order to create suspense for a reader.
If the plot structure is done out of order, then in the traditional sense of suspense doesn’t work.
For example, if you know who committed the murder at the beginning of the book, it is hard for the author to create suspense.
Editor’s note: unless you are Gabriel Garcia Marquez, whose novel A Chronicle of a Death Foretold tells us who committed the murder at the beginning of the book. The suspense is in finding out why. . .

5. Suspense
5 factors are necessary for suspense throughout the plot of the story
Reader Empathy
Reader Concern
Impending Danger
Mystery
Escalating Tension
As we take notes on each part of the plot structure, we are going to highlight these necessities for suspense

6. Exposition Exposition: The start of the story
Reader Empathy: The writer must create a character or characters who the reader cares about. If we don’t care what happens to them, then there can be no suspense.
Example: In Princess Mononoke, Ashitaka is cursed for killing the demon that would have destroyed his village. We can relate because the world is unfair.

7. Rising Action Rising action: A series of conflicts or changes
The Rising Action is where we are introduced to the dangers. Three very big elements of suspense need to be established in this part of the plot.
Reader Concern
Mystery
Impending Danger

8. Rising Action: Reader Concern
The writer must put the characters (whom we empathize with) into jeopardy.
There must be some struggle to get what the character most desires (in horror, this is usually, uhm, living to see another birthday).
However, there may be more at stake for the character than just getting away. What other things might we be concerned about a character accomplishing?
Example: In Princess Mononoke, we begin to worry that Ashitaka won’t be able to make San and Lady Eboshi get along.

9. Rising Action: Mystery
The writer should create a sense of mystery for the reader. They can do this several ways:
Keep things hidden. What might an author want to keep hidden?
Make promises: Even something as mundane as a meeting at 3:45 that the character can’t miss. What other promises might a writer make?
Example: We are unclear on Jigo’s intentions, especially when we first meet him.

10. Rising Action: Impending Danger
Impending Danger: The writer must put the character into danger. This is a balancing act between violence and mystery in action and horror stories.
A writer must try to cut down on the violence. I know that this seems counter-intuitive, but the more violence we see, the less likely we can imagine more violence. The less we see, the worse we make it for the characters. We must know enough about the danger to feel concern, but not enough to ruin the mystery.
Example: The mark on Ashitaka’s arm slowly gets bigger through the course of the film, as well as the fight between nature and civilization.

11. Climax
Climax: The turning point; or point of no return, or highest point of tension
Escalating Tension: When San and Ashhitaka race against the Nightwalker and Jigo to get the Nightwalker’s head back.

12. Falling Action/Denouement
Falling action: Action which puts the end in doubt
Denouement: The conclusion of the story
A writer must keep their promises
Example: The Nightwalker is given its head back, restores Ashitaka, and spring comes to the land.

13. Doctor Who—”Blink”
Doctor Who is a British television series which sees the mysterious Doctor, a Time Lord, travel with his companion across time and space saving lives and universes.
This particular episode introduced a newer villain to the show, the Weeping Angels.
However, this episode is a bit like a jigsaw puzzle. All of the pieces are there, but not necessarily in the traditional order.

14. Doctor Who—“Blink” As we view the Doctor Who episode ‘Blink’…
Chart the plot structure on Freytag’s pyramid, describing each part of the plot.
Give an example for how each factor of suspense is utilized within this episode.
Characters:
Sally Sparrow (main character)
Katherine Nightengale (her friend)
Billy (the cop)
The Doctor: dude on the easter eggs