Bill Johnson - Emotional Triggers

Bill Johnson – Emotional Triggers
(Willamette Writers Lecture – 11/6/2010)
Email: [e-mail]


His History:

Started as an Intuitive Writer – 9 plays one year. Took class in story structure.
(Aside: Make friends with agents)

He found many writers where they didn’t start at the right place until page 40. (Bad – plot starts on page 100).
Instead, a storyteller will start the story on page 1.

His idea: A story is a promise. – The context is based on what you mean.

Opening:
1) Put character in environment that triggers emotions
a. Should be in first paragraph or at least first pae
2) At same time, put character in situation that triggers emotion

Multiple Characters:
- Opening Scene:
o Have to tell what main character is involved in
o Have to identify what context it is in
 (BAD – Making reader remember details -- makes reader work)
- Should keep advancing one storyline even with multiple POVs


Example: Harry Potter – Harry Potter doesn’t fit in. He wants to fit in. (Rowland a master of mechanics of storytelling)
- Plot-> Puts in obstacles for him to keep from fitting in.
- When we first meet Harry we start a journey.
o Durster’s want to be normal. (Dursters don’t appear normal (( have long necks)).
 Harry has magic. Endangers Durstley’s desire to be normal.
• Creates conflict that triggers Harry emotionally ((The emotional trigger)) -> Creates feelings in reader
- Every chapter of book has a chapter question. The plot is concrete:
o Will X happen? -> Leads to start of next chapter.
o Becomes larger as the book progresses.
 More force emotionally – deeper feelings and emotions in reader
- (A journey of feeling).
o People like characters on a journey

- Narrative tension.
o Harry wants to break rules. Does magic despite not fitting in.
 Tension: Harry breaking one too many rules.
- In general many people in conferences don’t know storytelling – just the buzzwords
o Reader still needs a promise
- Having 30 year-old blond athletic heroes
o Evokes nothing about characters journey unless it is just symbolic
 Emotionally numb; sometimes undervalued
 Authors draw what they can see
 He learned how to draw something that is a character, not just a happy face that conveys nothing about the character.
• Many novelists describe a happy face character rather than a real character
o Look inside the face?
o Minor characters become more interesting than the main character in this case.
- Goal – Making Character
o What does he want?
o Put character into his own environment of triggered emotions .(Watch for emotionally numb characters or characters emotionally stuck
 Why? Author makes characters an extension of self.
• -> Author goes through emotional journey instead of readers
o Often people feel like underachievers, unacknowledged
 Turn minor characters into an audience.
- Every writer should have one emotional trigger
o (His example for himself: Being disrespected in public by his multi-personality girl friend)
 Point -> Must make character accessible
- Character on a journey always raises plot questions. (And sub-questions?)


His Experience:
- He asks storyline from his writers – gets back plotline
- Start with no emotion – 10 pages of description
- We should know what the trigger is – what journey character will go on


Memoirs: often an account of life and not a real story. Often therapy for the writer’s own feelings.
1) Often characters (via author) aren’t comfortable in their own skin – and don’t survive emotionally)
2) To memoir writers or fiction writers using self for characters: Make characters symbolic to writer. If writing a memoir, it has to sing true to readers. 
3) Writing for self is not storytelling. Triggers are for author and not for reader. The “too obvious” goes to too obscure.
Your Memoir:
1) Can you be true about your feelings and of those around you?
2) Can you tell your most shameful things?
- Otherwise, your characters will be emotionally numb
(It is okay for your character ((you)), to start out emotionally numb and learn how to feel though)
- If you can’t tell readers feelings and shameful things, you are presenting a happy face that conveys nothing
- When writing about yourself (or self through main character), there is no emotional journey – Boring to reader


Emotionally numb or stuck characters:
1) Want characters life’s a train wreck. If characters emotionally numb, need to rely on plot more
2) Many times a novel starts with an emotionally numb character who learns how to feel during novel. Lots of people are emotionally numb like the numb character that leads them to feeling


Aside: Hollywood Movies break rules of storytelling. Eg. “Golden Compasses” – he says is terrible.
Aside: Science Fiction: Many about “what if” questions -> Can be an explanation of their ideas
Aside: Plot movie – on a rollercoaster;
Art Movie – Why on a rollercoaster (eg.1984) ((ideas and existentialism?))
Artistic: Goal: Illuminating ideas. Not a journey of feeling.--> Emotionally numb or stuck characters:
Aside: Some authors don’t find out what happens until they finish the novel. Then they have to go back and do all over.

Plot Line: Fantasy to Reality
Example: Can a character living in his head get out of his head?

Environment:
- Can be an emotional trigger. (Eg. – isolated on an island.) Create an environment where character can’t walk away. (FCD:Tinder? Mine as a mental jail for Tinder?)

Good: Tell Dramatic Truths on Page 1 so readers know what book is about immediately
Bad: Start with Static Description. (32 blond athlete) -> info dump

Can aim a story at a certain audience by knowing what triggers audience (instead of triggering self)
In writing to get published don’t use novel to trigger self.



Recommends:
1) “The Glass Castle” (a memoir)
o Iniciting Incident (Hook)
 Opening: Woman sees mother dumpster-diving; Woman (or mother?) is a Park Avenue Socialite
 Plot Question: Have to read to end to find out why.
• Example: Father is bipolar and an alcoholic


2) “The Prince of Tides” – begins telling truth of journey
3) “Kite Runner”
- Plot: What happened? Great; but also need emotional trigger; otherwise just details
4) “Twilight” – Good Book; Only ok movie
5) Donald Maas – “Breakout Writer (Novel?)”
a. Scene (action) followed by Sequel (reflection on what happened in scene)
i. Bad: Starting with Sequel (writers often reflective people)

Kite Runner, Prince of Tides: -> Start with Prologue.
1) Bad for unpublished writer to use prologues to explain character rather than make characters feel.
a. Giving details instead of starting story.
b. Don’t start with backstory.
i. 90% of people screw up in starting with backstory.
Aside: Popular Books break every rule.
If it works fine. If not, it will be blamed on breaking these rules.
ii. Movies don’t always start with story (voice-overs)

Question: How does regular backstory differ from Kite Runner?
Answer: It starts to tell story

Aside: Popular books