I knew a woman named Hannah Brekke who had two passions: opera and WWE wrestling.
When I tell people that their eyes glaze over.
You can almost hear the gears in their heads grind in distress as they try to mesh the ideas of opera and wrestling.
But if they knew Hannah they might understand how seamless these passions actually were. She was a war-bride from a place in Germany where opera is not considered as highbrow as it is here.
There what we consider high-culture is simply the pop-music of the 17th and 18th century and is as familiar to people on the street as broadway tunes are to people here.
But what about WWE Wrestling?
Well, when you think about it, there isn’t much difference between the gods tossing thunderbolts across Valhalla and The Rock tossing his opponents across the canvas.
They are both about spectacle and that is what drove Hannah’s twin passions. She loved spectacle and intuitively understood that both art forms, though spoken in different dialects, addressed the same aspect of the human spirit.
Spectacle is drama on steroids. It is about the things that shock our lives like jealousy, deceit, lust and greed - writ very large. It is morality or political tales told in bold terms so there is no mistaking the message.
For writers, the fun thing about spectacle is that the structure is so blazingly evident that it is unmistakable and that is what I wanted to write about today, the structure that is common to all almost all drama whether it be opera or what takes place within the confines of the squared circle of WWE Wrestling.
Just for fun, let’s review the basic elements of dramatic structure through the lens of Friday Night Smackdown on FOX.
Exposition or Introduction
Lilian Garcia will introduce the combatants and establish The Face (the protagonist), The Heel (the antagonist) and The Grudge (the conflict).
For anyone unfamiliar with wrestling or for that matter high theater, The Face is a crowd favorite. He or she is usually a moral character who follows the rules and stresses hard work and playing fair to achieve one’s dreams. The Heel on the other hand, lies, cheats and achieves success by breaking the rules.
The Grudge is something far beyond what brings The Face and The Heel into the ring, it is a stand-in for everything that grinds down the human spirit.
It is what makes the crowd howl.
Rising Action
The wrestlers enter the arena and begin working the grudge by taunting the audience and each other.
The Climactic Crisis
The fight itself. The intensity rises, the crowd roars as it is driven over the contours of its emotional landscape.
Falling Action
The fight unravels, often with a final moment of uncertainty.
No fight is complete until The Heel appears to be winning, usually by doing something dirty like using a concealed object (that is not concealed from the audience), but The Face will almost always overcome the rule-breaking action of his opponent.
Dénouement, resolution, or catastrophe
The Face triumphs or loses spectacularly.
Depending on who the victor is, The Heel or The Face will then swear revenge and promise to return, thus setting up The Grudge for the next match.
***
This week’s writing challenge: write a spectacle. Follow the basic dramatic structure to tell a simple tale. Try not to over-think this. A spectacle can be as banal as an argument between Snooki and a bartender or as simple as an Aesop's Fable.
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Post your article to Gather Writing Essentials.
BE SURE TO TAG your submission with MWE. Note: I search for articles using the tag "MWE" If you don't tag it right, I will not find it.
- Include "Monday Writing Essential" in your title.
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Last week’s writing challenge to write your first GWE post or if you are a regular, try something new, drew the following responses:
Monday Writing Essential, try something new. by Charles Ashurst
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Comments: 50
...if I only had time to go with those thoughts.
{begin ramble}
I have been thinking about this question... from what stage of writing do we get the most benefit from our efforts? I suppose it is different for everyone.
First there is coming up with ideas for writing. For some of us, ideas come slowly and it is important to write everything down. For others, ideas come in flocks and it is most important to pick one out and focus on it.
Next is the challenge of bringing form to our ideas. Some people are great at delving down into the details - for others this is where they develop writers block.
Then comes the craft of writing, the forming of sentences and paragraphs that others find entertaining. Again, some writers are naturals at this while others struggle.
And finally, there is polish. I never get that far so I don't know much about it. :)
Each area requires separate skills but it all falls under the art of writing. I think to become a better writer we need to focus on our weakest areas rather than give into the temptation to dwell on what we are best at.
{end ramble}
I would not discourage anyone from doing what they are good at or pursuing a style that compliments their talents, however it is important to remain vigilant about falling into the trap of comfort.
I have to run errands right now, but will return.
you write
Often our success is measured not by what we do well but how well we do the things we are least best at.
That depends on how one defines success and who is doing the measuring, I'd think. Overcoming challenges is one thing, the arena where those challenges are sought, quite another.
But then again, maybe we are talking of different things.
Susan, I'll be interested in your thoughts when you return.
To be a good triathlete, you have to be a good swimmer, a good biker and a good runner.
The thing is, a lot of athletes come into the sport who excel at only one of these skills and they find themselves falling behind because they are only average at the other two.
So let's say that we have a triathlete who is an exceptional biker and runner but cannot swim worth a damn, this is all too common in the sport. They may be fast but they can never make up the lead that the excellent swimmers gain.
They are in effect judged on what they do the least well - their completion time being the judge.
Sure, writing is not a competition - but publishing is.
Thanks for sharing and submitting to
The Surreal Circus.
Thank you for submitting to: Not Gathering Dust!
(At my age, when I see the word "spectacle", Cecil B. Demille comes to mind.)
Make your own banner at MyBannerMaker.com!
And thank you for the ramble! Your point is well taken. I devour every word you write about the process. Right now all I have for the project is a brief concept and a lot of daydreaming. Do I jump to the writing stage? Do I write some character sketches? Do I expand the outline and flesh out the plot structure? Do I rearrange my office? Do I say, "Screw it," and write another humor casual?
One thing is certain. I will make a choice and something will happen.
Great prompt!
You mean WWE stands for something BESIDES Wednesday Writing Essentials? Does that mean you are no longer supporting wrestling on Writing Essentials?
Don't break my heart, girl!
I heard a great quip about dividing things into two categories. They say all people can be divided into two categories: those who divide people into categories and those who do not. :)
Well, Greg you haven't disappointed me at all. Your prompt is a whopper. I'm a rare Minnesotan not hooked on fishing in one of our 10,000 lakes, but I'd have to say I've snared a 34-inch large-mouth bass as a writer who has merely dipped his pen in ink, in this case, strumming my fingers on the computer keyboard, getting hooked by your tantalizing lure. Your assignment is indeed a challenge--to write about a spectacle and make it spectacular. Now I have to go fishing for ideas this week . . .