Setup and Payoff

Confession: I stood at the writing crossroads this morning, and did the crossword instead of the outline. Bad.

Reading:

• "L. DeBard and Aliette: A Love Story," by Lauren Groff
  
• The House of Mirth, by Edith Wharton
  

Writing:

• "Ferian Fetlock Catches a Cold" - Outline 95%
  

Revising:

• "The Revenant"
• "Cora and the Sea" - Third draft 50%

I just got done watching Tropic Thunder, and I have to say, it was a well-plotted movie. Sure, some of the jokes went a little overboard, and there were inconsistencies, but that's not what I'm talking about. This was a great illustration in setup and payoff.

The biggest set piece in the movie took place at the very beginning, just past the brilliant fake previews. It served the purpose of introducing the characters and setting the stage. But every little element from that scene became important for the payoff at the end of the movie.

Using an initial scene to set up characters and setting is good storytelling. Carrying those elements through and using them for an unexpected payoff is great storytelling.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that almost nothing was wasted. Like the Indians that used every part of the buffalo, every piece of this movie served a purpose. (Except maybe for the gratuitous Tom Cruise-in-fatsuit dancing at the end. That was just for fun.) The Simple Jack bit, something that would have been a throwaway joke in another story, had a payoff. Every character, even the minor ones, got a payoff.

And it was done without the feeling that loose ends had to be tidied. It was a tight, well told story that just happened to be profane and funny. As long as you're not easily offended, go see it.

Publication Status:

• Submitted: 5
  
• Accepted: 1
• Rejected: 1
• Pending: 3