CATCHING A STOMACH

CATCHING A STOMACH

Employing Artists’ Privileged Observation in Creating Quality Stories

By Oluoch-Madiang’

The starkest difference between the artist and ordinary people is that artists have a privileged manner of seeing the unseen and thinking the un-thought-of in seemingly normal acts of life. They have a way of deeply understanding the ways of men by conjuring images and motivations that propel people to behave and live as they do. As such, they have a deeper and more rewarding appreciation of life than others.

Scripting then is essentially an attempt by the artist at sharing this privileged observation and experience of life with other ‘mortals’. The script (an artistic piece created with the intention of performance) is therefore the sketching, so to speak, of the artist’s extraordinary or unique view/interpretation of a seemingly ordinary occurrence. There is a particularly interesting angle to an action that requires sharing, or an action is in itself extraordinary. Through the script, the artist opens the eyes and minds of the audience to a less considered aspect of life. The narrative script, should therefore share with the intended audience a description, sequence and interpretation of people (characters), their actions and reactions.

SEQUENCE

In a way, the narrative audience wants to know when a story began, where it began and with whom it started. Subsequently, other events, people and places come in to support the realization of the whole story. Major and minor characters have a sequence of appearance depending on their significance to the story; what they contribute for the story to move from one point to another. The significance of character sequence may be exemplified in the almost innate desire by humans to apportion blame. Hence the common phrase, ‘who is to blame?’ In an attempt at answering this question, people mostly rewind the involvement of the characters sequentially with the intention of placing overall blame on the character that triggered the event.

While sequence of characters’ appearance in the tale is important, it does not mean that the initial character necessarily is always the major or significant one. Depending on the chosen plot (sequence of events), characters may emerge at different parts of the story and with different impact.

Different designs or plans for the characters to appear may determine the events that may follow. In scripting, the narrative write may determine that she wants to introduce a situation where the Protagonist and Antagonist are together in time and space and are in perfect harmony. For example,

In the fertile land of Kisumo, Nyipir and Gipir lived together happily…

Here, the writer, who intends Nyipir and Gipir to be Protagonist and Antagonist later on, designs that they be introduced together (PA). Later on, a conflict situation may come in, say, that Nyipir steals Gipir’s inheritance. This conflict may bring about different designs. Out of the theft, the story writer may sketch a plan in which Nyipir runs away from Gipir, say to Kericho. In this case, in terms of time and space, the protagonist and antagonist are far apart (P A). A resolution may evolve in which the two sort of resolve their dispute and come together again (PA) or they forever hate each other and never ever see eye to eye again, (P A). Hence for example, a sequence of main characters – protagonist (P) and antagonist (A) - using a simple and common plot-line of Introduction, Conflict and Resolution may be like:


INTRODUCTION CONFLICT RESOLUTION
PA PA PA
PA P A PA
P A PA PA
P A P A PA
PA P A P A
P A PA P A

Sequence of characters movements in and out of the action and appearance to support the story’s development is important to the writer. How the characters are designed to appear will determine the presence of opportunities to employ the diverse stylistic devices that spice a narrative.

Order of events, plot, is the most popular and recognizable sequence in most creative pieces structures. Plot may help in explanation, (e.g. for us to understand how this girl won the race, let us go back and see the circumstances of her birth) or achieving suspense (e.g. he raised his machete, aiming at the Keino’s jugular. Then with all the force he could gather, he gritted his teeth and began to bring it down, hoping to finish him once and for all. The machete was just about to land on its designated target, when his phone interrupted rang with a shrill tone.)

There are many kinds of plots that a creator of a story may design.

Linear plots – Introduction-Conflict-Resolution (ICR)- are the simplest and most common. They make for easy and straightforward stories. In many cases, they answer the inquisitive audience’s question of ‘then…?’ Children loves this kind of plot and so keep asking what happened next.

A creative story composer might play with the sequence of events to the fullest to make a story more complex and gripping. Tension, interest and suspense are hyped when the logically expected sequence of actions are postponed or given in bits and pieces at various points of the narration. As such, stories in which the protagonist and antagonist are pulled apart, in time and space, (yet still affecting each others’ lives) tend to achieve greatness. They may be longer and intended to a more mature audience who can, essentially, ‘join the dots’ during performance. Thus we may have, for example…:

ICR, IRC, RIC, RCI, CIR, CRI etc.

…where I is Introduction, C is Conflict and R is Resolution.

Many adjudicators have lamented that most narratives presented at the festival had long introductions as the narrator attempted to expose the characters, actions and venues to the audience. This should not be so. In fact, in more exciting and stimulating plots, a formal introduction is never necessary as the audience get to know characters, places and trigger-actions as they move along. In essence, ‘Introductions’ sometimes can get swallowed by ‘Conflicts’ and ‘Resolutions’ which, essentially, provide the crux of the narration: the privileged, unique, extraordinary view and interpretation being shared.

Better still, we may say that significant events, characters and scenes that contribute tremendously to the story may well be introduced simultaneously as we narrate the conflict and/or resolution. Thus, sequence is not cast in stone; the artist’s creative instincts and wishes determine the sequence!

If we agree that we may have many plot structures, we are essentially agreeing also that, in some instances, a Resolution achieved elsewhere may actually be a trigger to some Conflict leading to other Resolutions…or even perpetual Conflict. In this case, the Resolution is actually the Introduction in this plot; Conflict is the Introduction of another Resolution etc.

In other cases, a Conflict may introduce more Conflicts too. In these kinds of complex plots, the introduction is somewhat swallowed in the conflict and resolution. In a manner of speaking, Characters and Events find Action too busy to grant them the luxury of being introduced to the audience! As such, writers of narratives who intend to engage the audiences more deeply may resort to amazing order of events like…

CCR, RCR, RCC, CRR, RCCR, etc.

…where C is Conflict and R is resolution.

This explains, for example, why soaps and sequels grip audiences and are capable of doing so for a very long period of time. Complex plots, from the festivals’ angle will be impacted upon by the target audience and the allocated time. Mature audiences will live very well with the latter plots that I have described while children will be most comfortable with the linear and rudimentary plots.

DESCRIPTION

The main aim of a story is to share privileged experiences, views and interpretations with, 1) an audience that was absent during the occurrence or, 2) an audience who, though present, do not understand the significance of the actions that took place 3) an audience that have no appreciation of the psychology of the actors. In essence, the success of a story is in its ability to create a vividness or clarity of understanding, perception and enjoyment of a remote occurrence.

A narrative script must aid the potential teller with the relevant descriptive tools so that the teller can share the How, Who, What and When of the occurrence and its actors. Though the audience was not there, the teller seeks to help them SEE and HEAR (lo and behold) the occurrence as it happened. All languages are packed with great possibilities of dramatic action, vividness and expressiveness. Language use and stylistic utilization of para-linguistics are therefore of most importance here.

In some instances, narrative writers sometimes present only sketches of occurrences that are very mean with story! Description of characters, actions, objects, situations etc. is the flesh with which we enjoy, internalize, understand, visualize and experience a story. It is the primary ingredient that leads to the success of presenting the central components of a story: conflict and resolution. A narrative writer must thus be generous with description: appealing inherently to the eye and ear, nose and taste buds, of his intended audience.

Description is realized in the creative use and manipulation of language: the use of words (specifically verbs and adjectives) that express the vividness, ‘doing-ness’ and the ‘howness’ of situations and actors. Whereas English as a language suffers compared to our indigenous ethnicities, a narrative writer is at complete liberty to borrow and ‘directly translate’ descriptive phrases to enrich their telling. Phrases, idioms, proverbs, alliteration, rhyming, onomatopoeia, songs and numerous other stylistic devices should and must be explored and employed by the story writer with a view of helping the audience undergo a full and complete experience of the story.

Our various ethnic communities have basketfuls of expressive and descriptive styles that can be borrowed, not only to spice, entertain, color, summarize and pace the story but also localize it. The Luo for example have a way of saying someone has become pregnant. They simply say omako ich! The meaning of this phrase is simply, she is pregnant. However, the literal meaning is, she has caught a stomach! This description of conception is in itself witty and generates interesting images of getting pregnant. The Agikuyu may sometime respond, ‘Dire na kanua…’ in response to a greeting. Literally, it means ‘I have no mouth!’ These are sample example of our popular expressions that can both describe and entertain with wit and also enhance appreciation of the story.

Story writers must always understand that a narrative script devoid of description is like a skeleton without flesh. Malnourished scripts, lacking in description and interpretation, have no chance at all of fulfilling the audience’s need to experience that for which they so keenly crave to know and participate in.

Whereas description is core to the audience’s appreciation of the story, sometimes there is the temptation to make the descriptive words and language the core of the story rather than the action. We have to note that an adjective is subjugated to the verb or noun. It serves to appreciate the verb or noun. The action or person never serves the adjective! But the festival has experienced a lot of situations where stories have ended up being a mouthing of stylistic devices. Let writers understand that we have something to describe. If it is not there, then we do not need description. An occurrence exists before a description of it. A naked human must exist before clothes find utility. Description is thus like clothing a human, helping her be profoundly appreciated. The human should not be subordinated to serve the clothes.

Finally, description has the functional value of helping the audience experience a story: live it, see it, hear it, smell it and taste it. As linguistic stylistic devices hugely aid us to achieve description, we must be careful to use only those that are relevant to the situation. Not a few times do we find story writers using songs and misplaced descriptions in a story. Instilling meaning must be aided by relevance. There is no need to use a song just because you think that without one your chances of success are low. If the occurrence does not have an opportunity or need for a song or a dance, then so be it: do not force a song or dance to it.

INTERPRETATION

One of the roles of the story may be to allocate meaning to an occurrence or to share an opinion or analysis of the occurrence. The story writer has a particularly exciting view that makes it stand out from the others who witnessed the occurrence. Alternatively, she is deriving particular lessons from it.

As such, it is important for the story writer to give opinions, analyses, deductions, attitudes and beliefs to the potential storyteller. Interpretation of the actions in the occurrence being told helps us achieve the WHY of it. It appeals to the mind of the audience: the mental and reflective. The audience is keen to know what the artist makes of this entire occurrence and its characters. The story writer has a privileged position in which she is looked upon to help untangle all this. Hence, the writer must, objectively and subjectively, interpret the actions, words and characters in the story. She must help draw lessons and enrich the lives of the listeners. She in a way must provoke debate, discussion and reflection by providing a view or views for consideration.

This should not be misconstrued to mean that interpretation occurs at the resolution stage of the story only. Interpretation should cut across all stages of the plot. For example, unlike description which helps us see and hear the character more, interpretation throughout the intro and conflict stages helps us understand him better. A sum of all the interpretations may finally help us come up with a grand resolution and/or understanding of the whole experience.

Interpretation also helps that potential teller to live in the story. It remains a fact that the storyteller has the great task of personifying characters and situations as well as mimicking them and their actions. The teller lives in the story, just as the story lives in its telling. As the storyteller moves into the actions and sometimes also stands apart from it, she forms opinions, attitudes and worldviews. These are important in helping the audience experience the occurrence in the teller’s privileged manner.

Our narrative scripts sometimes are too lacking in meaning and reflection. The teller is removed from the action most of the time, and her involvement in the story sometimes trivialized. The teller’s personification can be qualitatively improved if the writers would provide them with opinions and reflections within the script. The teller’s opinion-building should be a source of provocative jealousy to the audience as she alone is allowed interpretation and opinion.

PRE-PERFOMANCE AND ON-PERFORMANCE: Two Scripts, One Narration!

The uniqueness of Narrative as a performance genre is that it acknowledges and expects creativity in performance. One element of creativity in perfomance is the creation of a script based on the immediate environment. The performance environment gives the storyteller hints, occurrences, words, moods, actions and even actors to infuse in her telling and thus better satisfy the audience’s need for experiencing and understanding an occurrence.

In essence, we cannot expect the pre-performance script to be faithfully adhered to in terms of actual words, actions and occurrences. The character of the script may be qualitatively improved as the performance goes on. This entails a lot of observation, mastery and manipulation of the performer’s environment. The narrative script, when fully actualized, is a product of the partnership between the narrator and the storyteller. Just like a new born child is a product of collaboration between The Creator and The Parents!

The pre-performance story scripter does not have the final say of how the rendered story will look like. It is the narrator, living and experiencing a once-in-a-lifetime environment, who will offer the final script. She will thus use the pre-performance script as a guide to achieving the final and executed on-performance script.

In this situation then, it is important for the script creator to work hand in hand with the potential teller to anticipate potential opportunities for on-performance scripting. The understanding should be that on-performance scripting does not mutilate the pre-performance script but enriches it with the intention of assisting the audience to live the experience of the occurrence; to understand it more.

On-performance scripting is not a license to ascribe bad and unwanted attributes of some characters in the story on the audience. Neither does it mean harassing or ambushing them to fit within the story. Audiences everywhere are a fragile community that needs to be handled carefully. During on-performance scripting, we can allow them to participate in the story by granting them flattering roles or calling upon their general and anonymous painful life experiences to achieve vividness, clarity and truth.


Paper presented at the Schools and Colleges Drama Teachers’ National Workshop
19th-22nd January 2010,
Kasarani, Nairobi.