You may be familiar with the But/Therefore technique popularized by South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone. When the pair generate scripts for the show, they maintain an organic structure and ever-escalating nonsense by linking each scene the story with the phrase but/therefore. A character wants something but an obstacle appears, and therefore a new action must be taken. While simple, this technique ensures that their stories have constant forward movement that arises from character choices and actions (no matter how ridiculous). Other than in the openings (ie: before the inciting incident), you’ll rarely encounter a scene in which a character takes an action because the next scene requires that action to be taken. Every action is driven by what has already occurred – a desire, an obstacle, a new choice – and the next scene builds upon that.
In a recent post on Writers Helping Writers, Lisa Poisso suggests a few other angles on this technique for creating a strong cause and effect chain in your story.
- Fortunately/Unfortunately. In this technique, a positive development is followed immediately by a negative event. “Fortunately/unfortunately generates a constant stream of opportunities for your characters to make decisions and take actions that move the story along,” Poisso writes. “They’re never stuck waiting for the next thing to happen. Every scene hands them a new snag to deal with.” This technique keeps your hero on her toes, because there is always something to react to.
- Choosing Consequences Over Continuations. This is essentially the but-therefore technique. When your hero takes an action or makes a choice, a consequence is triggered. The action/choice requires your hero to take a logical next step or it may prompt another character to react or create an obstacle. In the next scene, your hero takes action in response to the consequence, creating a strong link between here and there, and avoiding scenes where your protagonist just happens to show up somewhere.
- The “Yes/But” and “No/So” Dynamic. With this technique, your hero’s wins are followed by a caveat: a negative consequence or complication. Their defeats are followed by a new choice and new action. The yes/but scenario attaches strings to the success. The no/so adds reactions or complications to a failure. Whatever happens, your characters can’t sit still and wait for the next scene. They must act.