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breakinglight11October Review Challenge, #1 - "What is the best example of planting and payoff in your work?"
People often shorthand this to Chekhov's Gun. This is actually an erroneous identification, which as a pedantic English professor I feel compelled to note. Chekhov was actually referring to the Law of Conservation of Detail, "include no information that has no payoff," rather than "every payoff has to have a setup." But it's very important to properly lay the groundwork early on for events that will occur later, especially the ones at climactic moments. I write a lot of things that have capers and mystery in them, so it's frequently necessary for me and Bernie, my usual collaborator, to plot things out with a lot of care so that the unfolding makes sense. Planting and payoff is a crucial part of that process.
SPOILER WARNING: Mrs. Hawking VI: FALLEN WOMEN
Photo by Daniel Fox
My favorite example I've done of this is because I think I did a good job of establishing a setup that also served to misdirect away from the ending. In Fallen Women, Mrs. Hawking teaches Nathaniel how to shoot in order to give him some means to protect himself. To the narrative savvy, it's a pretty obvious setup for an eventual gunfight— but it suggests that it will be Nathaniel's fight, necessary to him getting some sense of control back after his ordeal in part V: Mrs. Frost took it away. But when Nathaniel's expected fight comes around, he actually never gets a chance to get off a shot; the gun is knocked from his hands, and he has to finish it unarmed, with a little help from his friends.
After that point, the viewer may even forget the gun stuff. But that scene of setup also establishes that Mrs. Hawking is a decent shot, and even though she doesn't really like using at them, she's willing to if need be— because, after all, "there are no Marquess of Queensbury rules when you're fighting for your life." So when the final fight with the Ripper starts, there's a multi-layer surprise. She enters and is immediately shot by him, because he's been tipped off and lying in wait for her, in surprise the first. But as if that weren't enough, you certainly aren't expecting the most famous knife killer in history to bring a gun to a knife fight, making for the second surprise. And in the third, Mrs. Hawking herself, also a well-established knife fighter, finishes the fight with that same gun. Because, as she said in the set up scene, "there are no rules of fair play" and "you do what you must" to defend yourself and survive.
It manages to be surprising and unexpected, with all the groundwork completely laid. I'm super proud of that.
People often shorthand this to Chekhov's Gun. This is actually an erroneous identification, which as a pedantic English professor I feel compelled to note. Chekhov was actually referring to the Law of Conservation of Detail, "include no information that has no payoff," rather than "every payoff has to have a setup." But it's very important to properly lay the groundwork early on for events that will occur later, especially the ones at climactic moments. I write a lot of things that have capers and mystery in them, so it's frequently necessary for me and Bernie, my usual collaborator, to plot things out with a lot of care so that the unfolding makes sense. Planting and payoff is a crucial part of that process.
SPOILER WARNING: Mrs. Hawking VI: FALLEN WOMEN
Photo by Daniel Fox
My favorite example I've done of this is because I think I did a good job of establishing a setup that also served to misdirect away from the ending. In Fallen Women, Mrs. Hawking teaches Nathaniel how to shoot in order to give him some means to protect himself. To the narrative savvy, it's a pretty obvious setup for an eventual gunfight— but it suggests that it will be Nathaniel's fight, necessary to him getting some sense of control back after his ordeal in part V: Mrs. Frost took it away. But when Nathaniel's expected fight comes around, he actually never gets a chance to get off a shot; the gun is knocked from his hands, and he has to finish it unarmed, with a little help from his friends.
After that point, the viewer may even forget the gun stuff. But that scene of setup also establishes that Mrs. Hawking is a decent shot, and even though she doesn't really like using at them, she's willing to if need be— because, after all, "there are no Marquess of Queensbury rules when you're fighting for your life." So when the final fight with the Ripper starts, there's a multi-layer surprise. She enters and is immediately shot by him, because he's been tipped off and lying in wait for her, in surprise the first. But as if that weren't enough, you certainly aren't expecting the most famous knife killer in history to bring a gun to a knife fight, making for the second surprise. And in the third, Mrs. Hawking herself, also a well-established knife fighter, finishes the fight with that same gun. Because, as she said in the set up scene, "there are no rules of fair play" and "you do what you must" to defend yourself and survive.
It manages to be surprising and unexpected, with all the groundwork completely laid. I'm super proud of that.
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