Cause and Effect, Action and Reaction in Writing
In any story, things can’t just happen. Sure, there are acts and events beyond our control—acts of God, natural disasters, the serendipity of life that can make things go very, very wrong. But these shouldn’t be the driving forces of the story. It’s the characters’ actions and reactions, and the consequences of those actions, that should propel the narrative forward. And, of course, the audience should get a taste of what’s to come, so it doesn’t feel like it’s coming out of nowhere. Welcome, Neophyte! Today, we’re delving into some of the most crucial drivers of change, not only in writing but in human relations—the Newtonian laws of motion.
- Every body continues in its state of rest or of uniform motion in a straight line unless compelled to change that state by forces impressed upon it.
- The change of motion of an object is proportional to the force impressed and is made in the direction of the straight line in which the force is impressed.
- To every action, there is always opposed an equal reaction; or, the mutual actions of two bodies upon each other are always equal and directed to contrary parts.
Surprised? I was too when I first thought of the relation. Please, let me explain, and you’ll see what I mean. Now, what is necessary for you to change? What compels you to move away from the comfort of your home? The need for more comfort? Perhaps a pizza? Yeah, dear Neophyte, that’s the first law of motion. You were at rest, but an outside force, more of an inner one, but give me a minute, forced you to move. Now, you’re set in your ways, you have a plan, a routine, and everything is dandy. Then, out of the blue, oh no! Something happens that disrupts the balance. How much it changes really depends on the force exerted and how strong you are in your routine, of course. Finally, what happens when something or someone causes something bad to happen to you, and in response, out of spite, you retaliate in the opposite direction with greater force? I know the law says it’s equal, but this isn’t simple mechanics. How many times have you acted like that? Uncountable, Neophyte, I know, because I’ve been there too—a bit disgraceful, yes, but undeniably human.
There’s this new trend, especially in movies, where the main protagonists just react to whatever bullcrap the plot throws at them. This stems, I fear, from corporate meetings and offices that have lost every shred of humanity. Here we circle back to the “Act of God” part. Yes, there are things larger than life that you can’t possibly control, but a good disaster story will focus on the human elements. How the characters involved react, act, and pursue the goal of enduring or surviving, and perhaps even living beyond the disaster.
The one element that is not often discussed is that, in life, this isn’t a purely mechanical law. Humans aren’t mere cogs in the machine; our actions and reactions are compounded or suppressed by our own inner world. A reaction can be multiplied tenfold by the inner rage of a character, and an action of compassion will carry much more meaning for your readers if they know the history of the characters involved.
Many often forget this— you can’t reason your way through life completely. So it is in life, as it is in writing. I’m pretty sure I’ve written about this before, but let me repeat it here: actions are rational for the people doing them. It might seem like the most unhinged, off-the-wall thing, but for the person doing it, it will be perfectly reasonable, at least in the moment. Then comes the reaction, the aftermath.
So are stories woven, through what the characters do, mostly out of themselves. Now, Neophyte, do you want to know why it is this way? Because we, as readers, as an audience, understand on a subconscious level that this is how life should be lived. We spend so much time just reacting to the world around us that we’ve forgotten how to act.
Either way, go chew on this, and we’ll meet on Monday.
Until next time.
