Login
Forgot Password?

OR

Login with Google Login with Twitter Login with Facebook
  • Join
  • Profiles
  • Groups
  • SuicideGirls
  • Photos
  • Videos
  • Shop
Vital Stats

hecklongtree

Syosset, NY

Member Since 2004

Followers 236 Following 1985

  • Everything
  • Photos
  • Video
  • Blogs
  • Groups
  • From Others

Sunday Sep 16, 2012

Sep 15, 2012
8
  • Facebook
  • Tweet
  • Email
Whenever I read or see a play or screenplay I like, I try to figure out what it is that makes the script work. Neil Simon is one of my favorites and, while his best plays all have their own special virtues, there is one feature that occurs over and over again. It's something I call the Sword of Damocles.

Swords of Damocles are events that hang over characters heads, something they look forward to, usually with a sense of dread. Those of you familiar with Neil Simon's work will recognize this recurring trope. In The Out-of-Towners, it's Jack Lemon's job interview in New York; in The Goodbye Girl, it's Richard Dreyfuss's performance in Richard III; in Lost in Yonkers, there actually two Swords of Damocles, as Richard Dreyfusss appointment with gangsters and Mercedes Ruehl's announcement of her plan to marry occur on the same night.

The device works because it holds the audience' attention, as it wonders how the event will eventually turn out, and the events outcome also provides the play's or film's climax. The Sword of Damocles is just one method for maintaining dramatic tension there are others, but its something for writers to keep in mind when writing a film script or play.
stmrllrkttnfrmr:
So basically what you're saying is, the protagonist has to dodge the Sword of Damocles a few times before they can get to the MacGuffin.

tongue


I think Jimmy Page said it well when describing his guitar solo from "Stairway to Heaven". The notes unfold like waves crashing against a wall, loosen as the tension releases, and build like an orgasm. So that when he kicks on his distortion pedal, it's an explosion of sound.

It can be tricky transferring high concept abstractions into writing, and then projecting them onto a screen.


What kind of stories are you working on?

Nov 18, 2012
hecklongtree:
I've written a comedy screenplay and thriller. The comedy didn't have enough plot and the thriller had too much. I hope that, with my next project, I'll be able to find a happy medium. 
Oct 7, 2013

More Blogs

  • 01.19.06
    4

    Thursday Jan 19, 2006

    I didn't do a lot for my birthday. My girlfriend and I tried a new re…
  • 01.13.06
    14

    Friday Jan 13, 2006

    I'm reading a great book,"Bad Neighbor Policy: Washington's Futile Wa…
  • 01.11.06
    1

    Wednesday Jan 11, 2006

    So far I've written about 30 pages, the first act, of my screenplay, …
  • 01.04.06
    5

    Wednesday Jan 04, 2006

    The Final Draft 7 software came today. It's a little different than t…
  • 01.03.06
    5

    Tuesday Jan 03, 2006

    I'm ready to start a new draft of my screenplay. I have it all worked…
  • 12.24.05
    8

    Saturday Dec 24, 2005

    Here's another character bio from my screenplay "Bordertown"--this on…
  • 12.21.05
    2

    Wednesday Dec 21, 2005

    In my screenplay "Bordertown," a candidate for the governership of a …
  • 12.09.05
    2

    Friday Dec 09, 2005

    I'm considering starting a website for my crafts gallery. I want to s…
  • 11.26.05
    4

    Saturday Nov 26, 2005

    I'm still working on my "Bordertown" screenplay. In particular, I've …
  • 11.09.05
    7

    Wednesday Nov 09, 2005

    I rented "The Day After Tomorrow" and I'm not sure I understood it. I…

We at SuicideGirls have been celebrating alternative pin-up girls for:

23
years
10
months
21
days
  • 5,509,826 fans
  • 41,393 fans
  • 10,327,617 followers
  • 4,599 SuicideGirls
  • 1,114,613 followers
  • 14,946,853 photos
  • 321,315 followers
  • 61,458,366 comments
  • Join
  • Profiles
  • Groups
  • Photos
  • Videos
  • Shop
  • Help
  • About
  • Press
  • LIVE

Legal/Tos | DMCA | Privacy Policy | 18 U.S.C. 2257 Record-Keeping Requirements Compliance Statement | Contact Us | Vendo Payment Support
©SuicideGirls 2001-2025

Press enter to search
Fast Hi-res

Click here to join & see it all...

Crop your photo