You know those Seinfeld episodes where all the separate plots lines magically come together in an explosive climax?
How did they write that?
I diagrammed an episode of Seinfeld to figure it out.
Here's how you layer multiple arcs to tell unforgettable stories:
Jerry's Arc:
Jerry opens with a bit making fun of tuxedos, saying everyone is obsessed with the bride and her dress, and no one care's about the tux.
Men are *interchangeable.*
This opens Jerry's a "macro-loop" that sets up the explosive ending.
Kramer's Arc:
Kramer loves the opera. He has 6 tickets, but Jerry and the crew aren't interested (the music, the clown theme, the tuxedos).
They're reluctant, but Kramer convinces them. Micro-arc closed.
But the opera sets two other arcs in motion:
Elaine's Arc:
She invites her boyfriend (Joe) to the opera, but soon realizes he's off his medication, going insane, and also trying to get revenge on Jerry. They break up.
Joe dresses up as a clown & vows to kill them at the opera.
This open-loop builds tension all episode.
George's Arc:
George wants to bail on the opera.
His tuxedo is too small & his girlfriend cancelled on him.
He finally finds hope in a scheme to scalp his tickets (for 3x the price).
Guess who him (and Kramer) sell it to?
Some guy dressed as a clown.
(Elaine's killer clown!)
The episode closes in the opera, where all the arcs resolve:
- Kramer goes to the opera (joy)
- George bails (escape)
- Elaine learns they scalped a ticket to her killer ex-bf (horror)
It also resolves Jerry's loop from the opener:
Through scalping, men are interchangeable.
It's unbelievable when it all perfectly comes together.
The trick is to start with the largest arc & zoom inwards.
- MACRO: What is the starting tension and how does it resolve?
- MICRO: How do 2-3 themes build to that resolution?
- DETAILS: How can every word count?
Once you have a mental map of the arcs, the details resolve themselves.
Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David were meticulous editors, refining and rewriting until characters arcs would crash together in hilarious and unexpected ways.
I worked with @tobi_emonts on a piece of fiction. Here is the Miro boards we used to develop and unfold arcs throughout the story.
You can use a table to visualize your arcs.
- Horizontal rows are the scenes/sections.
- Vertical columns are the arcs/themes.
Check out @nathanbaugh27's post for more on this.
Micro Loops give quick payoffs, while slowly chipping away at the Macro Loops. Synthesizing these two scales creates a constant tension that keeps the reader hooked.
twitter.com/nathanbaugh27/status/1673676647965290502
Homework: Watch this Seinfeld Episode on Netflix (S4, E8).
It's a classic episode, and a masterclass in layered story arcs.
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