Last year, I ran a poll on Twitter via my @sitcomgeek handle, asking writers what they found hardest about writing a pilot sitcom script. The clear winner surprised me. It was ‘plotting’.
Now, plotting a script is hard, clarifying the quest of your characters, coming up with obstacles, amplifying them, escalating the stakes and then paying it all off in a way that is surprising but inevitable. It takes even more time than you think. In fact, if you’re doing it quickly, you’re probably doing it wrong, or it’s not very good. Our capacity for self-delusion is very high.
The Plot Problem is Not the Problem
But the more I dug into the subject of plotting, the more I realised that most of the time, the problem isn’t the plot that refuses to be plotted. It’s the characters.
In sitcoms – and most fiction – characters want things. They go on mini-quests because they have long-term aspirations, goals and idols even if they don’t realise it. And they usually don’t realise it because our capacity for self-delusion is very high.
My point is this: the writer who is struggling with the plot and wants help almost certainly needs more help with their characters. The plotting seems too hard because the characters aren’t ready. Writers say they are having problems with plotting. But the real problem is elsewhere.
Know Thyself
Self-diagnosis is virtually impossible. In fact, the whole sitcom genre is practically built on the idea that characters lack self-awareness. The moment characters know themselves and have the capacity to change, the show’s over.
But I think the reason that sitcoms are so popular – in the West, at least – is that they describe modern life very accurately. We are surrounded by sitcom characters who make the same mistakes every week. Without the power of God’s Holy Spirit, people don’t really change. Not fundamentally.
I mention this because last week I wrote that Jesus is Not the Answer. In the comments I received subsequently, I received broad agreement, (although the only pushback was Paul in Athens in Acts 17 was being fairly seeker-sensitive in answering the question ‘Who is the Unknown God?’).
Yes And…
So here’s another reason why Jesus is Not the Answer: we don’t know what the real question is.
Because we don’t know what our real problem is.
Because our capacity for self-delusion is very high.
We may be preaching the gospel and trying to give Jesus as the answer to the wrong question. If someone is lonely, we could preach that Jesus is their friend and is always with them by his spirit. But is loneliness their real problem? Maybe it is. Maybe it isn’t. We don’t know. Who else doesn’t know? The person who feels lonely. They don’t know because our capacity for self-delusion is very high.
Diagnosis is important. Fixing the wrong thing the wrong way can be disastrous. If you take your car to a mechanic because it makes a knocking sound, you might be happy when the worrying noise goes away. But if the mechanic fails to fix the real problem, he is handing back a car that might well be a deathtrap.
The doctor who prescribes pills to make certain feelings fade, but does not address the real underlying issues, is not helping you. They are hurting you. They are prolonging your problem. So why would we preach the gospel this way?
Questions Questions
When we look at Jesus’ earthly ministry, we see that he rarely answers the question he is being asked directly.
A paralytic wants to be healed. Jesus sees the real need: forgiveness of sins (Mark 2).
A rich young ruler wants to know the secret to eternal life. Jesus sees his real problem: love of money (Mark 10).
Jesus can see the real problem and even then doesn’t give the answer, but asks a question. Short of true prophetic insight, we can’t see the real problem. So rather than second guess, or address the symptoms, let’s preach the gospel in season and out of season. Let’s preach Christ, the one who was crucified, buried, raised, ascended and will return. Only then will that fog of self-delusion begin to lift.
It’s striking how Jesus often answers questions with questions. This is the basis of one of my favourite Christian books of all time, Questioning Evangelism by Randy Newman. Barry Cooper and I talked about it on the podcast, which is currently on a summer break, so we’ve just replayed Episode 8. Go and have a listen! Or subscribe via Apple, Spotify, Google or Overcast)
The author of that book and friend of the show, Randy Newman, has just produced eight videos on Evangelism that I can’t wait to dive into. Have a look at those here.
The other big news is that I’m planning an Autumn tour of Water Into Wine. If you’d like to know more or receive booking information, please get in touch by replying to this, if you receive it as an email. Or contact me via my website.
If you want to know how to write a sitcom, have you seen my YouTube channel, The Situation Room? Have a look here.