Drama: How Much Is Too Much?

Drama.

The word can bring a lot of different things to mind: theatrical plays, unwanted emotional tension, and feel-good emotional films are just a few examples. Some of these things are positive, and others are negative. Whatever form drama may take, our experience will probably never be 100% free of it.

When it comes to fictional drama, we do have a choice about its place in our lives, both as audiences and as writers. We get to decide what we take in, and we get to decide what we give others.

How do you want to see the world? How do you want the people around you to see the world? As a writer, you should know the answers to these questions. The media you consume and produce will shape who you are as a writer and as a person, and you should handle it intentionally—even when it’s just for entertainment value.

The Writer as a Viewer

They say what goes in is what comes out. The entertainment you take in is your own choice, fueled by your own reasons, but what are those reasons? What are you training your mind to believe, and how does it positively impact you?

You can be entertained without feeling guilty. When you learn the tricks of self-awareness to know why you like the shows you do and how they influence you, you’ll be a more informed viewer—and a more prepared writer.

Emotional Impact

The drama we encounter in fiction has an emotional impact on us—few will be surprised to hear this. How does the media you consume impact you? What emotional state does it create, and what comes of that? Learn now to observe how each show, book, or film makes you feel, because those emotions often follow you back into everyday life, whether for better or for worse. You get to pick which emotions get this chance by what you read or watch.

Messages about Humanity

The stories we absorb teach us things about humanity, whether intentionally or not. Many times, a well-told story on the page or screen gives us a deep, honest look at what people can be. Other times, it creates a different type of drama by slipping away from reality into characterization that is more shocking in order to dictate specific emotional responses. Are you absorbing lies or truths about humanity, its strengths, and its weaknesses? These things can shape how you view yourself, the people around you, and the characters you later write.

Inspiration

Because drama impacts both our emotions and the way we see the world, it has the power to inspire—or cause despair. As you read and watch your favorite stories, are you being inspired to do and be better, or are you falling into a dark or meaningless place along with the characters? As a writer, it’s easier to inspire and impact your readers if you yourself are inspired. This doesn’t mean all dark places are bad; it just means that it’s important not to get trapped without hope.

The Writer as an Influencer

The same ways fictional drama can impact you are the ways you can impact others as you write your own stories. This power to influence can be thrilling, but it is also a responsibility. No matter what genre you’re writing, the questions below will help you stay aware of your influence and how you’re using it.

Worldview

Are you changing how others see the world for better or for worse?

When you incorporate drama into your stories, you’ve grabbing the reader’s attention through their emotions. Whether your stories are happy or sad, they will impact your readers’ world. Be smart about what kind of world you present to your readers once you have their attention. Use honest depictions of emotions and reactions whenever appropriate, and make sure any caricatured reactions are there for a reason.  

Mindful Inspiration

Are you being mindful of how you will teach or inspire others?

Just like the stories you watch and read can inspire you and show you important truths about the world, the stories you write can do that for others. You don’t have to force morals in (and there are good arguments for why you probably shouldn’t), but you should be aware of what your story is inspiring in your readers. You never know how it might change their lives.

Responsible Emotional Engagement

Are you being responsible and intentional with how you engage readers’ emotions?

Your readers’ emotions are not a toy. If you’re going to be tugging at their hearts, you should be doing so with care and purpose. Some genres, like horror or comedy, are there to invoke specific emotional reactions, so this isn’t to say that you can’t use the tools of your genre. Even these tools have purposes! In comedy, there’s often a lesson to be learned, and in horror, we often discover the strength of the people who are willing to stand against the darkness. Just remember that your readers are entrusting their emotions to you, which gives you a responsibility to pay attention to how you’re engaging them—and why.

Examples from Elizabeth

What does it look like to apply some of these considerations to the drama you take in? I’m going to share a few examples below of TV dramas I’ve interacted with, how they’ve impacted me, and why I’ve chosen to react to them the way I have. This is not an absolute judgment on any of these shows—it’s just my own journey with my own emotions, and I would love to hear your comments on how you interacted with the same or similar shows.

House, M.D.

(Very mild spoilers) Several years ago, I started borrowing old seasons of this show from the library. The main character, Dr. House, is addicted to pain medications and also happens to be not a very nice person, but through the course of the show, I was led to care about him and wanted him to get better. There were growth arcs that raised my hopes, but the writers reversed all progress on a regular basis to crush those hopes. Between that and the way nearly every other character was going through more and more troubling circumstances of their own, I had to stop watching it. I didn’t appreciate them destroying characters’ lives just to manipulate how I felt, and I found nothing to learn from going through the show that way.

Switched at Birth

This was one of my Netflix binges a few years ago when I was struggling with some stress and health issues and spent a good deal of time resting and watching TV. The show, based around two teenage girls who just found out that they were accidentally switched at birth, had some really neat storylines about family, the deaf community, growing up, and relationships. However, when crammed all together in my hours, days, and weeks, it was probably much more than my brain should have been taking in at once. There’s such a thing as too much emotional engagement, and this was the show that taught me the value of moderation.

Hello, My Twenties

This Korean drama is the story of several female roommates, mostly university students, that I happened upon on Netflix one day. I was hooked! It portrays a few intense situations that wouldn’t necessarily happen in the average person’s experience, but overall, it shows young 20-somethings having realistic reactions to life, whether it’s the everyday problems of having roommates or some darker threads that come up. I watched both seasons on Netflix and was never sorry—I generally came away relaxed.

Jane the Virgin

Over-the-top doesn’t have to be a negative thing. I absolutely love this show because it’s a brilliant satirical take on telenovelas and their type of drama. The narrator’s commentary teases the readers in some spots, diffuses the tension in others, and reminds viewers that this isn’t how life works in others. In addition to the narrative form, Jane herself is a character who responds to unbelievable situations in a believable way—and that’s a refreshing twist. I feel safe to laugh and cry at this one.

Assorted Teen Dramas

I didn’t watch a lot of teen drama when I was younger because our family shared one TV and only watched shows my parents were interested in. As an adult, I’ve tried to make up for missing the genre, but I’m finding I didn’t miss a lot. I don’t feel good about watching kids hurt, and I really don’t feel good about tying my emotional perspective into characters who are making poor life choices for poor reasons. In these situations, I usually have to go online and read the ending of the series to see if I should invest in the characters or let them go. Most of the time, having seen the endings, I let them go and feel nothing but relief and freedom.

Let drama help, not hinder.

Everyone will come to a different conclusion about what kind of drama they can take in and how it affects them. One of the biggest keys is respect: respecting yourself as a person, respecting your reader as a person, and respecting different people as having different emotional reactions, needs, and choices when it comes to drama.

For example, my boyfriend dislikes musicals because of the way they use music to tell you what to feel, and he’s not comfortable with even that level of emotional direction. I have a much more positive opinion of musicals. My solution to this difference is not to try to change his mind but rather to simply watch them with my sister instead. It’s not a big deal, so we don’t make it one. I respect his perspective, and he respects mine.

Drama is neither all good nor all bad—it’s a tool. As a writer, you have the choice to use this tool to either help or hinder the emotional growth of yourself and your readers. Be aware of how you’re letting it influence your emotions and worldview, and then be intentional with how you use it to impact your readers. When you pay a little attention to what’s going on, you can create a healthy balance, both for yourself and in your writing.  

Drama can be too much, but now you know the secret: it doesn’t have to be.