If you are a writer, you have probably heard about the studio and network note "Show, don't tell." Many writers receive this note in their careers. When you show us in the present, we are in the heat of the moment. We are a part of it.
In my work with writers, I teach the idea that the flaw is the story of the wound. So, when we see the flaw in action from the start, it makes us lean in. We feel the anticipation of wanting to know more about the story of the wound.
The wound can be the childhood wound that happens in the trigger event before we enter the story or the wound from the series trigger or inciting incident that splits open the earlier wound. I call this tool the Triangle of the Wound: the childhood wound, the trigger event wound before we enter the story, and the inciting incident that splits them both open.
A recent tool I am using with writers is showing the flaw of the central character's parent, which takes us deeper into the wound. When we see the flaw in action, it tells us so much. With this approach, you don't need to go into the past to make us feel the wound since we see it in the present in full force.
In a recent series I watched, Mother Father Son, we feel the flaw of the opposing parent with the father from the start. It gives us a deep insight into why the son is the way he is. We feel the generational dysfunction. This show goes further into the season arc by showing us the wound of the son's father through the flaw of his father. By seeing the generational wounding caused by the flaw, we get a more profound insight into the character.
In FLEABAG, two seasons are created from the father's abandonment. We feel this arc by seeing Fleabag's flaw in all its glory from the start. Then, it builds to the "all is lost" sequence when Fleabag must do the one thing that she and Boo, Fleabag's best friend who died before we enter the story, made a pact never to do which is ask for help. In the climax scene with the father, seeing his wound tells us everything. We don't need to go back in time. We see it, and we feel it. Following is an excerpt from the breakdowns from one of my digital courses.
“Fleabag goes to see her father. He is surprised to see her. She starts to ask a question but stops herself. Her father says it's nearly 2:00 am. Fleabag starts to leave. She tells her father that she has a bad feeling that she's a greedy, selfish, apathetic, cynical, depraved, morally bankrupt woman who can't even call herself a feminist. Her father says, "Well, um... You get all of that from your mother." Fleabag is in tears at this point. She is speechless. She laughs. He tells her that he's going to call her a cab. He tells her not to go upstairs.”
When you show rather than tell, you allow the audience to experience the flaw, the wound, and the subtext through their lens. You don't need to go into exposition to make us understand the past; you need to show us the present through the response of your central character.
Always love the way you describe these concepts so clearly, Jen! Thank you :)