According to a story in Harper's Magazine by Art Spiegelman, Alfred Hitchcock called a plot device, which has nothing to do with the story yet to be told, a McGuffin. The purpose of a McGuffin is just to ignite the telling of the story.
I tried to think of an example of this (I thought about it for about 20 seconds) and I couldn't come up with one. Rather than expend any more brain energy, quite naturally, I Googled an image of Alfred Hitchcock. One of the pictures was of Hitchcock standing next to a suggestion box holding a large, sturdy noose. He has one hand above the knotted noose and the other on the loop of the noose.
Now I see that this picture of Hitchcock could itself be a McGuffin and that a McGuffin is also much like a writing prompt. (I referred to a writing prompt in a previous blog.) It could be used in various genres. For example,
Romance: She noticed the strength of his sinewy hands holding the noose in a way she never had when he was cleaning her septic system. The kindness in Reuben's eyes let her know that he was there to save her from the evil dental hygienist who had only been after the inheritance from her dead husband. She stepped into his arms and the noose draped around their bodies creating a bond that would hold them until death do they part. It was then that she learned that her little brother had joined a circus and her parents, on their deathbeds, pleaded with her to find the boy and bring him back to visit their graves.
Spy thriller: Little did Ingor Spitowski know that Filmore had known her about the key that she carried in her shoe that opened the door leading to the President's vault at the end of the tunnel. Filmore had tempted her to the roof with promises of hemp by-products. But he had to keep her alive, wriggling in the noose, until she told him where she had hidden her left shoe, a pump previously worn by Barbara Walters on the View. Once Barbara's shoe was recovered, the interview with Putin began with questions about his chest hair exposed during his recent vacation at the beach.
Horror: too obvious
Anyway, I like the idea of using images as prompts. I also like using Google as a substitute for original thinking. Who doesn't?
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1 comment:
I read Piers Anthony's second biography. He said just write. Have two to three projects going at once because if you are stuck on one you will probably have something for the other. The other thing he said was if you are stuck write notes on why you are stuck. Ok it is not completely on McGuffin, which I have never heard of. But I am an aspiring writer myself so I thought I would write a reply to your blog. I have been writing a lot lately. I am entering a contest and I am applying for scholarships for school, which requires more writing then I ever dreamed. Last night I actually got tired of writing 250-500 word essays. And here I am writng again. But I keep meaning to call you and I have not so here I am writing on your blog. Take care.
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