There’s a whole bunch of concepts out there named after dead people: Schrodinger's Cat, Occam’s Razor, Cole’s Law, and so on. Chekhov’s Gun comes into play in a lot of literary works, and understanding its function can turn it into a useful tool for your own writing. Anton Chekhov, an author and playwright from the late 19th century, published hundreds of short stories and penned 17 different plays. With theatrical works such as The Seagull, Uncle Vanya, and The Cherry Orchard, Chekhov helped define the modernist movement. His plays often don’t focus on complicated plot lines – normally, the characters just try their best to figure out life. They’re grounded in realism, yet still come to life on the stage, and theaters continue putting on his plays over a century later. The term “Chekhov’s Gun” comes from a piece of writing advice from the playwright himself. The rule states: “If in Act One you hang a pistol on the wall, then the pistol must fire in the final act.” It’s a tool for suspense – if you set up a potential catalyst, use that catalyst to escalate (or even resolve) the conflict. Let’s walk through this theory with an example. Character A recently inherited a firearm, but they don’t know how they feel about guns so they stash it in their desk. Character B enters the scene, declaring that they finally found a get-rich quick scheme that’ll solve both the character’s problems. Character A reluctantly agrees, and shenanigans ensue. Throughout the second act, tension mounts, lies are told, secrets are kept, suspicions are raised, etc. Character A butts heads with Character B, but B keeps pushing A. They’ve come so far, why stop now? Just hang on a little longer and everything will be over. But suddenly, things all go bust! It’s now the third act. They’re in hot water, and what was once butting heads evolves into full on brawling. A can’t believe they let B ruin their life, but B swears the plan would’ve worked if A wasn’t such a pushover. Fighting escalates, and A reaches into the desk, pulls out the pistol, and fires in a fit of rage. Your audience might forget that the gun is in the drawer between act one and three, and that’s okay. They’ll be surprised by the gun, but then they’ll have a lovely little “oh yeah!” moment. This tool focuses on foreshadowing and suspense, but more importantly, it’s about cohesiveness. You’ve taken the time to establish a significant detail that will later become an essential plot point, bringing the story full circle. Chekhov’s Gun can assist with red herrings as well. If you introduce a false clue in a mystery, you should explain towards the end why it is false and how it came to be. You placed that detail with intent, so make that intent clear to your reader to avoid confusion. If you’re stuck on a story, it may be beneficial to look back at your earlier chapters to see what you added. Perhaps a detail stands out as significant that you can use later on in the story. Maybe a certain tree in the yard your protagonist stared at with longing turns out to be the final piece of a puzzle. Or another character said something suspicious earlier on that holds more weight than originally intended. Taking the time to learn from older writers can teach us important tools for our own work. Add Chekhov’s Gun to your arsenal of tools to ensure a cohesive story that builds suspense appropriately. Ian Hebeisenis a writer based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Graduating in May 2020 with a degree in English Literature with a Writing Emphasis, Ian writes comics, poetry, and scripts. He is currently an intern for The Brain Health Magazine and aims to work in the comic publishing industry. In his spare time, Ian plays Dungeons & Dragons, board games, and bass guitar.
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