In improvisation, one of the first techniques you learn is that if you want a scene to come to a grinding halt, respond to your partner's statement with a "yes, but..."
For instance, you say, "We're trapped!" Your partner says, "Yes, but there's a hidden door over here." What they did was kill immediately any tension or drama that could have arisen out of the situation.
In literature, Scrooge is a "yes, but" person at the start. The poor are starving? Yes, but there are poorhouses and workhouses."
We encounter lots of "yes, but" people in real life, too. You say, "I sold a short story to a little magazine!" They say, "Yes, but nobody really reads those, do they?" Or, if they're more subtle, "Yes, but I'm sure one of these days you'll sell something to a bigger magazine!"
The alternative is "Yes, and..." In the improvisation example, the response could be, "Yes, and I hear something growling!" That ramps up the suspense and opens another line of drama. In the personal examples, it might be, "Yes [you sold a short story to a little magazine} and we must celebrate!"
By the end of "A Christmas Carol" Scrooge has turned into a "yes, and" person. It's Christmas! Yes, and let's buy the biggest goose we can find for Christmas dinner!"
In "yes, but...", whatever comes after the "but" tends to negate or devalue or cancel out whatever was said. In "yes, and..." whatever comes after the "but" tends to enhance or add to whatever was said.
As you can tell, "yes, and..." people are much more fun to be around. We like them more than we like "yes, but..." people.
That can be a useful thing to keep in mind when you're creating characters and writing their dialogue.If you want to create someone annoying and unpopular, give them the "yes, but" attitude. If you want the reader or viewer to warm to them quickly, give them the "yes,and" attitude.
Hmm, might be worth checking whether we are "yes, but..." or "yes, and..." people ourselves!
(For more on creating fascinating characters, see my book, "Your Writing Coach," available from Amazon and other online and offline booksellers. Find out more at www.YourWritingCoach.com)
