tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6083612851716281896.post8274200419378774283..comments2024-03-28T02:34:34.041-07:00Comments on Rachna's Scriptorium: An Amazing Literary Device : the MacGuffinRachna Chhabriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16900999965919504282noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6083612851716281896.post-33302889862670784872011-04-26T07:00:59.957-07:002011-04-26T07:00:59.957-07:00I've never heard of this! Thanks for teaching ...I've never heard of this! Thanks for teaching me something :)Saumyahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08517289532769906489noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6083612851716281896.post-17521480101395102572011-04-25T18:16:48.844-07:002011-04-25T18:16:48.844-07:00I've never purposely used one, although I am o...I've never purposely used one, although I am open to trying it. Will let you know how it goes! Thanks for the info. :) <br />Have a great week,<br />KarenKaren Langehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18177923284595298347noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6083612851716281896.post-28708008656843421612011-04-25T10:51:25.430-07:002011-04-25T10:51:25.430-07:00Never heard of this! It seems that every story sho...Never heard of this! It seems that every story should have one, at least in the sense that it's what the MC wants most. It may not be a physical object. But if it's what the MC wants most, it would have to drive the entire plot. Unless the MacGuffin is just what they think they want, but it evolves that they really want something else. Great post!alexiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07122487552931794871noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6083612851716281896.post-44943692389598685842011-04-25T03:16:31.249-07:002011-04-25T03:16:31.249-07:00I've never heard of a MacGuffin and I'm no...I've never heard of a MacGuffin and I'm not sure I'd be able to tell if my WIP has one or not. I shall certainly look though!<br /><br />Awesome post.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.elliegarratt.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow">Ellie Garratt</a>Ellie Garratthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03731071128348213067noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6083612851716281896.post-85317572513057238502011-04-25T00:15:15.145-07:002011-04-25T00:15:15.145-07:00I had heard of a Macguffin before but I was never ...I had heard of a Macguffin before but I was never sure what it really was. Thanks for clearing this up!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6083612851716281896.post-78884612241250032972011-04-24T16:58:12.905-07:002011-04-24T16:58:12.905-07:00Interesting post! I hadn't heard the term '...Interesting post! I hadn't heard the term 'MacGuffin' but I'm not likely to forget it now.<br /><br />I've not used a literal MacGuffin (like the briefcase in Pulp Fiction) but I've used non-literal ones, like glory or love or freedom. I like the idea of both a literal and a non-literal one. I guess a different expression would be the main character's basic need and circumstancial need.<br /><br />JaiJai Joshihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04858987106548357551noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6083612851716281896.post-57542949761287660122011-04-24T14:52:43.454-07:002011-04-24T14:52:43.454-07:00I hadn't heard of a MacGuffin before, although...I hadn't heard of a MacGuffin before, although I had heard about the ploy.Lynda R Young as Elle Cardyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09975442291393246148noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6083612851716281896.post-16753955529002493992011-04-23T19:14:56.818-07:002011-04-23T19:14:56.818-07:00Rachna, you're chalk full of literary info! Th...Rachna, you're chalk full of literary info! This one is fantastic. I'm sure I have one here and there, but I'd need brainpower to think on that...<br /><br />Happy Easter, cutie pie!<br />*hugs*<br /><br /><a href="http://elizabethmueller.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow">♥.•*¨Elizabeth¨*•.♥</a>Elizabeth Muellerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06028099814857743134noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6083612851716281896.post-61602089354282791682011-04-23T10:24:52.152-07:002011-04-23T10:24:52.152-07:00I've heard of the term before, but didn't ...I've heard of the term before, but didn't have a clear idea of what it is, so thank you for this great informative post and the examples. Now I will be looking for it in all books and movies! The book I'm curently reading is "Falling Under" and if the McGuffin is what the MC wants most, it's the girl wanting her father to love her; but really good stories quickly complicate that want with other things.Margo Berendsenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03476308235642890474noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6083612851716281896.post-91886582251189454072011-04-23T09:08:38.301-07:002011-04-23T09:08:38.301-07:00Love this post. I don't have a MacGuffin, but ...Love this post. I don't have a MacGuffin, but will consider it for future novels. :O)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6083612851716281896.post-54647381051713078052011-04-23T07:45:22.585-07:002011-04-23T07:45:22.585-07:00Honestly, I had not heard about it. very informati...Honestly, I had not heard about it. very informative.<br /><br />Rachna, my friend in Blore wants creative writing classes for her 14 yr old....Any ideas?Alka Gurhahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12050387590729571321noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6083612851716281896.post-5279059147823418242011-04-23T07:02:49.952-07:002011-04-23T07:02:49.952-07:00What you're talking about is kind of like the ...What you're talking about is kind of like the gun on the mantle, Rachna: <br /><br />Put the gun on the mantle. A writing aphorism states that if one character will shoot another at the end of a play, the audience needs to see the gun on the mantle at the beginning of the play. Fill in your story with the details needed to make the climax inevitable.Robyn Campbellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17356555082768185840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6083612851716281896.post-34174012318349361622011-04-23T06:04:45.061-07:002011-04-23T06:04:45.061-07:00thanks for enhancing my knowledge about Macguffin ...thanks for enhancing my knowledge about Macguffin :)Rachithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09671194017987611900noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6083612851716281896.post-42917961955577759652011-04-23T05:21:23.868-07:002011-04-23T05:21:23.868-07:00Hmmm, you got me thinking! I feature a knapsack an...Hmmm, you got me thinking! I feature a knapsack and a leather shoulder bag (historical fiction here) in my book. Literary devices, yes. Macguffins? Didn't put a name to them before, but now I know :-) Thanks for a neat topic...<br /><br />Oh, and I loved the ending with Rosebud in Citizen Kane!Kenda Turnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12972218446945404475noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6083612851716281896.post-40814325836461306752011-04-23T04:49:15.698-07:002011-04-23T04:49:15.698-07:00I've heard of this term before. It seems to me...I've heard of this term before. It seems to me that all stories have some type of MacGuffin in them. Its definition is rather vague though! It could be anything from an object to an abstraction and at the same time be wholly unimportant if its forgettable by the end, haha.Laura S.https://www.blogger.com/profile/13934230198562773803noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6083612851716281896.post-70020618220852902702011-04-23T02:01:37.835-07:002011-04-23T02:01:37.835-07:00cool, but what about the 'macgyver'? :O lo...cool, but what about the 'macgyver'? :O lollaughingwolfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08873675614347328116noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6083612851716281896.post-10330000352549653872011-04-23T00:20:32.103-07:002011-04-23T00:20:32.103-07:00@ Rishta..thanks.
@ Mooderino....I thought the sa...@ Rishta..thanks.<br /><br />@ Mooderino....I thought the same thing, that every story must have a MacGuffin, which the character wants badly. But, then after reading Hitchcock, I was confused.<br /><br />@ Lia...thanks for giving me such clear examples. I found the MacGuffin in my WIP after reading your examples. :)Rachna Chhabriahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16900999965919504282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6083612851716281896.post-40331925388250134442011-04-22T23:23:25.271-07:002011-04-22T23:23:25.271-07:00The letters of transit in Casablanca is the McGuff...The letters of transit in Casablanca is the McGuffin of that movie. The statue of a falcon in The Maltese Falcon (movie). The Philosopher's Stone and the Elder Wand in Harry Potter. All of these are examples of McGuffins around which plots revolve.Lia Keyeshttp://liakeyes.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6083612851716281896.post-64098263501045164962011-04-22T22:30:20.154-07:002011-04-22T22:30:20.154-07:00Just about every story has a macguffin, it's j...Just about every story has a macguffin, it's just the thing the character wants. The reason Hitchcock gave it such a silly name was because it doesn't really matter what it is, deep down we know the boy will get the girl, the cop will catch the killer etc. <br /><br />The reason for watching a movie or reading a story is less about finding out who wins or loses, and more about the journey and the way the characters interact with each other. <br /><br />It's just that in order to get the audience to come with you on that journey you need to give them an end point to aim for. It's a trick to keep their attention focused on the story. Sorry, not a trick, a literary device.<br /><br />regards<br />mood<br /><a href="http://moodywriting.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow">Moody Writing</a>mooderinohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01523337588830695638noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6083612851716281896.post-79151988874659169872011-04-22T21:03:10.541-07:002011-04-22T21:03:10.541-07:00Very Informative post. I too had not heard of this...Very Informative post. I too had not heard of this term, Rachna. You have a great blog, and I am glad I found it.Rishta Mehtanoreply@blogger.com