Building Suspense: MacGuffins and Red Herrings in World-Building
The Weekly Rhapsody: Maguffins and Red Herrings
Welcome, friends, to a new week and a new weekly focus here at Rhapsody in Realms! This week, we’re diving into the fascinating world of MacGuffins and Red Herrings. These two devices are essential tools for any world-builder or storyteller, helping to create suspense, intrigue, and depth in your narratives. Right now, let’s have a quick introduction to the concepts, explore their definitions, and discuss how they relate to each other.
It’s always good to start out with a clear definition of any device, that way we know how to meet — or subvert — expectations. Many people have trouble telling the difference between these two concepts, and some even understand them to be the same. So let’s tease them apart.
What is a MacGuffin?
A MacGuffin is a plot device that drives the story forward. It’s an object, event, or character that the protagonists pursue, often without the audience knowing its true significance. The term was popularized by Alfred Hitchcock, who used MacGuffins to create suspense and keep the audience engaged.
In essence, a MacGuffin is the “thing” that everyone in the story wants, but its actual nature is often irrelevant to the plot’s outcome. It’s the pursuit that matters, not the object itself.
What is a Red Herring?
A Red Herring, on the other hand, is a misleading clue or distraction that diverts the audience’s attention from the true plot or outcome. It’s a deliberate attempt by the storyteller to mislead the audience, creating twists and turns that keep them guessing. Red Herrings are often used in mystery and thriller genres to build suspense and surprise the audience when the true plot is revealed.
Relationship Between MacGuffins and Red Herrings
While MacGuffins and Red Herrings serve different purposes, they can be used together to great effect. A MacGuffin can often turn out to be a Red Herring, leading the characters and the audience on a wild chase that ultimately reveals a different truth. This twist delivers complexity to your story, makes it more unpredictable.
For example, a story might revolve around the search for a powerful artifact (the MacGuffin), only for the characters to discover that the artifact is a decoy (the Red Herring), and the real goal lies elsewhere. This kind of twist not only surprises the audience but also adds depth to the narrative. Now, the characters must reassess their goals and motivations in the midst of the adventure!
The Bottom Line
MacGuffins and Red Herrings are powerful tools in your storyteller’s arsenal. They create suspense, drive the plot, and keep your audience engaged. By understanding how to use these devices effectively, you can craft more compelling and intricate stories. Stay tuned for tomorrow’s post, where we’ll explore examples of MacGuffins and Red Herrings in popular culture and see how these concepts have been used to create some of my favorite narratives!
Coming This Week:
Tomorrow, we’ll take a look at some of my favorite examples of MacGuffins and Red Herrings, both those that have worked, and those that haven’t.
On Tuesday, I’ll take you through some of the MacGuffins and Red Herrings that I’ve got planned in both Avalon and Argentii.
Wednesday, I’m answering your questions for World-building Wednesday and Ask the Bard! Hit me up in Notes, leave a comment, send me a direct message.
How to subvert our MacGuffins into Red Herrings, and other fun surprises to keep our audience engaged and begging for more.
New fiction on Fiction Friday, The Graveside Letters of Jolene Williams 03! Catch up here:
Part 01: I Miss You
Part 02: How Are You?
A wrap up and round-up of the week and a NEW game: Quick Six, a series of themed prompts to get you thinking about how to apply MacGuffins and Red Herrings to your own world-building! (This weekend got away from me, but I’ve completed one of my bigger projects and have more time to devote to getting this prepped.)