6 Plot Devices Every Manga Creator Needs to Know
Direct Answers
What is a cliffhanger in manga?
A cliffhanger is an effective plot device that ends a scene or chapter during intense action, a shocking revelation, or a critical moment. This creates immediate suspense and leaves the reader desperate to know what happens next. To use cliffhangers effectively in your story:
- Avoid repetitive endings, like always having the hero about to die.
- Mix up the types of cliffhangers by revealing secret identities or asking intriguing questions.
- Ensure the cliffhanger naturally connects to the events in the next chapter.
How do you use foreshadowing effectively?
Foreshadowing hints at future events to create anticipation and allow readers to make predictions. Skillful creators use subtle clues in conversation, seemingly insignificant panels, or recurring symbolism.
You can apply foreshadowing to your story using these core steps:
- Plant seeds early by introducing important elements without making them obvious.
- Make clues subtle so they are missed initially but clear on a reread.
- Vary your methods by using dialogue, visual cues, prophecies, or dreams.
- Avoid overusing clues to prevent the story from becoming predictable.
- Connect the hints directly to a major plot twist.
What is Deus Ex Machina in a story?
Deus ex machina, or god from the machine, is a sudden and improbable event that resolves a seemingly impossible situation. This device is often criticized because it feels artificial, like a writer used a miracle to escape a corner they wrote themselves into. If you must use this device, follow these rules:
- Foreshadow the possibility of the event earlier in the story.
- Ensure the improbable solution aligns with the established logic and rules of your world.
- Match the tone, as this device fits comedic stories better than gritty realistic dramas.
- Check for alternatives where characters use established abilities or existing allies instead.
What is Chekhov's gun in writing?
Chekhov's gun is a writing principle stating that every element introduced into a story should be relevant and serve a later purpose. If you show a gun on the wall in the first act, it should be fired by the third act.
This concept applies to literal objects, unique character skills, specific backstories, and pieces of information. Using this principle rewards attentive readers, makes your world feel cohesive, and prevents your narrative from feeling cluttered with unnecessary details.
Understanding Core Plot Devices
Plot devices are absolutely crucial for any manga, comic, or webtoon artist looking to hook their readers. A plot device is anything that happens to change the status quo or move the story in a particular direction.
There are six core plot devices that you can use to move the plot of your story forward.
Creating Suspense with Cliffhangers
Cliffhangers are probably the most frequently used plot device in manga for a reason. They are incredibly effective at keeping audiences hooked.
A cliffhanger occurs when you end a scene or chapter in the midst of intense action, a shocking piece of information, or a critical moment. This leaves your reader desperate to know what happens next.
It creates immediate suspense and encourages readers to pick up the next installment.
Avoid repetitive cliffhangers. If every chapter ends with a hero about to die, it can become predictable.
You should mix it up with shocking reveals, like a character's secret identity getting exposed. You can also use a past event that now makes sense with new information or have a character ask a question that has massive implications. Make sure the cliffhanger naturally leads into the next chapter.
Revealing Context through Flashbacks
A flashback is a sudden, vivid reexperiencing of a past event, usually triggered through a memory. Flashbacks are your secret weapon for providing essential background information and context.
They reveal past events that directly influence the present storyline, giving clarity to your characters and their motivations. Flashbacks are especially effective for building character arcs and revealing your character's ghost.
The ghost is a past trauma that creates a lie a character believes about themselves. This lie often drives their actions and initiates their arc as they learn to grow out of it and accept the truth.
You can use flashbacks to explain a character's behavior or reveal the origin of a conflict. If readers wonder how an ancient rivalry between two factions began, the flashback of a key character would be quite useful.
You want to avoid info dumps. Weave flashbacks organically into the narrative so the reader feels like they are discovering a major secret rather than reading a textbook.
Building Anticipation with Foreshadowing
Foreshadowing is your way of hinting at future events to create anticipation. It allows your readers to make predictions or feel a sense of dread or excitement about what is to come.
Skillful manga artists do this subtly through information revealed in conversation. A character might let slip a piece of information that seems trivial at the time.
You can also use seemingly insignificant panels, a brief shot of an object, a location, or a minor character that later plays a major role. Recurring sayings or symbolic imagery can also hint at deeper meanings.
Plant seeds early by introducing elements that will be important later on, but do not make them too obvious. The best foreshadowing is often missed on the first read but becomes clear on a reread.
Vary your methods by using dialogue, visual cues, prophecies, and dreams to foreshadow events. Too much foreshadowing can make the story predictable, so you must find a balance and connect clues to major plot twists.
Changing Direction with Plot Twists
Plot twists are unexpected events that completely change the direction of your story. They keep your readers on their toes and prevent your narrative from becoming predictable.
These are the moments that make your story unforgettable. A well-executed plot twist can recontextualize everything a reader thought they knew about your hero or villain.
The Risks of Deus Ex Machina
Deus ex machina, or god from the machine, is a sudden improbable event that resolves a seemingly impossible situation. This is the equivalent of a writer using a miracle to get out of a corner they wrote themselves into.
While it can be used, it is often criticized for feeling artificial and unearned. Executing this poorly can completely ruin a story for a reader because it feels like a magic wand was used to solve a problem.
If you must use a deus ex machina, you absolutely need to hint at its possibility earlier in the story. It should never come entirely out of the blue.
Even if the event seems improbable, the solution should ideally align with the established logic of your world. You also need to consider the tone, as a deus ex machina might fit better in an absurd comedy than a realistic drama.
Before resorting to this device, ask yourself if there is a better alternative. Look for a way for the characters to overcome the issue using their established abilities, intelligence, or help from existing allies.
Making Details Matter with Chekhov's Gun
Chekhov's gun is a writing principle named after the Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. It states that every element introduced into a story should be relevant.
If you show a gun on the wall in the first act, it should be fired by the third act. Chekhov's gun does not always mean a literal gun.
It can be a character's unique skill, a piece of information, a symbolic object, or a specific backstory.
Any object, skill, or character you introduce should have a purpose and be used later in the narrative. This plot device rewards attentive readers, makes your world feel cohesive, and prevents your story from feeling cluttered with unnecessary details.
When you introduce something new, ask yourself what role it will play later. Ensure that the elements you introduce actually pay off, and do not forget about magical items you showed in early chapters.
Make sure to avoid the opposite of Chekhov's gun, which is a plot hole or a dangling thread. These are elements that are introduced and never explained or used again.