Explore Depth and Emotion With Tankas
A tanka is a five-line poem with a syllable structure of 5-7-5-7-7. Like haikus, tankas focus on imagery. But with two additional lines, you have more room to explore emotional depth, tension, and resolution. Tankas encourage balance between brevity and expansion, a valuable skill when writing longer scenes or dialogue exchanges that reveal character complexities.
If haikus teach you how to be concise, tankas help expand your ideas while maintaining a tight narrative focus. Tankas allow for more character introspection or development within the same compact space. In screenwriting, this is like adding a beat or a pause to a moment, stretching out a scene without breaking its momentum.
If you break it down, a tanka's structure can apply to a script this way:
- The first three lines (5-7-5). These lines focus on presenting a visual or thematic image. Think of these lines as the setup of your scene. In screenwriting, this could be the establishment of a setting, a character’s internal conflict through subtext, or an emotionally charged moment.
- The last two lines (7-7): These last couple lines offer a reflective twist or response to the initial imagery. In a screenplay, this is where the scene develops into something more, either through dialogue, a subtle reveal, or an unexpected emotional shift.
Scene Expansion and Emotional Layers
While not necessarily written with tankas in mind, certain screenplays have scenes that reflect the structure and flow of this poetic form. For instance, consider a screenplay like If Beale Street Could Talk, written by Barry Jenkins, based on James Baldwin’s novel. Jenkins is a master of crafting scenes that feel poetic, often taking quiet moments and allowing them to breathe, revealing deeper emotions. Much like a tanka, Jenkins’ scenes often introduce a moment, expand on the emotion or tension, and then resolve it within the same sequence.
Tankas are also useful for dialogue, especially in dramas or thrillers, where tension needs time to build. For example, in Get Out by Jordan Peele, there are moments when the characters’ dialogue lingers, slowly revealing layers of tension beneath the surface. The tanka structure can inspire writers to build this kind of slow-burn intensity in their dialogue exchanges, giving room for characters to reveal themselves in subtle ways.
Practical Exercise: Expanding a Scene with a Tanka
Now that you’ve practiced the precision of the haiku, let’s experiment with expanding a scene or a moment using the tanka’s structure. Pick a scene or dialogue exchange from your script or from a favorite movie, where you want to develop more emotional depth or tension.
Exercise:
- Write the first three lines of your scene (similar to a haiku) that introduce the action or setting.
- Use the last two lines to expand on the character’s internal emotions or a rising tension. Think of these two lines as the "turn" in your scene, where something shifts in the character’s awareness or the scene’s atmosphere.
- Compare this tanka-like structure to the original scene. How does the additional space allow you to expand without losing focus?
For inspiration, explore tankas on Poets.org or The Poetry Foundation, and study scenes from If Beale Street Could Talk or Get Out to see how small moments can carry big emotional weight.
Conclusion and Additional Resources
Tankas provide a balance between brevity and expansion, much like screenwriting requires moments of restraint and elaboration. By practicing this form, you’ll improve your ability to develop emotional complexity without dragging out your scenes. In the next post, we’ll explore sonnets, a poetic form that offers even more structure and symmetry, perfect for creating tension and resolution in your scripts.
Further Reading:
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