Chekhov's Gun
A gun is a potent weapon.
Imagine walking into a luxuriant office: thick, softly upholstered lounge chairs; a vast sea of hardbound books, well-read and musty with age; and a large, heavy, dark wood desk, replete with a jar of thick Indian ink, a delicate nib-pin, and yellow writing pad.
And centered upon that writing pad, contrasting highly against the bright yellow sheets and thin blue lines, a gun lies.
No one walks into a room where a gun is openly visible and does not have concern ripple through their body. No one.
So why would a speaker present an audience with a gun, yet never use it?
The gun never need be fired. It never need kill. But if the gun is mentioned, if it is seen, it must have had a purpose to the narrative. For the owner of the gun on the desk — there was a reason it lay upon the yellow writing pad.
This is the posit of Chekhov's Gun. What is seen; what is mentioned; what is observed — it must have a point.
In any given speech, if the speaker makes a comment about an object or activity of significance, it's the responsibility of the speaker to let the audience know why that item is significant.
Why is there a gun on the desk? Why did the speaker mention that his daughter's birthday dress was torn? Why did the speaker tell us of her uncle's passing?
To mention something and never bring it backup is to confuse the audience. At best, the speaker has simply wasted words unnecessarily. But usually, they've planted a seed in the audience's mind but never gave it enough water to blossom, and that is a sad state to leave the audience in.
Chekhov's Gun is a form of foreshadowing. When used with purpose, it builds tension in the narrative that can later be released into the audience. It's creating the ripple of concern in the audience early in the speech, but then soothing that same concern later in the story, releasing the tension and often creating that sought after "ah-ha" moment that really can make an idea or point stick.
No one thinks of a gun as an insignificant detail.
Next time you lead your audience through a richly furnished office, watch out for Chekhov's Gun. If you find you've put one into the scene, make sure you put it to use. Your audience will be waiting.
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