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| Go ahead, Harry, use the gun. |
If you show the audience a gun, you absolutely must use it.
Totally obvious, right? In any dramatic tale every single element of the story is there because the story wouldn't work without it. It's the usual - only keep what's absolutely necessary. Oh, by the way, the reason why I refer to "dramatic" tales above is simply because the same rules don't necessarily apply in comedies where you may go screenwriting-nuts in altogether different ways.
Totally obvious, right? In any dramatic tale every single element of the story is there because the story wouldn't work without it. It's the usual - only keep what's absolutely necessary. Oh, by the way, the reason why I refer to "dramatic" tales above is simply because the same rules don't necessarily apply in comedies where you may go screenwriting-nuts in altogether different ways.
Back to the gun in the drawer. Act I - someone opens the drawer, the audience sees the gun, that someone closes the drawer again. The audience will, consciously or subconsciously, remember it. The audience knows that whatever has been shown, has been shown for a reason. Always remember that when you write your scenes. My example is that one with the gun - but your "gun" could be anything, of course. A side remark, a frown, a glance. Is what you're writing - what you're showing the audience - essential for the story? And, if your particular "gun" is indeed essential - are you making original and inevitable use of it later in the story?
Here's the rub - you may think you can get away with tossing in a bit of cool stuff for the fun of it - but if that cool stuff is not essential - trust me, your audience will notice and your audience will not be forgiving. So remember the "gun" rule. If you show it, you must use it ... and when you get to that glorious moment of using it, don't forget to be creative about it!
