Perhaps youīve heard the story:

Two men were sitting on a train on their way to Scotland. One of them saw that the other one had a peculiar bag on the luggage rack. Finally, he became so curious as to ask:

- Excuse me, sir, but could you tell me what is in that odd-looking bag of yours?

The other man looked at the bag, and answered quite simply:

- Aye, itīs a MacGuffin.
- A MacGuffin? Whatīs that? asked the first man.
- Itīs an invention for hunting lions in Scotland.

The first man was perplexed and said:

- But there are no lions in Scotland.
- Oh, said the other man. Then itīs not.

Ever since I first heard that story, about the ethymology of the MacGuffin, in a stuffy classroom, at a screenwriting school, I often think of those two men on that train. I liked the story, but honestly I never fully understood it. What was the point? The question never got an answer. And the man with the MacGuffin was almost teasing the other fellow too much.

It wasnīt until later that I got the point completely. I wish it had been one of these moments when everything falls into place by itself, but it was less dramatic than than. I was flipping through a book about filmmaking, when I saw a definition of a MacGuffin. The book explained that the MacGuffin was the object that the plot hinged on. But what caught me was a note about Hitchcock, who some credit with inventing the name MacGuffin. Apparently, Hitchcock thought that MacGuffins are supposed to be vague and secretive. They only exist for the plot to revolve around. Its nature is not important. And therefore, its ethymology should be equally shrouded in a mystery...

Maybe the article should have ended there. You shouldnīt analyse a MacGuffin further. It should only be there. Hitchcock said so, and who am I to contradict the master?

But somehow you would have been disappointed if that was it. I would have seemed lazy. So, letīs continue without the masterīs blessings.

There is, however, another reason for me to continue writing. A more important reason. Too many people misunderstand what MacGuffins are all about. We canīt have it that way.

"Misunderstand?" perhaps you are thinking. "Well, I certainly know what a MacGuffin is. You just told me. Besides, Iīm fairly well educated. Hmpf!"

Okay, but for the record, letīs go through some of the misunderstandings anyway. For the benefit of all those not in our intelligence group.

1. MacGuffins does not only appear in thrillers and action films
You heard me. MacGuffins appear in every type of story, from Aischylos to THE MATRIX, from FOUR WEDDINGS AND A FUNERAL to "Seinfeld", from MY LIFE AS A DOG to "Ā la recherce du temps perdu"... Yeah, you get it. Theyīre everywhere.

Just because someone invented the name in connection with thrillers and spy stories in the 1930s and 40s, it doesnīt mean that the phenomenon stays there, and it doesnīt mean that there werenīt MacGuffins before. On the contrary, MacGuffins is a wholly different way of constructing stories. By beginning with the goal of the story, the characters quite naturally have something to strive for. It makes it easier to analyse other writersī stories ? which in turn makes it easier to imitate the classics in a more profound way, by learning the structure rather than the surface.

2. MacGuffins does not have to be microfilms or blueprints
This is key. If you believe that MacGuffins equals microfilms, the thought of introducing a MacGuffin into a story of your own becomes so absurd and/or abstract that it becomes meaningless to keep reading. And thatīs simply not the case.

MacGuffins comes in every form and types imaginable.

MacGuffins are both modern and cool. Or antiquated, or from the future. Since MacGuffins are everywhere, in every kind of story (see above), itīs logical to surmise that most MacGuffins are NOT microfilms or blueprints.

3. MacGuffins are not better when they are vague
Iīve heard that Hitchcockīs favorite MacGuffin is in NORTH BY NORTHWEST. In that film, both James Stewart and James Mason are after "government secrets". What kind of secret weīre talking about is never divulged, and thatīs what makes the film so good, according to Hitchcock.

I donīt agree. At least not if Hitchcockīs view is to be made a general rule. Because the better defined a MacGuffin is, the more involved you get into the story. If your MacGuffin is vague, then the rest of the movie tends to be equally vague.

So why does the master take that view? There are two reasons:

... because he doesnīt want to bog down a thriller with long expositional scenes.

... because he refers to the finished movie, while Iīm talking about creating MacGuffins.

As a matter of fact, when you get involved enough in a story, you will forget that youīre dealing with a MacGuffin. Itīs not until you look at the story with cold, analytical eyes that itīs plain that even humans can be MacGuffins...

4. MacGuffins does not have to stay MacGuffins throughout the entire story
The function of a character or an object can vary during the unfolding of a story. A protagonist can become a mentor in a single scene, only to become a MacGuffin in the next scene. Thatīs what creates dynamical and complex stories. Bad stories have set functions for the characters, thereby reducing them to stereotypes. Good stories show things that we hadnīt expected ? such as a former antagonist is transformed into a MacGuffin.

(If you want to know more about the different functions that characters can take, you can read all about it here.)

With these misunderstandings behind us, we can now start with the real center of this article, the real focal point, namely how you can find your very own MacGuffin...

How do you invent a good MacGuffin? Well, I believe that all MacGuffins have common traits, and by starting there, it becomes easier to finding a MacGuffin that suits your story. That said, here comes my list of things that makes a MacGuffin good:

A. CAN CHANGE OWNER
Macguffins are by nature mobile. One moment they are in the hands of the hero, the next in somebody elses hands. That means that they have to be able to change owners, and preferably quite fast, so that the changes can surprise the audience. This stands, whether we talk about a book that can wake the dead (THE MUMMY), the highest point on the lion cliff (THE LION KING), a job in a TV soap opera (TOOTSIE), or the ability to fly ("Lois and Clark")

B. IS WORTH FIGHTING FOR
A MacGuffin must have an intrinsic value, or the audience wonīt understand why more than one character is looking for it. You can tell pretty soon if the audience goes "So what?" at your MacGuffin, by the reaction to the story as a whole.

One of the most apparent ways to see if your MacGuffin is worth fighting for is to check if the characters are willing to risk anything to get it. If a woman is willing to go across a continent for the possibility of getting together with a man (SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE), you instantly get that this relationship is worth something.

This means that MacGuffins get many and large consequenses. In some cases it can be life or death, but more often itīs different kinds of relationships, status, and/or self-esteem, that is affected.

C. FITS THE STORY
The best MacGuffins are intimately connected with the theme of the story and its characters, so as to amplify the theme, rather than to distort it (cf: all stories that deal with people chasing a treasure, and at the same time talks about generosity...).

And characters are often defined by what theyīre after, i.e. their MacGuffin.

D. IMPLIES AN ARENA
Many MacGuffins connect naturally to a specific area. Funny money belong in the world of heists, and new cures belong in hospitals, etc. This area fuels your MacGuffin. The fact is that noone will buy your miracle cure if you donīt deal with rivalling drugs (or doctors). So use the arena that your MacGuffin is asociated with. And vice versa ? use your arenaīs possible MacGuffins.

But surely there is a point in mixing new arenas with a known MacGuffin? Yes, if itīs done with a particular reason, such as "nobody has ever dealt with the ability to make fire during the stone age" (THE QUEST FOR FIRE). To combine MacGuffins and areas every which way is not very smart. It often only leads to the story being all over the place. Just look at WILD, WILD WEST.

E. EXISTS IN THE MIND OF THE AUDIENCE
The greater number of readers or viewers that recognise your MacGuffin, the more time you can devote to telling a great story about it. (Actually, they donīt expect you to tell them everything about the MacGuffin, they expect to hear what happens with it.)

And the audience likes to recognise both its external form (for example a car) and its function (for example to transport a person back and forth in time).

That doesnīt mean that the combination needs to be constant, but rather the opposite ? the people like new combinations. Of course, there are only so many functions. The solution is to reuse old functions in new forms. Now it can feel weird to recycle something from a previous story, but everybody does it. Just remember to add some element every time you borrow something. In the movie HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS there is a bird called Fawkes, whose tears can heal wounds (which comes really in handy at the end...). This is not a new function in and of itself: Jesus had the same talent, as well as ET, not to mention the Karate Kidīs trainer, Mr Miyagi. But to combine healing with a crying bird, thatīs innovative.

Furthermore, itīs the form that connects with the audience. By choosing something contemporary or universally, something people know, you will get a greater response, than if you invent something odd, or choose something out of date. For exampel, check the James Bond films. Bond has many cool gadgets, but they come in the shape of ordinary things: pens, cell phones, watches, attache cases, key rings. After that you will never look at your pen in the same way. That effect you couldnīt get with something nobody had seen before. (Guess if Stephen King uses the same technique, to get a different response...)

This is why I thought Iīd share a short list of the most common functions, so you could spend your time finding new forms to them:

Money, valuables and relics
Tools and keys
Vehicles and storage spaces
Knowledge and messages
Proofs, witnesses and trumps
Clues and maps
Abilities and talents
Status and job positions
Contracts and laws
Inventions
Medicins and healing abilities
Contagions and drugs
Hostages and prey
Weapons
Protection mechanisms
Symbols
Places
Loved and hated individuals
Anti-MacGuffins (something you want to get rid of)

There you go. You can probably come up with more functions, but these should suffice for now. But consider that all functions can be abstract as well: a weapon can be a threat to tell momma, and a hostage could be a valuable book that youīve borrowed.

F. IS SIMPLE TO EXPLAIN
Even if the MacGuffin you have in mind might not exist precisely in the mind of the audience, it should be easy to put there. The more exceptions and "no, rather..." you add to your MacGuffin, the bigger is your obstacle. And the easiest way to make sure your MacGuffins is not to complex is to write down a description of it. If the description is more than one sentence, and has parentheses, then itīs too long. Keep working at it, remove everything that isnīt super-necessary. You will benefit from it later.

G. CAN CARRY A TITLE
Good MacGuffins are so enticing by themselves that they make excellent titles. They summarize the entire story, style and arena, like this: LORD OF THE RINGS, RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, "Waiting for Godot", THEREīS SOMETHING ABOUT MARY, THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER, GET SHORTY, THE TREASURE OF SIERRA MADRE, THE VERDICT, "Il Nozze di Figarro", STARGATE, THE BRIDGE OF THE RIVER KWAI... or hundreds of other stories.

If your MacGuffin isnīt exciting enough to put as a title, then you should consider changing MacGuffin. Thatīs how important your MacGuffin is.

Okay, go out and collect MacGuffins.

When you think that you have found something that has everything that a good MacGuffin has, then you have a MacGuffin you can work with. Then you have something obvious that you can point to if someone asks you to cut it. You have a term for it. Also, you have something that is selling, no matter how you execute it.

By Lennart Guldbrandsson

Find your own MacGuffin
Can change owners
Is worth fighting for
Fits the story
Implies an arena
Exists in the mind of the audience
Usual functions
Is simple to explain
Can carry a title