What is a MacGuffin?
A MacGuffin is the object or goal characters chase, fight over or try to protect, but which matters to the story less for what it is than for the movement it creates. It can be a stolen jewel, a secret document or a lost sword; for the reader, the point isn't what the object is but where it drives the characters.
Where does the term come from?
The term became widely known through director Alfred Hitchcock, who used it to describe the technique. In his view, the MacGuffin is vital to the characters and almost irrelevant to the audience; the real interest lies in the people chasing it.
How does it work?
A MacGuffin gives the story a goal: everyone wants it, each for a different reason. That goal sets characters on the road, turns them against each other and brings their real problems to the surface. A ring named in a prophecy in fantasy, a missing notebook in a mystery and a treasure map in an adventure are typical examples.
How it differs from Chekhov's gun
Chekhov's gun says that a significant detail placed in a story must be used. A MacGuffin, even when used, draws its importance not from its own qualities but from how it moves the characters. In some stories the MacGuffin is never opened or turns out to be useless, and even that can carry meaning.
Who knows what?
Tracking where the MacGuffin is, whose hands it passes through and which character knows what about it isn't easy, especially in long stories. In yazar.io you can create the MacGuffin as an Items record and keep its owner, location and history in its profile fields. Every record or note that mentions it with @Name also shows up on the item's page.
Does a MacGuffin have to be an object?
No. A secret, a person, a piece of information or a title can be a MacGuffin too. What matters is that the characters want it and that wanting it moves the story forward.
Is a MacGuffin a bad technique?
No, it's a common technique that works. The problem is when readers don't believe why the characters want it.
Do I have to reveal what the MacGuffin is?
No. Some stories deliberately leave it mysterious. If you do reveal it, make sure the reveal is worth the effort the characters put in.
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