Anton Chekov has given us a popular narrative principle that we often see in movies.

“If you say in the first chapter that there is a rifle hanging on the wall, in the second or third chapter it absolutely must go off. If it’s not going to be fired, it shouldn’t be hanging there.” — Anton Chekhov

A popular narrative I recall is from the movie Sholay. Thakur neatly hides his amputated hands behind a shawl. Here Chekov’s Gun equivalent is Thakur’s shawl. The viewer is introduced to it in act one, which generates curiosity. The tragic backstory is unveiled in Act Two.

If you have watched Shawshank Redemption, the poster behind which the escape tunnel is dug is Chekov’s Gun. Unveiled in the last act.

Quite interestingly, our life narratives are no different. Scan your narratives. Are there too many Chekov’s Guns that remain unfired? time to re-evaluate those. For instance, re-evaluate the events, beliefs, and assumptions that don’t hold good as your story unfolds.

The Metaphor could be applied to the way we communicate with others. Don’t mention a fact or details that might be irrelevant later in the conversation.