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Chapter 1 - The Story Mind 1.7 Story
Structure vs. Storytelling By now, you’re likely
pretty familiar with the concept that every story has a mind of its own – a
psychology (the structure) and a personality (the storytelling). But, if you are
like many authors, knowing that and being able to identify the difference in a
finished story may be something of a problem. Until you can almost
intuitively see the difference between story structure and storytelling in a
completed story, you stand little chance of being able to employ that knowledge
in creating your own stories. So, in the seminar I teach
on Dramatica Theory, our interns came up with a video we show in class that
illustrates the point quite clearly. The short segment compares two films that
have almost identical structure – “Cyrano de Bergerac” (Jose Ferrer, 1950)
and an updated remake of the story, “Roxanne” (Steve Martin, 1990). In Roxanne, the names have
been slightly altered (Chris for Christian and Charley for Cyrano), the wardrobe
is contemporary, the setting is in a modern city and the language is plain old
American English. Still, for all these
differences, the underlying structure remains the same – the Cyrano character
is in love with a girl, believes he is undesirable so does not approach her, but
when he learns of another’s love for her he helps the fellow by writing
flowery love sonnets to express his own love, thereby satisfying partially his
need to share his soul with her. Ultimately, the ruse is discovered, the other
suitor rejected, and the girl realizes that Cyrano (Charley) is the one she
truly loves. There is, however, one
major structural difference between the two. In the original Cyrano, it
is the title character’s suggestion that he write the letters for Christian in
order to impress the girl. In Roxanne, it is Chris’ suggestion that Charley
(the Cyrano character) write the letters. As a result, the person who
is responsible for all the troubles that follow has changed. Therefore, in the
original movie Cyrano does not get the girl and in fact is mortally wounded. But
in Roxanne, since it was not he idea to perpetrate the deception, Charley does
get the girl and lives to enjoy her love. When you make a change in
one part of a structure, it will almost certainly require changing at least one
other aspect of the structure to keep things in balance. The writers of Roxanne
intuitively knew this, though they were likely simply trying to create a film
with a happy ending, and yet, they didn’t just change that part. They went
right back to the beginning and gave the onus of hatching the plan to Chris
rather than Charley. Writerly instincts or
intentional structural design, I do not know. But, in your stories, the more you
are able to perceive what will have a structural impact and what is simply a
storytelling choice, the more you will be able to ensure that your stories’
structures are sound.
*Try either or both for 90 days. Not working for you? Return for a full refund of your purchase price! About Dramatica and StoryWeaver Hi, I'm Melanie Anne Phillips, creator of StoryWeaver, co-creator of Dramatica and owner of Storymind.com. If you have a moment, I'd like to tell you about these two story development tools - what each is designed to do, how each works alone on a different part of story development and how they can be used together to cover the entire process from concept to completion of your novel or screenplay. What They Do Dramatica is a tool to help you build a perfect story structure. StoryWeaver is a tool to help you build your story's world. Dramatica focuses on the underlying logic of your story, making sure there are no holes or inconsistencies. StoryWeaver focuses on the creative process, boosting your inspiration and guiding it to add depth, detail and passion to your story. How They Do It Dramatica has the world's only patented interactive Story Engine™ which cross-references your answers to questions about your dramatic intent, then finds any weaknesses in your structure and even suggests the best ways to strengthen them. StoryWeaver uses a revolutionary new creative format as you follow more than 200 Story Cards™ step by step through the story development process. You'll design the people who'll inhabit your story's world, what happens to them, and what it all means. How They Work Alone By itself Dramatic appeals to structural writers who like to work out all the details of their stories logically before they write a word. By itself, StoryWeaver appeals to intuitive writers who like to follow their Muse and develop their stories as they go. How They Work Together But, the finished work of a structural writer can often lack passion, which is where StoryWeaver can help. And the finished work of an intuitive writer can often lack direction, which is where Dramatica can help. So, while each kind of writer will find one program or the other the most initially appealing, both kinds of writers can benefit from both programs. Try Either Program Risk Free! We have a 90 Day Return Policy here at Storymind. Try either or both of these products and if you aren't completely satisfied we'll cheerfully refund your purchase price.
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Contact Us - About Us - Lowest Price Guarantee - Shipping - Return Policy - Bonus Package Copyright Melanie Anne Phillips - Owner, Storymind.com, Creator Storyweaver, Co-creator Dramatica |
Format:
Windows / Mac CD-ROM
