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*


  

Dramatica Unplugged

By Melanie Anne Phillips
Creator StoryWeaver, Co-creator Dramatica

 

Chapter 1 - The Story Mind

1.9 What is the Story Mind?

What is the Story Mind?  Dramatica says that "Every complete story is an analogy to a single mind trying to deal with an inequity."  Now that's very scientific, but what does it really mean?  It means that characters, theme, plot and genre are not just people with value standards doing things in an overall setting - rather, character, theme, plot and genre are different families of thought that go on in our own minds, mad tangible, incarnate as character, thematic arguments and plot points.

So a story is as if an author took the mechanism of our minds, made it tangible and put it out there for us to look at so we could examine the problem solving process.  Rather than having to be involved in it subjectively, we are told by the author that he or she has the benefit of insight or experience, and that even though it may feel one way to us on the inside, there is a more objective understanding of how we should proceed.

In fact, the Main Character represents the reader/audience position in the story.  It represents our own position in our own heads.  We know who we are at any given time.  In regard to any given issue, we know where we stand.

In essence then, the Story Mind concepts says, "Think of a story as if it were a person." There's only one Main Character in a story because there's only one "I" in our own minds.  Further, we all have the same emotion and logical considerations, and each of these must appear as characters in a story for it to feel complete as well.  If any parts are missing, the story's argument will feel incomplete.

Dramatica also says that this Story Mind system came into being as a natural by-product of the process of communication.  If you want to state that the approach you are promoting in your story is either the best or worst of all that might be tried, that you have to actually show all the other approaches that might reasonably be taken and illustrate why they aren't as powerful as yours.

When you create a story argument that has no holes, then you have included all the ways a human mind might consider to solve a problem.  In effect, you have created a model of the mind's problem solving process - a Story Mind.

No one set out to build this model directly.  But through centuries of trial and error in storytelling, conventions were developed that worked because they built an analogy to the psychology of the mind.

Every once in a while, stand back from your story.  It is so easy for an author to get so lost in the details of making all the parts work that he or she loses sight of the big picture - the overall impact of the story as a whole.

Take time to examine whether your story has a sound  psychology that makes it feel like a functional person, that there are no wanky inconsistencies, and that the personality of the story itself is both human and interesting as well.

  
 Our Most Popular Products

StoryWeaver Story Development Software - $29.95

Our Bestseller!  By far, our most popular product, outselling all of our other products combined!  StoryWeaver takes you step by step through the entire process--from initial inspiration to completed novel or screenplay.  At just $29.95, StoryWeaver is affordable for any writer.  (Details)

Dramatica Pro 4.0<br>Plus FREE Bonus!

Dramatica Pro - $179.95

Unlike any other story development product, Dramatica Pro uses a patented Story Engine to interactively help you build a structure, find and fix dramatic holes and inconsistencies.  (Details)

Dramatica Writers DreamKit 4.0

Dramatica Writer's DreamKit - $49.95

Little brother to Dramatica Pro, Writer's DreamKit is built around the same patented Story Engine - it just tracks fewer story points.  So, you develop the same solid story structure, just with fewer details.  Perfect for beginning writers or those new to Dramatica. (Details)

20 hour Writing<br>Course on CD ROM<br>featuring Dramatica

12 Hour Writing Course on DVD - $19.95

This intense program features 12 hours of video documenting the entire college-level course in creative writing given by Melanie Anne Phillips, creator of StoryWeaver and co-creator of Dramatica.  Just $19.95  (Details)



$179.95                       $29.95          

*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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