A Writer Asks...
Should one just forge ahead even though he/she might not understand or agree with
the choices made by Dramatica?
Melanie Replies...
One should just forge ahead when he/she does not understand, but not when he/she
disagrees. Because using Dramatica for the first few times is a major learning process,
chugging along without complete understanding keeps the learning process from bogging
down. But if one disagrees with a choice from a perspective of understanding, then clearly
the Storyform being created is not reflective of the story the author wants to tell.
This can occur because of two reasons: one, earlier choices which were made arbitrarily
have now limited the remaining choices in such a way that something truly important is
ruled out dramatically. Two, the author is not being consistent in his/her view of the
story and is trying to cram in something that doesn't fit with what is already chosen.
In the first scenario, simply start with different questions - the ones that are most
important to YOU. In the second, make a choice as to which of two incompatible concepts is
most important to you. In the end, your story will be more consistent and your message
therefore more coherent.
