Dramatica's
"New Language" of Story
by Melanie Anne Phillips
As co-creator of the Dramatica theory, I'd like to clarify a few
things about Dramatica's "new language" of story. First of all, Dramatica asks
you questions like: "By the end of your story, has your Main Character CHANGED or
REMAINED STEADFAST?" This is something an author ought to know. Some stories are
about characters who become essentially different people by the time their journey is
over, like Scrooge, or Luke Skywalker, who has learned to trust in the force and in
himself. Other stories explore characters who stick with their guns against all odds, like
Dr. Richard Kimble in "The Fugitive", Anthony Hopkins in "Remains of the
Day", or James Bond (in almost all of the films). Determining which kind of character
you want to end up with when all is said and done is essential to fashioning a story that
brings them to that point.
The "old language" of story often has it that a character
must CHANGE in order to grow. Not true. As a well-known example, look at Job in the Bible
story. Job NEVER changes his mind about keeping his faith in (and refusing to renounce)
God. He is absolutely STEADFAST to the end. But does he grow? Of course! He grows in his
RESOLVE.
That is the nature of obstacles that a Main Character faces in a
story. They cannot tell if the obstacles are indications they are on the wrong path, or
just hurdles that they must overcome on the best path available. By separating
Change/Steadfast from the concept of "growth", Dramatica helps an author clarify
what they want to achieve with their audience.
Dramatica then deals with growth. It asks, "Does your Main
Character need to grow by STARTING something, or STOPPING something. Start means adding a
new trait they lack, Stop means dropping an old trait they must outgrow. Another way of
looking at this question is to ask, "Does my Main Character need to grow INTO
something or OUT of something? Do they have a chip on their shoulder, or a hole in their
heart? Are their problems caused by what they DO or what they FAIL to do?" You get
the idea. And if you answer this question, both you AND the Dramatica software will know
more about your story.
But there are other kinds of questions as well. Dramatica will ask
you, "What is the principal Concern of your story?" Unlike other systems, this
is not a "fill in the blank" question that leaves you without guidance.
Dramatica provides a palatte of alternatives to choose from. You might select
"Obtaining" as the principal Concern, or "Becoming". Clearly a story
about "Obtaining" something is a whole different animal than one about
"Becoming" something.
Of course, these aren't the words you would use to pitch your idea
to a producer, and in fact, these words might not directly show up in your story at all.
But their meaning will. For example, you are doing a story about the first woman
president. If your Concern was "Obtaining", it might be about trying to win the
presidency. If your Concern was "Becoming", it might be about a woman who has
already won the office, trying to grow to become "presidential" in her handling
of the office. Not the same thing at all. And by making these sometimes difficult choices,
you come to know your story so much the better.
Because these choices all revolve around a central
"Argument" in a sense (which simply means they have to be consistent with one
another to support some overall meaning), Dramatica can actually "predict" what
some of the remaining choices "ought" to be, when the author has already made a
number of choices themselves. This really helps keep you from missing important dramatic
statements that are essential to the purpose of your story.
But what about taking all this information and creating a story-line
out of it? Well, the Dramatica theory recognizes that slap in the face FOLLOWED by a
scream does not have the same dramatic meaning as a scream FOLLOWED by a slap in the face.
The order in which events occur, changes their context, and therefore their meaning. One
of Dramatica's greatest strengths is that it can take an author's answers to questions
like those above, and then put dramatic elements in a throughline order that would support
the author's choices. What happens in Act Two? Dramatica can tell you. Not by writing your
story for you, but buy lining out a progress in terms like those above. For example, a
Main Character's growth throughline might read, "In Act One, your Main Character will
be primarily concerned with 'learning', in Act Two with 'understanding', in Act Three with
'obtaining'", and so on. In other words, based on your choices, Dramatica will
suggest the order of a story's progression.
I hope this short article helps explain why Dramatica uses a
"new language" of story, and why the "old language" is not always up
to the task. To learn more about both the Dramatica theory and the software that
bears its name...
Visit the Official
Dramatica Theory Web Site
Try Dramatica & StoryWeaver Risk
Free*
$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
Together
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.
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 Both Programs
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.
Format:
Windows / Mac CD-ROM
