Thousands of writers use StoryWeaver to build their story’s world, characters, plot, theme,
and genre.
Thousands of writers use Dramatica to find and refine their story’s structure and to find and fix holes and missteps.
- 200 Interactive Story Cards guide you from concept to completion, step by step.
- Help Buttons with Writing Tips, Example Stories, Hints, and Tricks.
- Work on multiple stories at once.
- Jot down creative notes from anywhere in StoryWeaver.
- Placeholder: Pick up writing where you left off.
- Develop multiple levels of detail for your plot and characters.
- Intuitive navigation path helps you follow your Muse.
- Works on any device: desktop, laptop, tablet, phone, Windows, Macintosh, iOs, Android & Chrome
- Patented Story Engine cross- references your dramatic choices to create a structure map.
- AI style narrative model finds holes, missteps and suggests how to fix & fill them.
- Automatically generates a timeline from your story’s structural map.
- Offers three levels of detail depending on the complexity of your story.
- Includes hundreds of examples, tips, tricks, and techniques.
- Comes with more than sixty structural maps for classic and popular novels, movies and stage plays.
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The 8 Archetypal Characters
There are 8 essential archetypal characters, each of which represents a different aspect of our own minds.
The Protagonist portrays our initiative, Antagonist our reticence to change. Reason is our intellect, Emotion our passion. Skeptic is our self-doubt, Sidekick our self-confidence. Finally, Guardian represents our conscience and the Contagonist is temptation.
Naturally, each must be developed as a complete person as well as in its dramatic function so that the reader or audience might identify with them. Yet underneath their humanity, each archetype illustrates how a different specific aspect of ourselves fares when trying to solve the problem at the heart of the story.
In this manner, stories not only involve us superficially, but provide an underlying message about how we might go about solving similar human problems in our own lives.
Here are the eight archetypal characters, described in terms of their dramatic functions:
PROTAGONIST: The traditional Protagonist is the driver of the story: the one who forces the action. Once it has accepted the charge to achieve the goal, it is relentless, even if occasionally beaten back.
ANTAGONIST: The Antagonist is the character directly opposed to the Protagonist. It represents the impediment that must be overcome for the Protagonist to succeed.
REASON: This character makes its decisions and takes action on the basis of logic, never letting feelings get in the way of a rational course.
EMOTION: The Emotion character responds with its feelings without thinking, whether it is angry or kind, with disregard for practicality.
SKEPTIC: Skeptic doubts everything — courses of action, sincerity, truth — whatever.
SIDEKICK: The Sidekick is unfailing in its loyalty and support. The Sidekick is often aligned with the Protagonist though may also be attached to the Antagonist.
GUARDIAN: The Guardian is a teacher or helper who aids the Protagonist in its quest and offers a moral standard.
CONTAGONIST: The Contagonist hinders and deludes the Protagonist, tempting it to take the wrong course or approach.
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Archetypes
Characters, Narrative & Mind
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