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by Melanie Anne Phillips There are 12 Essential Questions every author should know the answer to regarding his or her story. The next several tips will explore the meaning of and best way to answer Dramatica’s 12 Essential Questions. The questions are divided into three areas – Character, Plot, and Theme. Character Questions: 1. Main Character Resolve – Change or Steadfast 2. Main Character Growth – Start or Stop
6. Story Limit – Timelock or Optionlock 7. Story Outcome – Success or Failure 8. Story Judgment – Good or Bad Theme Questions: 9. Domain – four options: Universe, Physics, Mind, or Psychology 10. Concern – a choice of four depending upon choice of Domain 11. Range (Issue) – a choice of four depending upon choice of Concern Why 12 questions? Imagine the structure of a story as the network of girders that form the structure of a skyscraper. Every place two or more girders connect to form an intersection is a key stress point in the structure. In stories, every place two or more dramatic forces converge is a key story point. If you want to know something about the shape of the overall building, the four most important points are the four corners. Once those are determined, everything else falls within that perimeter. Character, Plot, and Theme are like three different buildings in a story – three different kinds of structures. The best way to get a handle on the overall shape of each is to lock down the four corners. By answering the 12 Essential Questions, you determine the basic shape of each of the three areas within which all other story point must fall, to which all other story points must conform. It is like determining the background or playing field against which all story elements must be played. What about Genre? Genre is like a fourth building in the story. It provides the fourth corner in the complete structure. In fact, it determines how the other three buildings (Character, Plot, and Theme) will relate to one another. Why aren’t there four more questions for Genre, making it 16 Essential Questions? Because Genre is not an actual structure like the other three areas, but is a description of how the other three relate to one another. It is more like a city in the sky. Genre is determined by how you TELL the story, the other three describe the story that is to be told. As a result, Genre is dependent on the talent, inspiration, and mystical artistry of the author. That is why no computer will ever write a story as meaningful as a person can. In contrast, to think that stories are ALL art and nothing definitive and mechanical exists is to jump to the opposite extreme. Until Dramatica, the art of storytelling was generally thought of as being inseparably intertwined with the substance of story structure. As a result, authors often created beautiful expressions of faulty structures. By answering the 12 Essential Questions in Dramatica, authors can gain a sound understanding of the structural imperatives they have determined for their stories. Then, using that Storyform structure as a canvas and palette, they can draw their respective muses to express the intangible essence of the human heart in a meaningful and understandable form.
*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 Dramatica 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
