The Objective Story Throughline

There are four essential points of view which must be explored for a story to be complete.

The first perspective is the Objective Story Throughline, so called because it is the most dispassionate look at a story.

Imagine the argument of a story as a battle between two armies. The Objective Story view is like that of a general on a hill overlooking the battle. The general focuses on unfolding strategies and, from this perspective, sees soldiers not by name but by their function on the field: foot soldier, grenadier, cavalryman, scout. Though the general may care very much for the soldiers, he must concentrate on the events as they unfold. Because it emphasizes events, the Objective Story Throughline is often thought of as plot, but as we shall see later, plot is so much more.

From the Dramatica Theory Book