Monthly Archives: March 2010

Obstacle Character Concern

Because the Obstacle Character Throughline is looked at in terms of its impact, the Concern here will be seen as the area in which the Obstacle Character has its greatest effect. A way of phrasing this is to say that the Obstacle Character’s impact primarily Concerns this area. So, an Obstacle Character Concern of Obtaining here would describe an Obstacle Character who changes what is or can be Obtained (or refused) because of his impact on the people and events around him.

From the Dramatica Theory Book

The Main Character Concern

As one would expect, the Main Character Concern is of interest only to the Main Character. This appreciation describes the area in which the Main Character is most worried or interested in regard to the way it sees the problem.

If Obtaining were the Main Character Concern, the Main Character alone would be trying to get or get rid of (hold on to or refuse to hold on to) something. None of the other characters would share this Concern because the other throughlines are all in other Classes with different Types. This divergence is what gives a story some breadth and a sense of completeness for an audience. Rather than focusing on just one issue, every point of view regarding the story’s problem falls into a different Domain with its own unique Concern.

Similarly, a Main Character with a Concern of Memory would be trying to remember, to forget, to establish a memory, or to prevent one from forming.

From the Dramatica Theory Book

The Objective Story Concern

The Objective Story Concern is the area in which all of the characters share a common concern. This might be a single item they are all concerned about, or it might be that each of them has a personal concern of this nature. For example, if the Objective Story Concern was the Type “Obtaining”, then all the characters would be concerned with Obtaining something. In such a story, everyone might be trying to Obtain the same thing, such as a buried treasure. In another story with an Objective Story Concern of Obtaining everyone might be trying to Obtain something different. The Protagonist might want to Obtain the treasure, but the Reason Character might want to Obtain a diploma. The nature of the Concern is shared, not necessarily the specific manifestation of it.

Later, in the Plot and Encoding sections, we will touch on how one can pull these different items of Obtaining together into the same story. In the example above, the Protagonist could be a treasure hunter wanting to Obtain the treasure. The Reason Character who wants to Obtain a diploma in archeology joins the Protagonist’s team because he seeks the quest for the treasure as the basis for his doctoral thesis. Tying items together in this manner is not a structural aspect of story, but one of storytelling, and is therefore beyond the scope of this section on The Elements of Structure.

Keep in mind that a Concern of Obtaining might also mean a Concern of getting rid of something. Whether one wants to Obtain or wants to stop Obtaining does not change the nature of the area of Concern. So, for this appreciation and all the following, remember to consider it as either meaning not enough of something or too much of something.

From the Dramatica Theory Book

Dramatica Definition: Worth

Worth • [Variation] • dyn.pr. Value<–>Worth • a rating of usefulness or desirability to oneself personally• Worth describes the subjective value of an item or action to an individual. Of course, this varies greatly from individual to individual. This is the nature of garage sales • one woman’s trash is another woman’s treasure. Making choices on the basis of Worth is an efficient way to get the most with one’s resources. But there may be all kinds of potential locked in something a character considers worthless because objectively it has great Value. For example, Native Americans used gold simply as a decoration. To them it had little other Worth. Of course to Europeans it had significant Value. A character who ignores potential value because of low Worth can live to regret the deals he makes in a story, both physically and emotionally. • syn. subjective value, individual appraisal, personal importance

From the Dramatica Dictionary

Dramatica Definition: Worry

Worry • [Variation] • dyn.pr. Confidence<–>Worry • concern for the future • Like confidence, Worry looks toward the future but is based on a projection of negative experience. When in the past seemingly innocuous situations have developed into disasters, one learns to Worry at the slightest evidence of instability. Worry has the positive quality of motivating one to prepare for the worst. If the worst happens, the character representing Worry is truly prepared. But how often does the worst actually happen? The downside is that resources one might use to make advances are wasted just trying to protect the status quo. And those who worry tend to avoid unknown situations that might hold substantial rewards. • syn. anxiety, concern, apprehension, misgivings

From the Dramatica Dictionary

Dramatica Definition: Work

Work • [Variation] • dyn.pr. Attempt<–>Work • applying oneself to something known to be within one’s ability • When a task lies within one’s known abilities, effort applied to the task is Work. There are no surprises; no short-comings. But has one accurately judged both one’s abilities and the demands of the task? If not, perhaps the task is not achievable or of a size that one must increase one’s abilities before undertaking it. • syn. appropriate undertaking, suitable task, manageable labor, a performable activity

From the Dramatica Dictionary

Dramatica Definition: Wisdom

Wisdom • [Variation] • dyn.pr. Enlightenment<–>Wisdom • understanding how to apply Knowledge • Wisdom is the meaning of what is known. A Character may be aware of facts but unless he sees the pattern that organizes those facts, the knowledge alone may be useless. Wisdom, therefore, does not describe just being aware of something but understanding how many bits of knowledge fit together .• syn. mental mastery, integrated understanding, seasoned understanding, comprehension, astute cogency

From the Dramatica Dictionary

Dramatica Definition: Willing

Willing • [Overview Appreciation] • The Main Character willingly participates in the effort to find a solution to the story problem • Willing describes a Main Character who is self-motivated to find a solution to the story’s problem. Even if the going is tough, he requires no outside encouragement or compulsion to keep up the effort.

From the Dramatica Dictionary

Dramatica Definition: Variation

Variation • [Structural Term] • The 64 items that can be employed in a story’s thematic arguments • The variations describe the thematic message and the development of that message in the story. Variations are measuring sticks by which the author wishes his message to be evaluated. It is the discrepancy between opposing ways of evaluating the meaning of the story that creates the thematic statement as to which is the best way or that one way is no better or worse than another. There are 64 Variations in the Dramatica structure, 16 to each Class.

From the Dramatica Dictionary

Dramatica Definition: Value

Value • [Variation] • dyn.pr. Worth<–>Value • the objective usefulness or desirability of something in general • Value is a good indicator by which to predict its import to others. However, no one really thinks completely objectively so there is always a degree of personal preference included in a determination of Value. Difficulties arise when a character neglects the personal worth someone else may or may not find in something of specific value. For example, a Boss may find it of no direct Value, but placing a candy bar on each employees desk for them to find in the morning can have a lot of worth to the employee. Indirectly, then, Value is returned to the Boss in the form of a better day’s work. But seeing the indirect Value is difficult from the subjective view. Learning to see items and actions not just for their intrinsic Value, but for their conditional Value is a strong thematic message. • syn. utility, objective appraisal, general usefulness

From the Dramatica Dictionary