Monthly Archives: October 2011

Character Development and the 28 “Magic” Scenes

Posted on October 24, 2011 by Melanie Anne Phillips

A Dramatica user recently asked a couple of questions about developing characters other than the Main and Impact (Obstacle) and also about Dramatica’s reference to “28 magic scenes” in one place and 24 scenes in another.   Here’s my reply … Continue reading →

Posted in Building Characters, Scenes, Sequences | Comments Off

Using Dramatica for a How-To Book

Posted on October 17, 2011 by Melanie Anne Phillips

A Dramatica user recently asked: I bought your Dramatica Pro software a couple of weeks ago and am finding it difficult to figure out how to use it for writing a how-to type of book. I’ve developed a few imaginary … Continue reading →

Posted in Q & A | Comments Off

Storyforms in the Real World and the Mobius Doughnut

Posted on October 12, 2011 by Melanie Anne Phillips

Ever since we developed Dramatica as a theory to describe the elements and mechanisms of story structure, we have understood that as a model of the Story Mind, Dramatica might also be applied to the psychologies of real people as … Continue reading →

Posted in Beyond Dramatica | Comments Off

Using Character Names from Someone Else’s Story

Posted on October 12, 2011 by Melanie Anne Phillips

A writer recently asked: I purchased your Storyweaver, because I’ve had many stories rumbling around in my head for years. Several of them are adaptations of old tv dramas and old movies. My stories are totally different from the originals, … Continue reading →

Posted in Practical Tips | Comments Off

Act Order – Sign Posts, Journeys & Throughlines

Posted on October 5, 2011 by Melanie Anne Phillips

A Dramatica user asks: Hi Melanie, In the [Dramatica] theory book you can find this text: “Just because we have absolute freedom, however, does not mean our decision will have no effect on our audience. In fact, the order in … Continue reading →

Posted in Signposts & Journeys | Comments Off

al Awlaki, the “Uncanny Valley” and Writing Empathetic Characters

Posted on October 4, 2011 by Melanie Anne Phillips

Recently, al Awlaki (the infamous “American” Al Qaeda) was killed by American forces. He was viewed as a great threat because of his ability to speak to the domestic population of the United States in their own language and culture … Continue reading →

Posted in Beyond Dramatica, Building Characters, Story Psychology | Comments Off

Questions About Act Order in Different Cultures

Posted on October 4, 2011 by Melanie Anne Phillips

A writer asked the following question regarding my earlier article, “Changing Dramatica’s Suggested Act Order.” How does one go about sussing this out? What approach would you recommend if I were trying to figure out which argument is primary in … Continue reading →

Posted in Acts | Comments Off