Author Archives: Melanie Anne Phillips

Examples of Stories Concerned with “Progress”

STORIES that have an Objective Story Concern of Progress:

A Clockwork Orange: Alex is concerned with how his freedom of action is progressively being hindered. Mr. Alexander is concerned with the progress of political change in society and later, vengeance against Alex. Minister of the Interior, Fred, wants his status and political power to advance. Alex’s droogs want to move on without him. Deltoid wants to make progress in convincing Alex to go to school.

Platoon: All the characters are concerned with how the war is progressing, and what type of impact the U.S. military is having in Vietnam. Throughout the film there are indicators that the U.S. troops are not progressing towards victory–visually expressed in the loss of lives and in the mounting frustration and stress within the platoon. Fresh off the plane, new U.S. recruits are greeted by body bags slung onto another plane going home; the platoon takes out its frustrations on a defenseless village; a civil war breaks out between members within the platoon. It seems every time the platoon comes into contact with the enemy, they lose lives–not uncommon in war, but there doesn’t appear to be any clear victories to counteract the losses. Tension is derived from the sense that everything the platoon attempts to do appears ineffective against the elusive and ever encroaching enemy. By the end of the film, the platoon and several other military companies are completely overrun at their base by the enemy.

The Silence of the Lambs: The FBI is concerned with its discovery of an increasing number of victims and the progress it is making toward locating Buffalo Bill; Clarice Starling is concerned with her progress as an FBI trainee; Buffalo Bill is concerned with the progress of his “suit of skin”; Hannibal Lecter is concerned with the progress being made toward better accommodations (and escape); etc.

Taxi Driver: Betsy and Tom are involved in drumming up more and more support for Palantine as the election approaches; like Travis, they are concerned with improving society; the sign in the campaign HQ window reads “Only 4 More Days Until Arrival of CHARLES PALANTINE”; Travis develops in stages toward becoming an assassin; etc.

Toy Story: Everyone is concerned with the progress of the Davis family’s impending move to another home, and how they are affected by it. “Has everyone picked a moving buddy?” “Already?!” “I don’t want any toys left behind. A moving buddy–if you don’t have one, GET one!” If the move progresses faster than the efforts of Woody and Buzz to reunite with Andy, they are doomed to be Lost Toys. At the gas station: “Sheriff, this is no time to panic.” “This is the perfect time to panic! I’m lost…Andy is gone–they’re going to move from their house in two days and it’s all your fault!” The toys have various other concerns regarding progress: Bo Peep is concerned with how her relationship with Woody is progressing; Rex is concerned with the progress of his “roar”; they even have a “Plastic Corrosion Awareness” meeting, indicating their concerns with age.

Excerpted from
Dramatica Story Development Software

Examples of Stories Concerned with “The Past”

STORIES that have an Objective Story Concern of The Past:

The Age of Innocence: Most of the characters are concerned with the past: Mrs. Mingott, May’s mother, Mrs. Archer, and Sillerton Jackson all want to keep their world just like it always has been in the past. Ellen’s past, especially leaving her husband aided by a male secretary, threatens to tarnish her and all of those associated with her. As Newland Archer comes to know Ellen better, he tries to protect her from rumors about her past by advising her not to divorce her husband, and by trying to keep his feelings for her hidden from his family. When Newland asks May Welland to move up the announcement of their engagement, she resists changing past decisions:

MAY: … But why should we change what is already settled?

When Newland wants to advance the date of their wedding, May insists on doing what everyone else has done before them:

MAY: But the Chivers were engaged for a year and a half. And Larry Lefferts and Gertrude were engaged for two. I’m sure Mama expects something customary.

Chinatown: Noah Cross, Hollis and Evelyn Mulwray, and the mysterious young girl are all connected by the scandalous, incestuous past; Jake Gittes and the police have a long past together; Jake had past interactions with Chinatown as a detective; etc.

The Piano Lesson: Most of the characters are concerned with the past: Berniece is obsessed with the piano’s tragic history and her husband’s death. Avery wants Berniece to let go of the past by marrying him and playing the piano at church services. Lymon worries that if he returns to Mississippi, he’ll end up in the work farm just like in the past. Wining Boy is unhappy with his past life as a piano player because people only wanted to know him for his music. Boy Willie wants to break out of the tradition of sharecropping like his father.

Excerpted from
Dramatica Story Development Software

Story Ideas Concerning “The Future”

The Future as the Concern — All the objective characters are concerned with the future.

For example, a country that is about to dismantle its system of apartheid; a football team preparing for its first season without their star quarterback; a company that has just sunk all of its money into a risky investment; a police squad that has just had their hands tied by new laws protecting the rights of the accused; an employee’s pool deciding what to do if they win the lottery; bridesmaids are concerned with their own potential for companionship in their later years, etc.

Exploring the process of dealing with will happen or what will be will illustrate the The Future as an Objective Story Concern.

Excerpted from
Dramatica Story Development Software

Story Ideas Concerning “Progress”

Progress as the Concern — All of the objective characters are concerned with determining how things are evolving.

For example, whether or not the number of people purchasing new cars per year is increasing; if medical conditions for unwed teenage mothers are improving; if DUI related accidents are becoming less often fatal; passing milestones in a race, etc. Exploring how things are going will illustrate progress as an objective story concern.

Excerpted from
Dramatica Story Development Software

Ideas for Stories Concerned with “The Past”

The Past as the Concern — All the objective characters are concerned with the past.

For example, an unsolved murder for which new evidence comes to light, a great-grandmother whose diary has just been discovered, a “skeleton in the closet” of a famous family, the story behind a buried treasure, etc. Exploring what has already happened will illustrate The Past as an Objective Story Concern.

Excerpted from
Dramatica Story Development Software

Zen of Writing: The Conscious

When one has all the facts, knows all the impact – both positive and negative; when one is fully aware of detrimental consequences and still decides on the poor course of action, there is something wrong with the way one arrives at conclusions. This is the subject of stories focusing on The Conscious.

The key here is not to redefine who a character is, but to lead it to relearn how to weigh an issue so that its conclusions are less destructive to itself and/or others.

Excerpted from
The Zen of Story Structure

DEFINITION: The Conscious: present considerations.

SYNONYMS: considerations, sensibilities, cognizant, ability to consider, sensible, informed contemplation, contemplation.

DYNAMIC PAIR: Memory, recollections.

Zen of Story Structure: The Subconscious

The Subconscious describes the essential feelings that form the foundation of character. These feelings are so basic that a character is often not aware of what they truly are. When The Subconscious is involved, a character is moved right to the fiber of its personality.

In contrast with the Preconscious, the Subconscious deals with the sum total of a character’s experiences that determine what attracts and repels it, whereas the Preconscious describes the innate responses which are not dependent on experience.

Excerpted from
The Zen of Story Structure

DEFINITION: The Subconscious: basic drives and desires.

SYNONYMS: libido, id, basic motivations, basic drives, anima.

DYNAMIC PAIR: The Preconscious, innate responses.

Zen of Writing: The Preconscious

Built into the mind is an instinctual base of reactions and attitudes that cannot be altered but merely compensated for.

When a story’s problem revolves around the unsuitability of someone’s essential nature to a given situation or environment, the central issue is The Preconscious.

The solution lies in the character conditioning itself to either hold its tendencies in check or develop methods of enhancing areas in which it is naturally weak in reason, ability, emotion, or intellect.

Excerpted from
The Zen of Story Structure

DEFINITION: The Preconscious: innate responses.

SYNONYMS: unthinking responses, immediate responses, impulse, impulsive response, instinctive response, innate response, reflex.

DYNAMIC PAIR: The Subconscious, basic drives and desires.

Zen of Writing: Memory

The Past is an objective look at what has happened. In contrast, Memory is a subjective look at what has happened. Therefore, Memory of the same events varies among individuals creating many different and possibly conflicting recollections.

Often one’s current feelings come from memories, both pleasant and unpleasant. Many a taut story revolves around a character’s effort to resolve open issues from its memories by recalling or forgetting them.

Excerpted from
The Zen of Story Structure

DEFINITION: Memory: recollections.

SYNONYMS: remembering, recollections, reminiscence, recalling, retention.

DYNAMIC PAIR: The Conscious, present considerations.

Zen of Writing: Conceiving

Conceiving is the process of arriving at an idea. For example, If there were no artificial light in the world, one might conceive the need for some form of electric torch. That would be conceiving. But the design of an actual incandescent bulb versus a fluorescent one would require conceptualizing a specific implementation of the idea one has conceived.

Conceiving need not come before conceptualizing. For example, a common dramatic technique is to give a character a very clear mental image of an object or arrangement that holds the solution to the story’s problem. But the character does not know the solution lies in the conceptualization. It is only when it finally conceives of the need for a particular kind of solution does it realize it had the answer all along.

Simply put, Conceiving defines the question, Conceptualizing clarifies the answer.

Excerpted from
The Zen of Story Structure

DEFINITION: Conceiving: coming up with an idea.

SYNONYMS: originating, inventing, devising, engendering, hatching ideas.

DYNAMIC PAIR: Conceptualizing, visualizing how an existing idea might be implemented.