Production • [Element] • dyn.pr. Reduction<–>Production • a method of thought that determines potential • Almost like deduction in reverse, Production arrives at a future truth by limiting out what can not happen, rather than arriving at a present truth by limiting out what cannot be. Anything remaining when the impossible is ruled out has potential. The problem for the character representing the Production characteristic is that Potentiality is often mistaken for Certainty if he fails to realize that any overlooked or unknown information can completely alter the course of the future. • syn. determining potential, noticing possibilities, ruling out future impossibilities, discovering of potential

From the Dramatica Dictionary

Process • [Element] • dyn.pr. Result<–>Process • an ongoing activity; the mechanism through which a cause leads to an effect • A Process is a series of interactions that create results. The character representing Process will concentrate on keeping the engine running smoothly. Unfortunately, he often forgets to look where the car is actually going. Sometimes the experiences along the way are the important part, other times it is arriving at the destination. • syn. chain of interactions, manner of procedure, cause/effect relation, progression, ongoing pull or tendency

From the Dramatica Dictionary

Problem (Objective Storyline) • [Element] • the underlying cause of the story’s difficulties • Of all the Elements, there is a single one that describes the essence of the story’s problem. The inclusion of this element in an Objective Character identifies him as the Main or Obstacle Character. This is because it makes that character the only one who can solve both the Objective and Subjective problems in a single stroke by addressing the problem (changing).

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Probability • [Element] • dyn.pr. Possibility<–>Probability • liklihood • The character having the Probability characteristic puts its beliefs and efforts behind what is most likely. It is not as bound to safety as a character containing the Certainty characteristic, yet will still only take “calculated” risks. It is always playing the odds and changes direction in mid-stride if the odds change. This allows it to steer clear of many dangers but also tends to make it fickle. • syn. likelihood, prospective, predictable, promising

From the Dramatica Dictionary

Proaction • [Element] • dyn.pr. Reaction<–>Proaction • taking initiative action • The Proactive characteristic will urge a character to begin problem solving on his own. This character will be a self-starter who is up and at it the moment he realizes a potential problem exists. Sometimes, however, a potential problem may not actually materialize and would have disappeared in short order by itself. Proaction may actually cause the problem to occur by irritating the situation. Worse yet, the character representing Proaction may act before the true nature of the problem is seen, leading him to cause damage to innocent or non-responsible parties, sometimes actually aiding the real source of the problem. • syn. to initiate action, execute, undertake, commit, implement

From the Dramatica Dictionary

Present (The Present) • [Type] • dyn.pr. Past<–>Present • the current situation and circumstances • “Present” does not refer to the way things are going, but to the way things are. It is a here and now judgment of the arrangement of a situation and the circumstances surrounding it. A story that focuses on the Present is not concerned with how events led to the current situation nor where the current situation will lead, but defines the scenario that exists at the moment . • syn. how things stand, the here and now, current situation, as of this moment

From the Dramatica Dictionary

Prerequisites (Objective Storyline) • [Type] • the essential prliminaries that must be met to complete the Requirements • Pre-requisites are the essential or necessary steps or accomplishments that must be achieved in order for something to occur. If a goal has a single requirement, there may be many pre-requisites to achieving that requirement.

Prerequisites • [Variation] • dyn.pr. Preconditions<–>Prerequisites • the essential prliminaries that must be met to complete the Requirements • Prerequisites are the essential or necessary steps or accomplishments that must be achieved in order for something to occur. If a goal has a single requirement, there may be many prerequisites to meeting that requirement. • syn. essential steps, necessary requisites, compulsory stipulation

From the Dramatica Dictionary

Prediction • [Variation] • dyn.pr. Interdiction<–>Prediction • pre-determination of a future state of affairs • Prediction explores the effort to learn the course of one’s destiny. Destiny is the path to a particular fate or through a series of fates. Fates are experiences or conditions one must encounter along the way as one’s destiny directs one’s course. The nature of destiny is such that no matter how much a character is aware of the nature and location of an undesirable fate, nothing he can do is enough to pull him off the path. However, if one could know the future course, one could prepare for each eventuality in order to minimize or maximize its effect. • syn. foresight, foreseeing, anticipation, envisioning one’s future, prophecy, forecast, foretell, prognosticate

From the Dramatica Dictionary

Preconscious (The Preconscious) • [Type] • dyn.pr. Subconscious<–>Preconscious • innate responses • 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 Pre-Conscious. The solution lies in the character conditioning himself to either hold his tendencies in check or develop methods of enhancing areas in which he is naturally weak in reason, ability, emotion, or intellect. • syn. unthinking responses, immediate responses, impulse, impulsive response, instinctive response, innate response, reflex

From the Dramatica Dictionary

Preconditions (Objective Storyline) • [Type] • restrictions imposed on the effort to reach the goal • When meeting the requirement is made contingent upon some non-essential restriction, the extra baggage is referred to as Pre-conditions. Depending upon the nature of the Pre-conditions and the nature of a character, it may turn out that although the pre-requisites will achieve the goal, the goal itself is improper and only the Pre-conditions can actually solve the problem. Misplaced emphasis is a common thematic exploration.

Preconditions • [Variation] • dyn.pr. Prerequisites<–>Preconditions • restrictions imposed on the effort to reach the goal • When access to resources necessary to meeting pre-requisites is made contingent upon some non-essential accomplishment or limitation, the extra baggage is referred to as Pre-conditions. Depending upon the nature of the Pre-conditions and the nature of a character, it may turn out that although the pre-requisites will achieve the goal, the goal itself is improper and only the Pre-conditions can actually solve the problem. Misplaced emphasis is a common thematic exploration. • syn. provision, prescribed specification, imposed stipulation, limiting parameters, imposed limitations

From the Dramatica Dictionary