Category Archives: Genre

A New Approach to Genre

Posted on April 6, 2010 by Melanie Anne Phillips

 A Writer Asks: Can you say a few words about how Dramatica deals with Genre? I Reply… To begin with, Dramatica divides the substance of “Story” into two parst: Story Structure, and Story Telling. When you read a story or … Continue reading →

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Avoiding the Genre Trap

Posted on April 2, 2010 by Melanie Anne Phillips

A common misconception sees genre as a fixed list of dramatic requirements or a rigid structural template from which there can be no deviation. Writers laboring under these restrictions often find themselves boxed-in creatively. They become snared in the Genre … Continue reading →

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Genre – Act by Act

Posted on April 1, 2010 by Melanie Anne Phillips

Many writers have a misconception that genre is something you “write in” – like a box. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Genre is the overall mood of a story, created through structural and storytelling elements and approaches. This … Continue reading →

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Genre: Revealing Your Story’s Personality

Posted on April 1, 2010 by Melanie Anne Phillips

Your story’s genre is its overall personality. As with the people that you meet, first impressions are very important. In act one, you introduce your story to your reader/audience. The selection of elements you choose to initially employ will set … Continue reading →

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Writing Theme & Genre in Television Series

Posted on March 30, 2010 by Melanie Anne Phillips

Theme in Episodic Series Often in episodic series, “themes” are replaced with “topics.” Although Dramatica refers to the central thematic subject as a Topic, common usage sees topics as hot subjects of the moment. This makes topics an element of … Continue reading →

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Encoding Genre

Posted on March 23, 2010 by Melanie Anne Phillips

As previously discussed, Genre is only slightly influenced by a storyform. This is because only four appreciations have a structural influence on Genre: the four Domains. Once each Domain has been encoded, all the rest of the nebulous realm called … Continue reading →

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