Category Archives: Story Psychology

External and Internal Dependencies

Posted on December 31, 2012 by Melanie Anne Phillips

As co-creator of the Dramatica theory, I often take some of the concepts so for granted that I forget to consider wider application of them. For example, in my classes I often speak of the three kinds of character relationships: … Continue reading →

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Dramatica Class: Mental Sex

Posted on October 8, 2012 by Sheldon

The following is a transcript from an online class in story structure presented by the co-creator of Dramatica, Melanie Anne Phillips signed on as Dramatica: Dramatica:  Okay, we move on to Mental Sex… This question is not about the gender … Continue reading →

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Male vs. Female Problem Solving

Posted on October 4, 2012 by Sheldon

All too often in stories, relationships and interchanges between characters of different sexes come off stilted, unbelievable, or contrived. In fact, since the author is writing from the perspective of only one of the two sexes, characters of the opposite … Continue reading →

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Work Stories vs. Dilemma Stories

Posted on September 25, 2012 by Sheldon

Problems Without a problem, a story is at rest or Neutral. All of the dramatic pieces are balanced and no potential exists. But when a problem is introduced, that equilibrium becomes unbalanced. We call that imbalance an Inequity. An inequity … Continue reading →

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Sidekick & Skeptic Archetypes

Posted on September 24, 2012 by Sheldon

The Sidekick and the Skeptic represent the conflict between confidence and doubt in the Story Mind. The Sidekick is the faithful supporter. Usually, a Sidekick is attached to the Protagonist. Sometimes, however, they may be supporters of the Antagonist such … Continue reading →

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Blowing the Story Bubble

Posted on September 17, 2012 by Sheldon

Remember blowing bubbles with that solution in the little bottles and the plastic wand? The craft of writing is a bit like blowing bubbles (life is like a box of chocolates!) This holds true not only for your dramatic approach, … Continue reading →

Posted in Creative Writing, Story Development, Story Physics, Story Psychology | Comments Off

Character Justifications

Posted on August 22, 2012 by Sheldon

The creation of Justification is the purpose of and reason for Backstory. The dismantling of Justification is the purpose and function of the Acts. The gathering of information necessary to dismantle Justification is the purpose and function of the Scenes. … Continue reading →

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