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Category Archives: Story Psychology
How Characters Avoid Truth
It is well known that the observer changes the observation, but it is equally true that the observation also changes the observer. Consider that the order in which you observe a series of perspectives changes you as you go. But because … Continue reading
Posted in Story Psychology
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We Think in Narratives
By Melanie Anne Phillips We think in narratives. Narrative is not an artificial construct imposed on fiction nor on the real world, but it is a description of the ways of the mind beneath the level of subject matter. In … Continue reading
Posted in Story Psychology
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Character Justification
By Melanie Anne Phillips Problem solving tries to resolve an issue. But if there is an obstacle to a solution, the process of justification tries to find a way around. Sometimes characters get so wrapped up in the attempt to … Continue reading
Posted in Story Psychology
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The Four Faces of Narrative
The word “narrative” is bandied about today as a catch all for stories, both fictional and in the real world. But what does it really mean? In fact, “narrative” means four distinctly different things that share the same root. The … Continue reading
Posted in Creative Writing, Narrative Science, Story Development, Story Psychology, Story Structure
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Characters – Introduction to “Blind Spot”
Posted in Character Psychology, Story Psychology, Video
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The “Influence Character” in a Nut Shell
Stories have a mind of their own, as if they were a person in their own right in which the structure is the story’s psychology and the storytelling is its personality. Characters, in addition to acting as real people,, also … Continue reading
Posted in Dramatica Basic Concepts, Dramatica Concepts, Featured Articles, Narrative Psychology, Obstacle Character, Story Psychology, The Story Mind
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Intellectualism
Intellectualism is the nobility of a free society. (Something I just thunk of that might be a good thematic topic for a story).
Posted in Narrative Psychology, Social Narrative, Story Psychology, Thematic Topic, Zen of Story Structure
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When Narratives Collide
What happens when narratives collide? Fictional stories are generally about a single primary narrative perhaps surrounded by a number of satellite narratives that function as sub-plots. But in the real world, every person is the main character in his or … Continue reading
Posted in Narrative Science, Story Psychology
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Flight Recorder of the Subconscious
A real life example that just occurred: In the kitchen, I began singing the theme song from the 1965 old west comedy “Cat Ballou” starring Jane Fonda and Lee Marvin. Upstairs, Teresa (upon hearing this) inquired why I was singing … Continue reading
Posted in Story Psychology
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Psychology, Personality, Persona & Perception – The 4 P’s Revisited
Some time ago, I wrote a short article describing the four P’s of character: Psychology, Personality, Persona and Perception. Psychology was described as the underlying structure and dynamics of a character’s given mind set. Personality were the interests and mannerisms … Continue reading
Posted in Building Characters, Character Growth, Story Psychology, The Story Mind
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