Imagine our Main Character soldier making his way across the field of battle. Suddenly, through the smoke of dramatic explosions he spies a murky figure standing right in his path. In this fog of war, the Main Character cannot tell if this other soldier is a friend or foe. Either way, he is blocking the […]
The structure of a story is the psychology of a single mind made tangible. For the story to be sound and ring true, the psychology must be complete and valid. But to make a complete argument, it is not enough to simply reproduce the Story Mind structure. We must go beyond that and move into […]
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The common expression “spinning a yarn” conjures up the image of a craftsperson pulling together a fluffy pile into a single unbroken thread. An appropriate analogy for the process of telling a tale. A tale is a simple, linear progression – a series of events and emotional experiences that leads from point A to point […]
There are four throughlines that must be explored in every story for it to feel to readers or audience that the underlying issues have been fully explored and the message fully supported. Throughline 1: The Objective Story The Objective Story is the big picture – the situations and activities in which all the characters are involved. […]
A lot of books about writing describe the importance of a “Love Interest.” Other books see a Love Interest as unnecessary and cliché. What does Dramatica Say? As with most dramatic concepts, Dramatica pulls away the storytelling to take a clear look at the underlying structure. A Love Interest has both storytelling and structural components. […]
A writer in the Ukraine recently wrote me with some questions about the Dramatica theory of narrative structure. First, his questions (indented) and then my answers below each. Hello! I’m a big “Dramatica” fan from Ukraine! Recently I was struggling with understanding some “Dramatica” aspects and especially with translating “Dramatica Dictionary”. Can you, please, help […]
By Melanie Anne Phillips The common expression “spinning a yarn” conjures up the image of a craftsperson pulling together a fluffy pile into a single unbroken thread. An appropriate analogy for the process of telling a tale. A tale is a simple, linear progression – a series of events and emotional experiences that leads from […]
Our latest Writing Tips Newsletter is now available! In this issue: Story Structure for Passionate Writers / The Influence Character / Characters: Cogs in the Machine? / The Radical Story Mind / Finding Your Creative Time / Four Throughlines in To Kill A Mockingbird / Finding Inspiration for Your Novel Read it all and subscribe […]
Just updated – your favorite articles on creative writing, story development, story structure and narrative science: Our Most Popular Articles on Writing of All Time Title Views The 8 Archetypal Characters 7,562 Dramatica Audio Program 2,303 Dramatica Theory Book 1,746 Dramatica Video Program 1,526 Sidekick & Skeptic Archetypes 1,297 The Best Story Structure Articles of […]