A Scenario in Subjectively Using Dramatica To Structure An Essay

  1. Come up with a broad topic you want to argue about
    Water

  2. Define whether the topic is a problem, solution, focus or direction.

Water is the direction – something that helps us nourish our bodies. – help

Problem – a lot of people don’t like to take water – feeling

Focus – what happens to your body when you don’t take enough fluid – hinder

Solution – I need to give good reasons to convice someone that water is good for their body nutrition –logic

  1. Plot points at type level

• Define the goal or concern of the essay - the goal is becoming – I want to bring people to a place where they are convinced that water is good for their bodies

Consequence is obtaining – people will fail to obtain good heath if they don’t start taking water
Dividends – as one starts to take water, they will feel good about themselves

Cost - preconscious – for one to develop a habit of taking a good amount of water, they need to give up other fluids, they need to exercise more and do activities that can help start to drink more water

Requirements – understanding – all you need to do is buy clean bottled water or boil the water you drink, don’t drink un boiled water.

Prerequisites - Being – one person has to give it a try even if they don’t initially try water, they just have to try it, a habit takes time to build, you just have to start doing it, habit you have to develop the habit of drinking water

Forewarnings – future – you’re body will begin to feel week over time and get sicker and sicker if one doesn’t take water

Preconditions - Conscious – talk to a doctor, talk to your parents about the need to be taking water

Essential Questions here

Who is your main character, in this case it is the person we are trying to convince,
The writer is the influence character

MC resolve – change
MC approach – be-er they are a passive character
MC growth – start – they need to start taking water
MC problem-solving style – holistic
Story driver: action – the parents of the main character provide anything their child wants
Story limit – option lock – going without water for a long time will bring you to a point where you will eventually have to drink it when one gets into a place of ill health
Story outcome: Success – I the author hope that my communication will be received successfully
Story judgment: Good – the hope is that the Main character will begin to put the advice to practice because the change in behavior will be for the good of the main character/target audience

Plot progression:

Conceiving – how a lack of enough water can affect someone’s body – despite the fact that someone can feel good about themselves – argued in terms of the physics variations

**1. Instinct **
**2. Senses **
**3. Interpretation **
4. Conditioning

Conceptualizing – developing a plan – 2nd - help one develop a plan on how they can begin to take more water in their daily routines – argued in terms of the physics variations

1. Approach
2. Self interest
3. Morality
4. Attitude

Being – 3rd – you have to keep training yourself to take water until it becomes a habit, flavor your water, work out to improve your body’s need for water – argued in terms of the physics variations
**1. Prerequisites **
**2. Analysis **
**3. Strategy **
4. Preconditions

Becoming – the 4th thing – with time one will learn to enjoy the habit of taking up to 8 glasses of water – argued in terms of the physics variations

**• Wisdom **
**• Skill **
**• Enlightenment **
• Experience

_Note the person being written to plays a certain role, help them to try and imagine who the audience of their speech is using the character development elements _

_This is not an entirely accurate use of Dramatica for planning an argument but the subjective usage of Dramatica in this case has helped me clarify how I will approach the argument I want to make in the essay I intend to write. _

By choosing other story points, I can modify the flavor of the argument with Dramatica.

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If the essay is meant to persuade, shouldn’t it assume the role of Influence Character? If you know your audience well enough to make an educated guess about what problem prevents them from drinking water, then you could extrapolate what the Focus and Direction of a Steadfast IC would be.

If the IC is in Psychology and the MC’s solution is Logic, then I think that gives an IC Issue of Responsibility and a Direction of Uncontrolled. Dramatica suggests that might be more persuasive.

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that actually works. I hadn’t thought about it that way. . I feel all essays try to make an argument so I think dramatica can help though I find it a more difficult process to develop an essay with dramatica than a work of fiction.

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That actually works. I hadn’t thought of it that way.

One of the first DUG meetings (or maybe just one of the earliest available as a podcast) attempted a Dramatica analysis of the documentary Sicko. I’ve not seen Sicko, so I haven’t listened to that episode and don’t know how it turned out, but whether or not they found a storyform, I bet it contains some insights relevant to this topic.

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THANK YOU! THANK YOU! and once again … THANK YOU! Invaluable sir! Priceless! Emm.

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Etherbeard, does this mean my studying this information would lead me into an inaccuracy?

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not exactly. It’s just that the most accurate relationships for a complete argument and complete relationships between elements is only possible with the software. Some calculations or extrapolations of story points can be arrived at without the software. It’s not that it’s wrong, I do my best to adhere to the right application of dramatica theory but it won’t be as accurate as the software for certain story points.

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Thanx Samuelogeda, I was actually enjoying your post. You see, for me, my being a beginner, I don’t have the knowledge of the software to spot an error, and so I have to be careful what I consume without questioning it - or should I say, being able to question it. Once again, my friend, thanx for getting back. Emm.

Is it possible to have an (OS) Concern of Becoming and at the same time have an (OS) Goal of ‘?’ Something other than ‘Becoming’? Or are the two always the same?

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Quoting from the theory book, in a lot of stories -especially in western culture, the os concern is the story goal. Search the theory book for the section on story goal to learn more. I’ll post an excerpt from the book later on.

Thanx. I think you’ve cleared it up, once and for all, for me. But go ahead and post - especially if it has a some visual aide. I’m a kinoesthetic.

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