How dare you even consider moving in on my territory!
(Not really).
A new voice discussing their experiences with Dramatica would be incredible. One of my intentions behind building this forum was to lessen the resistance encountered when learning and discussing the theory. Individual blogs and podcasts are another way to achieve this same goal and, from my own experience, a fantastic way for the publisher to increase his or her knowledge of the theory.
It's a tremendous amount of work--the seasonal approach (Mar-Nov) is one way I can guarantee the quality of the episodes (and the articles), and a method I would highly suggest (however your seasonal inclinations turn out). Plus, it gives me time to wrap things up and work on other projects (like the Atomizer).
I always find the work of others inspires me--so if there's more work in this space, that means further development of my work and the theory in general, and then that means things keep going up and up...
...in other words, yes, please!
In regards to Story Structure Senioritis and a more practical approach to Dramatica, for some reason, I always feel inspired to write more about how to use Dramatica in the creation of narrative towards the end of November. I did it last year, my articles always trend towards that area as the clouds roll in, and then I hibernate and write, and then once I see my shadow in Feb, come back out and start the whole thing again.
I recorded the second part of that episode this week (and the season finale) which ended up being twice as long as any episode--but I'm sure you'll appreciate the discussion around how to build a story (instead of tearing one down). It's all based on my work with novelists and screenwriters (though most of my work is with novelists) and my experience with the Deliberate Storytelling service I offer on my site.
I actually ended up really liking the story I made up on the spot and--if I can manage the time--will end up writing it. The only thing is--once you get into the actual writing of the piece, it shifts from theory to the talent of the individual (from Knowledge to Ability...and eventually slides into Desire), and from there the process becomes very subjective. An individual artist could take my outline and come up with an entirely different story. It's difficult to quantify the talent and perseverance that happens at this point--which is why I don't spend a lot of time on it.
Every artist is unique and maintains their special approach to the material. The people I work with are insanely talented--and uniquely original--all I can do is help them understand how Situation and Circumstances work within the context of Doing and then it's up to them to actually make it land on the page.
That said, I can relate to this:
It bugs me that so many writers are missing out on the kind of depth Dramatica theory can provide to their stories
As that pretty much sums up my motivation behind Narrative First.
Personally, I can't stand listening to other podcasts on writing or screenwriting as they delve too much into opinion and storytelling. A new voice focusing on Dramatica and insights into different approaches to applying the theory?
I'll be the first to subscribe.
