I’ve always wanted a thread like that. I think having a list of several different holistic vs linear solutions would be really helpful.
That’s how I saw it. Trying to change the environment in hopes that the other employees would run with it and act accordingly.
I think it would depend on if your example was in the MC throughline or not. I always see or hear it explained that a character can BE and DO, but that the be-er
or do-er
label is about that characters preference for one over the other.
The way you get a be-er
or do-er
from a story engine standpoint is to place your MC throughline in either Activity
or Situation
for Do-er
or in Fixed Attitude
or Manipulation
for Be-er
. The reasoning for that as I understand it is that Situation and Activity are external and therefore require an external solution–someone who changes the external environment, or someone who sees the problem as being external–whereas Fixed Attitude and Manipulation are internal and require an internal solution–someone who changes themselves, or someone who sees the problem as being internal. After all, if your perspective of the problem is that it’s external, how would it even be possible to change things internally to solve it? Conversely, if your perspective of the problem is that it’s internal, what are you going to do externally to fix that?
Since your MC will have a role in the MC throughline, the OS throughline, and the RS throughline, they will be present in 3/4 of the possible perspectives which means they will have to act as both a be-er and a do-er in order to solve all the stories problems. When you say: [quote=“SharkCat, post:1, topic:833”]
He’d feel the urge to warn the client
[/quote]
that feels to me like someone who would prefer to do something. But when you say:
it feels like this character is deciding whether to do or be, maybe because he would prefer to be a be-er even though the situation seems to call for a do-er.
In my example of striking up a conversation to see if he could find someone else to blame or maybe decide the client is a jerk that deserves to die, I think “talking to the client” specifically would maybe fall more under the action or decision driver category because he’s not trying to change the client by talking to him. He’s trying to change himself. Talking to the client is just the means by which he is gathering the information needed to try to change himself. However, if he talks to the client to tell him not to shake hands with his filthy friend, then yes, it would be an external solution.
Sorry for the long–and probably confusing–post. I actually had a little more to add, but decided i’ve been long winded enough as it is!