I’ve learned about the Plot Sequence Report in Dramatica for Screenwriters, and am fascinated by the way it explores thematic topics with sentences such as “Gathering Information explored in terms of Need, Expediency, Deficiency, and Permission.” These four are in the “Conceiving an Idea” quad.
My question is, how did dramatica decide to explore Gathering Information in terms of elements of Conceiving an Idea?
There is good news and bad news for the answer to this question:
The bad news: Unfortunately, the specific answer to that question has never been fully released by Chris and Melanie, and probably won’t be, since it is the proprietary information that holds business value for the Dramatica software program. (If you look around on the forum, you’ll see this question is asked in a number of ways, and this has always been the answer.)
The good news: In order to use Dramatica to improve your writing, you don’t really need to know how it chose that. You only need to know that it did choose that.
Note (I doubt I say this right.): Understanding that the mixing up of Theme and Plot is a result of the inequity in a story, and the unraveling of that twisting is part of the problem-solving process of the Storymind represented by that particular Storyform in an attempt to find the actual answer to the inequity can be helpful, for some people. For others, that sentences is a bunch of noise.
Note 2: I spent a whole lot of time trying to figure it out (~5 years in total), and I finally think I have a decent idea which may still be incorrect. In the end, though, I haven’t used one iota of any assumed understanding of the Process that generates the PSR in my writing. However, I have consistently used the Result of the PSR itself.
Thanks!
I’m happy to know that I’m not missing something in the docs.
I think maybe the why has something to do with how the mind processes a problem by running it through Preconscious, then Subconscious, then Memory, then Conscious (not 100% sure if I got the order right) and then, if it still isn’t solved, runs it through all four in reverse order (or something to that effect).
The theory is that every time the problem moves up or down a level, it changes or is changed by the process. By the time it goes all the way up and then all the way back down it is completely unrecognizable as the origin problem. I think the storyform is maybe running the problem up the levels to consciousness and the PSR-the way the story looks from inside the story-is maybe a view of the problem being run back down.
There are articles about this process, but nothing that specifically connects this process to the PSR that I have seen, so that’s just a guess. The flips and turns that get you a particular PSR are alignment are, I’m guessing, found with the A/B=CD equation, but again, that’s just a guess.
It’s highly detailed interpretation of projection - that’s why you’ll often find personal Issues “projected” out into the Overall Story Throughline (it’s not MY problem, it’s THEIR problem).
If you search for PSR or Plot Sequence Report, you’ll find a ton of further discussion on it.
I worked through the night answering plot questions and filling in plot progression blanks when I first got my dram4, and by early morning I had only finished one-fourth my way through the story forming. The next day (after a lot of sleep) I used the character option, finished them all, and nailed a 1 story form that I liked in 2 hours. Maybe, using the character track will give you some hints or indications that you are looking for.