@MWollaeger , I guess I’m still confused about what you were saying. Once all the blanks are filled in, couldn’t the story go in a number of directions, even if the writers are all using the same ingredients? Or would the way each point is developed direct the story in a general direction? I know we wanted to keep the story light and create a rom-com, but isn’t it more in how you spin the ingredients? Again, I would still consider myself new at all this and can become easily confused by all things Dramatica.
You are unclear about what exactly?
Yes, after the blanks are filled in, you can go myriad ways. But most writers could not think about story that way – if it was a comedy, they’d want to see the comedy first. Avoiding that seems counterintuitive, but not wrong.
So, you think that genre (forgive me if that may not be the right term) is apparent early in the process? I mean, I agree that with my own story writing, that comes out pretty early, but is it just as early when you start working with a Dramatica story form? When I was doing some sandbox experimentation, I don’t know if I was that cognizant of how the story was going to play out from just the things I slipped into each heading. Am I just being more confusing about this? I think I agree with you in a not-so-agreeing way.
In the Dramatica Story Points report the first section is called Genre Points which include in order: resolve, growth, approach, problem solving style, driver, limit, outcome, and judgement.
I don’t know if any of these would tell me this is science fiction or comedy or a thriller.
Another question I have is tone. Does anyone think a Dramatica storyform can affect or has anything to do with tone?
Thanks to @jhull for breaking this out into a new thread. I forgot we could do that!
I’m sorry for being confusing. I’m saying exactly the opposite of what you are getting from my post.
I do not think genre enters into the storyform at all.
I think most people start with genre – even if they have nothing more than a scene or a character in their head, I think this biases them towards a genre. So to proceed with so much detail but not genre would probably strike people as bizarre or as wasted effort.
In theory, I could take all of our gists and say, “Okay, let’s make this into a horror/thriller” and we’d still be able to do that.
Also, I understand that this is just an exercise. Nobody (I imagine) really works this way, starting with just a storyform. But I also think that’s where the value lies. I think most writers should do lots of exercises, the same way I think tennis players should do lots of practice on their forehand.
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I read this as “the same way I think tennis players should do lots of practice on their forehead” and got very confused.
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Great, Mike! That was my feelings from the beginning that basically a storyform could go any direction (almost) that you wanted to take it… Doing more of these kinds of exercises might make the process of creating the storyform less, I don’t know, serious? I tend to take the whole process of making these decisions too seriously, as if the theory is this imposing taskmaster instead of a playful companion who has lots of ideas.
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I work this way. But I’m a bit off the norm when it comes to stuff like this 
You’d be about one of three people who could work this way!
You’re trapped between Scilla and Charybdis. Creating should always be fun. But you should also be really specific about your choices – if that’s what you mean by taking the decisions seriously.
I’m redrafting something now. My RS was generically, “They have different views about X.” And it worked, generally. When I finally pinned myself down, I realized that the actual throughline was “Figuring out if they can put faith in each other.” It’s totally different! And now I can be specific when I write. I was already about 80% of the way there, but being strict is going to save me.
That said, have fun with storyforming, because you probably will need a draft or two to figure out what you really want to say. (You = everyone in the world, except Jim.)
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I think my biggest problem is to commit to the decisions I make and then follow them or if it doesn’t seem to be going that way, to step back and consider another direction that makes more sense, just like you are doing.
Are you saying your biggest problem is committing, or not committing?
Definitely committing. I think I’m too impatient.
I think maybe a change of mindset is required. Instead of thinking that a choice is right or wrong, maybe you should approach choices by trying to wring everything out of them.
I agree. Patience and persistence, without the stigma of right or wrong, is definitely a proper way to handle a lot of things, including writing.
I guess we can keep using this thread to ask questions about the Story Assembly rather than clog things up on that thread…
Concerning the Dividend, Jim, would it be like maybe seeing the “mural” in progress at the beginning of the story and then maybe having it crop up from time to time as it progresses, and then in the end having the mural completed to reflect the changing ideas about women in that particular company? Or the mural is changed by the artist from what it looked like at the beginning of the story? Something like that?