What does Dramatica mean by MC "was on the Right Track"

questions
#1

Under Usage for level 1 story forming guide, MC Problem, it says

For the Success/Good and Failure/Bad combinations, the Main Character was on the right track, according to the author. In the first case, it paid off and that was Good. In the second it didn’t pay off and that was Bad.

This doesn’t mention Resolve but this phrasing sounds very Steadfast, as if the MC was right all along. If my MC is Change and my story is Success/Good, wouldn’t it mean that his problem really was a problem, but he gets to the root of it and changes?

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#2

Yes, definitely. That sounds like a typo or missed information thing.

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#3

How about the opposite? He was determined to fix “the” problem, but after getting to the root of it he sees there was not a problem …all good… or at least the workers or family members were dealing with it ok. Or he thought he had a problem but hey he was ok.

#4

I don’t really have a problem with the wording. If the comment is made in retrospect of the story, I don’t see how it implies steadfast or change.

#5

If the MC is Steadfast and the story ends with Failure/ Bad, I don’t see the argument for the MC being “on the right track.” Surely, in almost all cases with this arrangement of story points, the author’s intended meaning is that the MC was wrong. Likewise, the whole point of Changed/ Success/ Good is that the MC was taking the wrong approach throughout most of the story.

The MC being “on the right track” or not sounds far more closely related to the Work and Dilemma Appreciations, which are a combination of Resolve and Outcome.

That passage must be misprinted in the theory book or else the quote is lacking some context from a previous sentence.

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#6

Couldn’t this be a destination vs. journey thing? Not so much about the journey or arc of the MC; rather, it refers to the destination: the end goal?

What the MC is aiming for is the “right track” or right choice regardless of the traits or choices during the journey?

I guess I don’t feel bound by the term. It isn’t canon in Dramatica’s dictionary. Just vernacular. Right?

Goal. Not process.

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#7

Could judgment be involved?

#8

I found this under Storyforming > MC Problem, which also says

Even though the Problem is what is “wrong” with the Main Character according to the outside world, if the Main Character is actually correct in its motives and the world at large is mistaken, then this “Problem” is what drives the Main Character to set things right.

In my case, the world says “You should take more risks/face your fears” and MC says “I can’t! Bad things might happen to others/me” and/or “Even if you’re right, I’m too much a coward.” By the end, MC Changes and it’s Good-- “My fears were exaggerated” and “I am stronger than I’d thought.”
I’m not sure whether to emphasize lack of confidence, lack of risk-taking, or avoiding fears.

Of course, it might fail in the attempt, but its heart is in the right place. On the other hand, the Main Character might be mistaken, and its Problem is just that: the source of all the story’s difficulties.
So, there are really two ways to look at the Main Character’s Problem.
Which is right for your story? That is determined by your answers to two of the 12 Essential Questions: Success/Failure and Good/Bad.

However, in the Success/Bad and Failure/Good stories, the author’s message is that the Main Character was actually the cause of everyone’s problems and therefore, what drove him was really the source of the inequity.
In this case, the Main Character Problem really IS a Problem, and needed to be solved.

Then MC Solution says this:

Do you see your Main Character as having the Problem or solving the Problem?
If he has the problem, then arriving at the Main Character’s Solution is what the story is all about.
But if he is solving the problem, the Main Character’s Solution is the one thing he must avoid at all costs.

If my MC has an MC Problem about being too cautious but gains confidence and learns to take chances by the end (Good) and the OS Succeeds (say everyone wants a sense of belonging, which was something going on before MC enters the picture, but MC’s problem may thwart their latest attempts to solve it. Perhaps MC’s insight helps something or they find that trying to deal with MC has brought them all together into their own group), how does that fit in?

#9

It seems to me that a lot of the language has to do with Steadfast vs. Change, so it’s weird that it doesn’t mention Resolve. I think maybe it’s trying to “factor out” Resolve by suggesting that regardless of whether the MC actually Changes or not, the author/story is making a judgement about whether they SHOULD change. Not sure though.

But I have a Failure/Good story where the message is DEFINITELY that the MC was right to remain Steadfast. That doesn’t match the “MC Problem really IS a problem and needed to be solved” language you quoted.

Anyway, let’s talk about your story. In your story, your message is that your main character should change. And this will be reflected in the OS because the OS Problem/Solution are the same. I don’t think Dramatica proscribes any particular way for the MC and OS Problem/Solution to overlap though. I think you’ll find that just by ensuring conflict is coming from the throughline story points, that those crucial elements will become very meaningful. Once you really get a good understanding of that meaning (partway into or after your first draft), you can really hammer it home.

I think the examples you gave are great – MC’s problem thwarts things for them; dealing with MC brings them all together in the end. (You could also see if the MC Critical Flaw and Unique Ability fit here, as those are other connections between MC and OS, and seem like they might be applicable.)

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#10

I just start wondering if the way things are described in Dramatica itself is how the mechanics of the storyform play out when the program makes choices, like even if I portray Success/Good with an MC being the cause of problems, maybe the structure doesn’t reflect that (I’m not experienced enough to see how all the pieces fit together or to disregard the official text).

It does sound like Resolve, so why does it say that it’s determined by Outcome and Judgement?

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#11

If you have time, maybe check in the theory book for similar statements. There would be more context there.

As far as your story goes, I wouldn’t worry about it – I think you’re handling everything fine.

EDIT: also Jim did say (above) there was a typo or mistake in the other section so maybe the same problem carried through to here.

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#12

It matches if you take it to mean an observation of what would have been necessary to achieve the Story Goal.

I think in this case “on the right track” doesn’t so much mean on the right track to solve personal problems, but is examining only the path necessary to achieve the Story Goal. (If you read Melanie’s articles, she often uses this wording.)

Unfortunately, it conflicts with the usage of the language on the forum and in the theory book as a way of describing Steadfast and Change with Good and Bad. Honestly, this language makes the most sense if you examine all three at once, instead: Resolve, Judgement, and Outcome.

I’ve come to find that the descriptions within the program itself don’t always result in the feel they present when implemented. In other words, don’t worry about that.

Instead, make sure that you know what an Outcome of Success is, and what an Outcome of Failure is, especially in regard to your story. Do the same for a Judgement of Good and a Judgement of Bad. The mechanics will work themselves out as you write because of the theory of Dramatica.

P.S. It seems you already know?

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#13

That’s a good point. However, there are still two problems with that interpretation of what @SharkCat quoted:

  • It says that for Success/Bad and Failure/Good, “the Main Character Problem really IS a Problem, and needed to be solved.” But how would that work for Steadfast/Success/Bad? They remained Steadfast, and achieved the Goal.
  • Just because the MC remained Steadfast and the story ended in Failure, it doesn’t automatically follow that if they’d Changed, the Outcome would’ve been Success. That’s a different story we don’t know anything about.

Maybe some of those quotes are pre-supposing a Change MC?

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#14

There always seem to be when dealing with the internal text of the program. It’s the reason I now would advise against it, and instead suggest the comic (if dealing with the 12 Questions), the theory book, Narrative First, and this forum, in that order, when trying to figure out stuff like that. Skip the comic when not dealing with the 12 Questions.

Probably, or there’s some strange interpretation.

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#15

In your story is the MC the protagonist? I ask because this combination of Steadfast/ Failure/ Good where the MC was right immediately brought to mind How to Train Your Dragon (likely because I’ve been picking at producing a full encoding for some time). Of course, in that story the protagonist and MC functions are separated, which has the potential for more nuanced endings.

I think something else is that since Outcome and Judgment look to the results of different throughlines, if the MC throughline is a lot more prominent, it might skew the message to where Failure/ Good seems preferable to Success/ Bad.

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#16

Good guess! The MC is not the Protagonist in that story. (In fact, it’s the Protagonist IC that in pursuit of the Goal at the climax influences her almost into Changing. But – and the RS comes into play here too – she rejects his ways and sticks with her original values/perspective, which allows the Antagonist to win.)

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#17

“…on the Right Track” is a subjective assessment the main character’s character development/journey. What it means is that the result of the objective argument is consistent with result of subjective argument as explored through the MC.

By subjective assessment I mean it is a audience view assessment – specifically an American bias – which means it is NOT a strict expression of the storyform, but reflective more of our (Melanie and my) personal bias, not a reflection of the absolute meaning of the story.

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