Can't decide between Universe and Activity

writing
#1

Hi everyone,

I’m attempting to finally embark on finishing a scifi piece of mine, the idea of which I must have come up with four years ago. I quickly realized it had a very strong storyform right down to the elemental level. It’s been a long time since I’ve delved deep into Dramatica, although it’s always been present in my life - I really can’t even watch movies without analyzing them through the Dramatica lens.

But now, with this specific story, I face a problem of deciding/finding out if it’s an OS Activity or OS Universe story. Like those optical illusions of a vase that switches into faces, I can very easily switch between Activity and Universe with the central idea staying intact. The main character could also easily be in Activity or Universe and I know it’s a Stop story.

So, does anyone have any tips on figuring out whether the OS is Activity or Universe? Obviously, a bit difficult to comment without knowing the story, but I guess it’s possible to discuss it in general terms knowing how the theory works.

#2

Imagine your OS story without one or the other. If problematic activities ceased, would the story be over? If not, then the OS Throughline is not Activity.

Picture an OS featuring both a war and a famine. Which is causing which? If the war is creating the food shortage, then the OS is Activity – if the fighting stopped, they could grow food again. But if the famine is causing the war, then cessation of hostilities doesn’t solve the problem – they’re still out of food. Thus an OS in Situation (Universe).

The source of conflict defines the domain.

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War stories - activity or situation domain?
#3

Definitely feels more like the problem would persist if all activities ceased. However, I’m resistant to the OS being Situation for some reason, maybe because I feel more comfortable writing an underdog MC than a bad Situation overall. I feel like it’s a bit difficult not to make it preachy. But yeah, Situation feels more correct.

Which do you think Interstellar is, OS Activity or OS Situation? I’d say Universe.

I’m not sure if this is specifically a structure issue or me just standing at a crossroads in the storytelling territory.

#4

I think Interstellar is an OS of Physics (Activity). They need to find a new planet. If they fail to find one they’ll die on a dying planet. You can always look under the Class at the Concern level and see which appreciations fit better. For Interstellar I get more of a feeling of Learning, Doing, Understanding, Obtaining.

I could be wrong with regards to Interstellar because the problem with only trying to figure out one Throughline is that if you try hard enough you could actually make the argument for all four Classes. It’s when you can lock all 4 in at the same time is when you know you got something worth attempting in a first draft. You can always change it later.

#5

Yeah, it’s funny how in a well crafted story, none of the throughlines stand alone, but are sort of staring at the center of the Dramatica grid, none of which being a definite point of view - it’s the combination of all that creates the holistic point of view, which is the closest thing to a definite point of view.

Another similar example: Sunshine. Is it about reigniting the Sun or the earth dying of cold?

My story is somewhat similar to these two, although still quite far from both in terms of storytelling.

#6

It can prove difficult to accurately identify the conflict for any throughline when the storyform is incomplete, which is true for both Sunshine and Interstellar. But if I had to theorize I would say they’re both OS Situation stories.

This is true. The four perspectives quadrangulate the central inequity. If you can accurately and holistically state the problem in a sentence or two, there’s no real need for a two-hour film or five-hundred-page novel. The throughlines help us put a finger on a problem we can’t summarize in one track of thought.