Character Web / Are all 64 Elements needed?

questions
#1

Hi there!

I am a new (german) User, just read the Theory Book (amazing!) and
using Dramatica Demo for the purpose of creating
a well balanced web of Complex Characters in
a new Science Fiction Story i am planning to write.
Before the story, there comes character so i want
to lay the foundation for solid 4-dimensional characters.

I am thinking about buying the software - in spite of
i am not sure how well i can use it for creative production and
generating ideas or better as a means of Evaluation of preliminary Drafts.

Now to my problem:

There are some characters i already fleshed out a bit
before i started Dramatica and some not. To get some
inspiration and insight about potential interconnections
between the characters i am using the Characteristics Section
of the Software to assign Characters to the
Motivation/Purpose/Methodology/Evaluation
Sets.

My question is:

Is it essential - preventing any potential
story holes - to assign all 64 Characteristics Elements
to all available Players? If i read the Book correctly it states yes,
but in all provided Examples i look through there were
often Holes and Non-Assignments (e.g. Casablanca, The Simpsons, etc.).

In my little - to - none practical experience with Dramatica
i have difficulties to assign all elements to all players
in a way that all interconnections (dynamic pairs, companions,
dependents) make sense at every junction.

Or is there really no problem, because a “full assignment”
is no Requirement for al balanced character web?

Hoping to find some answers and help from you.

Thx and many greetings from Frankfurt, Germany

Manuel

#2

First: you do not need to assign everything. Write the story without worrying about that.

Second: I find that there are two ways to create character, and they work well together. 1) do it without the software. 2) go into the character sets and use them as a way to brainstorm. There is no right way to do it.

Third: I have tried to teach people the theory without the software, and it is really hard. I think it is worth buying just to give yourself a deeper understanding of the theory.

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#3

Thanks for your reply!

I use a mix between drafting characters before using the Software
and then using Dramatica’s Characteristics feature to get the Structure right.
This process bounces back and forth beween Dramatica and my Freeform
Creative Writing of the Backstory, the Attitudes, the Abilities, etc.

I think the combination of both points you describe is really helpful for me.

After reading the sections in the Book again about Character Development
i read again that assigning all Elements is vital in regard of preventing
holes in the Story Mind. That makes me a little bit unsettled theory-wise.

What is your typical approach and experience in inventing Characters?
And are - theory-wise - all characters in a story which are not fully assigned
to the whole Chess Grid really supporting a Grand Argument Story?

Maybe i am wrapping my head a little bit too much around getting it right
in Dramaticas Theory Framework?

#4

Is your sci-fi story for a novel, a teleplay, a screenplay, or what? The reason I ask is, the length of the intended work can have a lot to do with how deep and thorough you need to go in assigning all 64 elements.

With a novel, you have the almost-unlimited page space to develop almost every principal character, and to follow many a side trail before you pull it all together into a climactic finale.

The same might be said of a teleplay — if that teleplay is one small part of an ongoing series, and you have a pretty clear sense of where all the series’ recurring characters “fit” in the Character Elements chart. In this case, your single episode is simply one tiny part of the overall character deepening that can be seen throughout the course of the series.

But with a feature-length screenplay (hardly ever longer than 120 pages), you simply don’t have the “page space” to go so deep with every single principal character. So if you’re writing a screenplay, I especially concur with MWollaeger: “You do not need to assign everything. Write the story without worrying about that.”

Indeed, you may be “wrapping [your] head a little too much around getting it right in Dramatica’s theory framework” — overthinking it, as we say.

Finally, re purchasing the software: How valuable is your time to you? Because the software can save you hundreds of hours of learning and cogitating time! Yes, buy the software if you can.

#5

Two things:
First, you don’t need to assign all of the elements. At a certain point, the storytelling will cover all of these holes.
Second, even if you felt compelled to assign all of the elements, that doesn’t mean you need to do it actively and consciously. Your brain will probably fill a lot of these in naturally.

Now for the big major point: yes you are wrapping your head a bit too much about getting it right in Dramatica’s Theory Framework.

I am not trying to downplay the importance of getting Dramatica right. But the problem is that you will spend so much time getting Dramatica right that your other very necessary skills will atrophy (schrumpfen). My advice: study dramatica, but write write write.

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