Does the choice of the MC’s Approach affect the IC’s Approach at all? I’m asking because I’ve switched my IC and MC Throughlines, and that’s caused my MC to switch from a Be-er to a Do-er (and changed his growth, as well), so I’m wondering if the Approaches of the MC and IC need to be opposite.
I think you have the MC Approach confused with the OS Driver. This isn’t about Action or Decision; it’s about Do-er or Be-er.
I guess there is a parallel, though. They are both contrasting the external with the internal. You can have your story driven by external events or internal decisions, just as you can have your MC solve problems by changing his external situation, or by internally adapting to it.
But I’m derailing my own thread now.
Yes, the MC and IC Approaches are intimately related.
If one is a Be-er, the other is a Do-er.
If one is Static (Situation/Fixed Attitude), then the other one is also.
If you change your MC’s Approach, but do not change the OS Domain, the Growth will change.
These are fixed.
[Minor point: the Driver is not the OS Driver. The Driver kicks off all four throughlines – see Chris’s response in The Fugitive thread. But, yes, it is most easy to see and notice in the OS.]
Slight add here: while the selection of the Main Character’s Approach will naturally put the Influence Character in the Domain associated with the opposite Approach it does not necessarily mean that the Influence Character will exhibit those qualities. He or she quite often does, but it is not something that is definite.
In short the Influence Character’s Approach is inconsequential to the storyform. Remember the Main Character and Influence Character represent perspectives – they are not “characters.” The Influence Character Throughline is reflected in his or her impact on others–their Approach not as important as how that Approach influences or challenges the Main Character.
So you can have an Influence Character whose Throughline is found in Fixed Attitude, yet prefers to solve problems externally. If their actions challenge attitudes or express a point-of-view related to a state of mind then you will have successfully explored the Influence Character’s role within a story.
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So, I guess my next question is, how much can a Do-er Be and how much can a Be-er Do? I very much see my IC as a Do-er now, because she does an awful lot in the story, but there is definitely a Be-er aspect to her as well, as she is able to adapt herself to new situations where my MC has trouble. Maybe it’s just because the Do-ing is easier to see than the Be-ing?
EDIT: I guess @jhull answered my questions as I was writing them. Thanks to everyone!
I have a feeling we posted at the same time! Let me know if the above helps resolve the issue for you. Do not waste time thinking of the IC as a Do-er or Be-er, it’s not necessary and will only end up confusing the IC’s role within the story.
Just to add a little perspective in case it helps someone else, I used to have my MC Domain to do with a Fixed Attitude about his mysterious girlfirend. Once he starts learning about her, he thinks the relationship can’t work. Recently, I changed his Domain to Situation, namely that he’s in love with someone he doesn’t really know (the IC), and made him Steadfast instead of Change, because he goes after her in the end despite learning who and what she is. So, now she changes her Fixed Attitude that the relationship can’t work, and he’s now a Do-er instead of a Be-er.
In short, he’s still in love with her despite learning more and more about her, but she’s distancing herself from him because she thinks the relationship can’t work. He’s left confused for most of the story, until he realizes he’s about to lose her, and takes action.
My original question was against this backdrop.
it sounds like you’re misusing the MC and IC throughlines when what you’re describing sounds more like the RS throughline. the MC throughline would need to stick with him despite the story he’s in so if you take him out of this story with the mystery girl he would still be suffering from problems personal to him. in this case if you take him out of this story he has no problems since the girl was the problem. so i think you would need to ask yourself what about him makes him so uncomfortable with not knowing who she is.
He not uncomfortable not knowing who she is, he uncomfortable once he begins to find out.
I was actually thinking maybe his Situation was that he was alone. Could he still end up with the girl in the end, or does changing his Situation make him a Change character, even if internally he hasn’t really changed?