Mind providing a little help with my RS SP1?

writing
#1

So, I’m working on my current work in progress (a novel), and I’ve got most of the first signposts figured out. I come to my Relationship Story, and I feel like I have something off. The relationship is a friendship that starts out as best friends, and ends with the friends no longer on the same terms.

The reason for this is a fundamental difference in beliefs regarding the spirits that had never needed to be considered previously. The RS SP #1 is Memory explored in terms of Instinct, Senses, Interpretation, and Conditioning.

What I’m thinking I want to do, then, is have the friendship remember various times in which the bond was strengthened, but be under the impression that something was always hidden during those times, thus producing the initial tears in the fabric.

These are the ideas for scenes I have so far, but something just seems off. I was hoping I could source some ideas to either adjust these scenes, or add something that might be missing. Any ideas are welcome.

  • The friendship reminisces about itself, but feels something is being held back.
  • The friendship, in the interest of maintaining itself, buries its suspicions.
  • The friendship discovers a one-sided, trained, inability to share secrets.
1 Like
#2

Is this a screenplay, short story, novel, or what?

One option with “Instinct, Senses, Interpretation, and Conditioning” is to have Conditioning represent enculturation. Perhaps the relationship suffered because one of the characters was afraid to acknowledge the reality of the spirits for fear she’d be seen as or be crazy.

#3

It’s a novel.

It’s funny you should mention that, as I have something along those lines with the MC, but it doesn’t really affect the relationship. Definitely something to consider.

#4

Perhaps the conditioned relationship dynamics make it difficult for A to help B as he goes through a crisis of faith?

#5

This seems like ‘cognitive dissonance’ I learned about in a psych class; however, there was not a conscious burying in order to maintain, but a brain shift that allowed one to live with the dissonance by removing one of the two conflicting aspects. It did not sound like it was a conscious choice. The reader might be interested in why and how one dissonant aspect is chosen by the brain.

#6

What is it that you feel is missing?

(maybe you instinctively feel something’s missing, but perhaps you’re just conditioned to think that… sorry couldn’t resist Dramatica joke :slight_smile: )

I actually really like your idea for this RS signpost 1 of Memories, where they’re reminiscing, talking about the good old days, but then something comes up that doesn’t jive with the memories (“wait, after the championship ball game you went to Sylvia’s house?” “oh sorry, no, I meant Tyler’s house” “hmm…”) and there’s now an instinctive distrust between them.

That seems to work great for a “best friends -> non-friends (frenemies?)” relationship story!

One idea for Conditioning is to have them trying to do what they’ve always done, go with the way things have always been between them. But because of this distrust and suspicion, it doesn’t work out and causes more problems. (Or maybe, it does calm things down between them for a time–this is where you might bring in the RS Inhibitor.)

Another technique that works for me… You use the Signpost but play it a bit loose with the PSR items, just outlining the scenes however you think would be cool, and look to the PSR for inspiration only if needed. Then at the end you can match things up to the PSR and adjust if necessary. (Sometimes when I do this, I need to change the PSR order to match what ended up in my story. I’m okay with that.)

1 Like
#7

It sounds like an Element is missing, doesn’t it?

#8

Or a Sorry/Not Sorry Story :slight_smile: I just wanted to use that phrase, I have no idea what I meant.

Sorry not sorry.

#9

Yeah, I remember this from psychology, too, but it really is a conscious choice here. The friendship actually acknowledges the suspicions up front, though not necessarily jointly, then purposely tries to bury them. You could imagine how well that goes…

Exactly! I think it’s probably Interpretation, and I know I’m looking for a better thing for Conditioning. I like the idea that the friendship tries to continue as it always does, but I wouldn’t want it to get better. I’d rather it just remain as is or maybe get worse at this point.

Oh, in case you were wondering @mlucas, the Inhibitor is Permission and the Catalyst is Appraisal. (Also, I appreciated the joke.)

I think I’m probably gonna have to do this, though, and just brainstorm some scenes that I think would be cool overall for this part of the story. It actually took me quite some time to figure out how to use Memory in the first place. Everything else, though, just kinda fell into place.

1 Like
#10

Holy cow!! Does that ever fit!

When they appraise that something is off and grow suspicious, it causes tension and conflict in the friendship.

When the relationship says, “it’s okay, we’re allowed to have some suspicions in our friendship” and gives itself permission to bury the suspicions too, the conflict temporarily goes on hold.

1 Like
#11

Well, I didn’t notice that, but no kidding. So, THERE’S some :sparkles: Dramatica Magic :sparkles: for you!

Mind blown!

2 Likes
#12

@Hunter you can ask yourself these questions.

  1. Who/what is pursuing the memory or forcing the action of the memory?

  2. Who/what is physically trying to prevent the memory?

  3. Who is calm and controlled in the scene?

  4. Who is frenzied or chaotic in the scene?

  5. Who/what is trying to hinder the memory?

  6. Who/what tries to aid the memory?

  7. Who/what plays the role of support or cheerleader in the scene?

  8. Who/what opposes in the scene?

If you noticed I’ve mapped the archetypal roles to the subject matter of memory. I feel this technique livens up the task of clarifying the source of conflict and the nature of relationship between the characters in the RS throughline.

#13

Some examples of a RS SP1 of memory:
http://dramatica.com/analysis/boyz-n-the-hood
http://dramatica.com/analysis/charlottes-web
http://dramatica.com/analysis/platoon
http://dramatica.com/analysis/pride-and-prejudice
http://dramatica.com/analysis/taxi-driver
http://dramatica.com/analysis/the-age-of-innocence
http://dramatica.com/analysis/the-graduate
http://dramatica.com/analysis/the-silence-of-the-lambs
http://dramatica.com/analysis/the-piano-lesson
http://dramatica.com/analysis/washington-square

Remember that in most cases, the SP exploration leads to problems/conflict. That is, it’s not a blissful kumbaya exploration of memories.

#14

Could that be in their individual throughlines, MC and IC? Or is each burying it, so the other doesn’t find out, or some such?

#15

Right, and this is certainly not my intention, either. I think I’ll read/watch a few of those to see how they do it again, as at this point, I cannot recall (irony).

This was the intention.

I’ll have to keep everything here in mind, but I think I’m just gonna have to write the first act and see what develops. Actually, I finished my first act outline enough that I’m excited to write it, so I’ll be doing that.

Thanks again, everyone for the ideas and things to think about. It has certainly helped!

#16

Now, that is s real reader hook, imho.

#17

Hard to toss out ideas without storytelling details, but maybe the friendship is interpreting this memory in a different way now, or misinterpreting it and as that creates tension the friendship buries the memory away, tries to ignore it, because that’s what it’s been conditioned to do. Then they still feel like friends, but interpretations and conditioning have pushed them apart to some degree.