Multiple Main Character dilemma

writing
#1

I’m writing the third novel in a series and coming to Dramatica a little late in the process (having already finished the first 2 books.) My question has to do with multiple MCs. I have a clear MC who is also the protagonist. But I also have another “main” character who takes part in the OS, but also has his own personal “I” journey and is ultimately changed by the end. (I’ll call them MC1 and MC2) I considered that MC2 could be the IC, but the two characters spend a lot of time apart and while they have some influence on each other, both are more or less on the same page about stuff. They each have other ICs who challenge their beliefs more directly.

However, when I consider that I may have two story forms, I get very confused. There is one clear OS for everyone that is in Activity/Obtaining. My understanding about having more than one story form is that there should be a different OS for each MC (like one OS of Activity and another of Situation, like in Finding Nemo).

Or am I overthinking this and should I consider MC2 as a complex character in the OS, who has a more in-depth character arc than the other players?

Does that make any sense? Thanks!

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#2

Makes perfect sense. Sounds like you have the same storyform with two different players (vessels) acting as the MC.

You don’t have to have a different OS for each MC, espec. if they’re concerned with the same Issues. In other words, there isn’t a rule that says “You have to have a different OS”.

So many different ways you can play it:

  1. Same storyform with two different players acting as MC (my guess)
  2. Different storyforms with basically the same OS
  3. Different storyforms with completely different OSes

First thing to do would be to nail down the personal issues for your MC candidates, check to see if there is an IC who approaches problems in a significantly different way, and a relationship that develops between the two of them.

Then you can cross-reference the OSes and see if there are any similarities.

In short, you description leaves much open to interpretation and Dramatica doesn’t have any rules about the specific amount or essence of storyforms.

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#3

Thanks for the quick reply, Jim! Very helpful.

I agree that option 1 is closest to what I have going (same storyform with two different players as MC).

Following up on that: If I’m using the same storyform, then both MCs would have the same Issue, Problem, Solution, etc, correct? And would the ICs for each MC also have the same Issue, Problem, Solution, etc?

I can see the flexibility with Dramatica and how you could create two very different characters out of the same set of Story Points.

But that leaves me with one other question: does that mean both MCs would have to have the same Resolve/Growth? Or could one be Changed, the other Steadfast? (Which is what I was thinking, but now seems muddled if I’m only using one storyform.)

#4

If you change the Resolve you’ll change the storyform - different thematics in each Throughline. You’ll have two different storyforms that while extremely similar somehow argue for Change on the one hand and Steadfast on the other…If you were going to have different Resolves I would likely try and put distance between the two storyforms (different problems, issues, concerns, etc)

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#5

Hi @mike.d! I’d recommend to watch both The Princess Bride and The Usual Suspects with this in mind – they both have this type of storyform (one storyform, two MC players with same story points). I think The Princess Bride might fit yours even closer as there are two IC players there (sharing all the same IC story points). Assuming you’re really in “option 1” territory, of course.

Definitely agree with Jim on the Resolve. If that doesn’t feel right, then yeah you might be looking at Jim’s option 2 “Different storyforms with basically the same OS”.

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#6

Got it. Yes, that totally makes sense.

#7

Thanks @mlucas. I’ll relook at those films again with that in mind.

#8

I’m wondering if a litmus test to determine where there is 1 or 2 storyforms would be to determine if there are 2 separate arguments going on, or only one. In option 2 (different storyforms with same OS) can there be 2 different arguments? (argument1 between MC1 & IC1 and argument2 between MC2 & IC2.) I’m guessing yes, but would love some guidance on doing that.

#9

It just depends on how much you veer from OS in the other - the closer they are, the more aligned or similar the actual arguments will be. Remember though that the storyform is the structure of the argument, the actual subject matter–the passionate part that everyone attaches themselves to–that can be completely different. Talking to Melanie yesterday–it’s not the subject matter you attach to the storyform (structure), but rather the structure itself moving through the subject matter…

#10

Thanks @jhull
Interesting… So in the way that you can create two different MCs from the same Story Points, you could have two different arguments based on the same structure?