Playing a role - MC throughline

questions
#21

Just when I think I have it all figured out…lol. Seriously, though, how do you know when you finally have the right storyform? Here’s where I’m currently at:

OS Throughline - Fixed Attitude
Concern: Memories
Issue: Truth
Problem: Perception

MC Throughline: Manipulation
Concern: Developing a Plan
Issue: Situation
Problem: Perception

#22

Is it the intent of Dramatica to have the IC have a unique problem as well (unrelated to the OS Goal) or is their role related to the OS throughline or the MC throughline?

#23

At the heart of it, there are four throughlines with unique problems. The OS is Objective and impersonal. The IC and MC are our subjective characters and have a bit of oil/water going on with the Objective stuff.

Does the IC have their own problem? That’s a great question, and there are two ways to go about learning this:

  1. The IC has their own problem: this is how I learned it, but…
  2. The IC is the you perspective in a story, meaning that I am looking at you. That’s a better way to look at it. Think always about the effect the IC is having on the MC. They are an obstacle, an impediment, a hiccup in the way the MC wants to go about doing things.

So, while a very optimistic IC can be looked at as “Hey, that IC is really boppy” and it’ll work, it’s a smarter plan to look at the IC and ask, “Is this boppy nature of the IC affecting my MC?”

You can look at my answers in this thread to see an example of how and IC can affect an MC.

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#24

I wanted to go into this just a bit more. It is not the intent of Dramatica for the IC to have a unique problem because Dramatica is a descriptive model, not a prescriptive model.

Dramatica has no intent.

People who push Dramatica and want you to use it well have the intention of you understanding how ICs work in the model, but the model itself was built from the ground up to model how we think.

2 Likes
#25

Don’t know if this will be helpful but don’t forget to keep the older Dramatica definitions in mind when encoding.
Jim had a great article on this subject https://narrativefirst.com/articles/the-difference-between-becoming-and-being-in-dramatica

Playing a role = Being

I prefer the older definitions personally

.
Conceiving an idea = Conceiving
Playing A Role = Being
Changing One’s Nature = Becoming
Developing A Plan = Conceptualising

.
And if you’re struggling with a point, look up the Dramatica definition because sometimes it’s very counter-intuitive! :grinning: I never would have known that Permission related to a lack of ability otherwise

#26

Better to think of it as limitations imposed on ability, rather than just lack of ability. (this is kind of off-topic so let’s start a new thread if you want to discuss further)

Definitely agree with the rest of your post though, @furiouswolf!

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#27

Permission = Can or Can’t
Need = Need or Needn’t
Expediency = Should or Shouldn’t
Deficiency = Want or Wont

Can, Want, Need, Should - Waaaaaaaaay easier than the definitions.

5 Likes
Blind spot: the dynamic pairs I don't get
#28

Well put! Thanks for the correction

#29

You really need to write Dramatica for Dummies :smile:

2 Likes
#30

I keep reading bits like this from Jim and everyone else and can’t figure out where to keep all these notes where I’ll remember them when I need them.

2 Likes
#31

Call it Dramatica Basics. Writers are very, very smart people.

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#32

I’m starting to like my macbook pro’s Notes for that. command-N and I get a whole other page, ready to go, and they all stay in the same spot.

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