Q: Difference between Story Driver and Signpost?

questions
#1

HI.

Regarding the Overall Story, I’d appreciate any comment to help me understand the difference between a Story Driver and a Signpost. The concepts just appear very similar for me, especially if I’m using both Signposts and Journeys.

I’ve read that some writers use only Signposts, others only Journeys. If I use only Journeys it makes more sense to me to have Story Drivers between them, but if I use both Journeys and Signposts isn’t having Story Drivers a little redundant? What do you do when using the Story Guide Level Three and you have to answer those questions?

Thanks!

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#2

Signpost is a sequential marker, showing the latest story progress using that act’s concern. Driver is activity pushing the story, decision or action. I assume the one we watch, objectively, while the other we are using to drive the car.

#3

The Story Driver will be come into play each time the story turns or goes in a new direction, at the end of a Signpost for instance. A Story Driver starts the story, many equate the initial Story Driver to the catalyst or inciting incident, and ends the story.

The Signpost is the area that your characters will explore, plot wise, for a period of time until that area has been fully explored and they can move onto the next by way of the Story Driver. For example, if your Signpost is The Future then the nature of the plot during this time will somehow be related to the Future.

It might help to picture a Signpost as a room in a house. Imagine there are four different rooms and you have to go into each and have a look-around to understand the layout of the house.

#4

Imagine a story about a thief.

Driver 1: He steals something.
Signpost one: (present) the detectives realize they have a problem on their hands.
Driver 2: He steals again.
Signpost 2: (progress) the detectives realize things are getting worse.
Driver 3: He steals again!
Signpost 3: (past) the detectives try to figure out where this thief came from
Driver 4: He steals again!
Signpost 4: (future) the detectives realize this will continue forever until stopped
Driver 5: the arrest him.

Does this help?

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#5

@Prish thanks for your quick answer.

I’m reading the analysis of Star Wars A New Hope on Dramatica’s website. If I’m getting this right a Signpost is not a single action or decision but rather a series of actions and decisions by one or more characters. OS Signpost 1 is understanding, so the Signpost would be everything that is related to understanding, directly shown or implied. Then because OS Signpost 2 is Learning the OS Journey 1 is everything done to going from Understanding to Learning, and so on.

On the software’s Level Three Story Guide: Plot Illustrating > Plot Progressions > OS Plot Progression they also ask for:
-Driver: Inciting Event
-Driver: First Act Turn
-Driver: Second Act Turn
-Driver: Third Act Turn
-Driver: Closing Event.

The order in which the questions are asked puts a Driver at the beginning (Inciting Incident), one at the end (Closing Event). I get they must be the same kind of Story Driver (action/decision). The part I don’t get that clearly are the Act Turns. What confuses me a little is that the list puts Driver First Act Turn between Signpost 1 and Journey 1, Driver Second Act Turn between Signpost 2 and Journey 2, and so on.

If I’m getting this right those Driver Act Turns must also be the same kind of the Driver (action/decision). But I’m a little confused about the order of Journeys/Signposts/Drivers and their length in pages (approximate, not a fixed number of course)

@Dan310 I’m just reading your answer as I type this. Very good analogy using rooms. So the Journeys would be moving from one room to another? As if the rooms were connected through halls? And the Story Driver would be the exact moment when you go through the door from one room to another?

In regard to length, if I’m getting it right:
-Driver, being actions or decisions are just that, an single action or a decision that happens in a scene.
-Journeys and Signposts could be one or more scenes or sequences.

Once I’m putting it on paper I put everything from the #1’s first, then from the #2’s, Journeys or Signposts. But are Journeys and Signposts big blocks like huge acts, one starts, the other ends, or intertwined? Meaning, I can show a bit of Journey 1, a bit of Signpost 1, then return for a little more of Journey 1, and Signpost 1? Or should I keep everything that belongs to a Journey/Signpost together?

Thanks for your answers.

#6

Drivers and Acts are related, because the drivers are what create the shift from one act to the next.
Acts and Signposts are related, because each act is dominated by the signpost.
But it’s hard to relate Drivers and Signposts.

Plus, you can’t put drivers and journeys into a good sequence:

Imagine for a moment that Signposts are single events. You win the lottery – obtaining.
Let’s say the next signpost is understanding that money doesn’t make you happy.

Between these two events is a journey. Somewhere on that journey is a driver and a shift to a new act.

If you were designing a program, where would you put the driver? Before or after the Journey?

Bear in mind that Signposts don’t have to be looked at as single events. They are simply the dominant part of an act.

A driver can be more than a single action or decision. If you were writing a story about the destruction of the Aztec empire, one Action driver could be the arrival of Cortez and the burning of his ships (one action); the next could be his lengthy trek across eastern Mexico (many scenes) – this causes lots of decisions (the subjugated tribes join him).

You’re overthinking this. I would put this whole line of thought aside.

If it makes you feel better, a Journey is a blend between two signposts, so it’s going to pick up a bit of both signposts – you don’t need to even think about returning “for a little more of Journey 1”.

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#7

Yes, overthinking. I have been there and done that(and still do), making everything about Dramatica precious because it’s such an amazing concept and insight.
(I am no authority but the way I see it) With the four room analogy, each driver would force the story into the next room and the journey would be very short (maybe an ‘aha’ moment or forced into a situation where there is no time to contemplate the shift) maybe some rooms are connected by a door and others by a Long hallway where the story would have time to explore the shift between signposts. But once the story is in the next room there is no going back.
I suppose you could start a journey of three parts. A driver (action or decision) starts the story out at signpost one with a long trek to signpost two. That’s just a short break before the ‘driver’ starts the story off on the second part of the journey. Another quick break at signpost 3 and it’s off to end the journey at signpost 4.

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