I finally got Dramatica for Screenwriters. I’m only a couple chapters in and it’s already got a ton of useful stuff I wish I’d read before starting the project I’m working on now.
Theory is awesome and important, but tips for writing with Dramatica are my favorite! So I was just wondering if anyone else had any of your own tips for making Dramatica easier to use that you’d like to share?
I’ll share my own tip that i’ve been using lately. If you’re a regular, you already saw the beginnings of it in other threads. Also, if you’re a regular, you’ll know that on the hit-and-miss spectrum, I can be more miss than hit, so maybe tell me if this is not a good idea.
When I get stuck on how or why something is problematic, I try to look at how it is unbalanced when compared with it’s opposite. Dramatica is all about inequity and imbalance, so I imagine a teeter totter with the source of the problem on one side, a story event as the fulcrum, and the dynamic opposite on the other side. Then I try to show how the source of the problem leads to/prevents/whatever with the other side. It looks like this (reusing an example from a previous thread):
Gagging at the thought of eating oysters (source of the inequity - preconscious) calls the dragon’s attention (story event/fulcrum) which keeps the character from the treasure she desires(subconscious).
Using that could play out something like:
The MC walks through the cavern, searching for the treasure.
She smells something. What is that? she wonders. It smells like death.
No. Something worse.
She rounds the corner and is startled to see the dragon. He’s eating something from a giant cart. She realizes what the smell is. The dragon is eating the rotten oysters the villagers left to appease him. There’s nothing she hates more than oysters.
She looks away, but it’s too late. She already feels it in her chest. She can’t stop the feeling as it works it’s way up and escapes as a retch that echoes throughout the cavern.
The dragon immediately looks her way. She has no choice. She must give up the search for the treasure and run before the dragon can snatch her up.
or maybe:
Ms A sits at a table across from Mr B. She is negotiating for his business. If it goes well, she’ll make millions.
“May I order?” Mr B asks.
“Of course” she says.
“This place has the best oysters” he says.
She groans. She’s never liked oysters. But this is business, so she says nothing. When the oysters come, she tries to eat one but cannot help herself and lets out an audible gag.
The sound calls the attention of the outrageously dressed man she had previously spotted at the next table. The one with the flashy cowboy boots and the red leather jacket with a bright green dragon snaking up the back. He turns around and spots Mr B.
“Mr B?” he asks.
“Mr C?” Mr B says.
They laugh and shake hands, clearly old friends.
“What are you up to now?” Mr C asks.
“I sell widgets,” Mr B says.
“How about that?” Mr C says. “I produce widgets. Maybe we oughta make a deal.”
“Absolutely!” Mr B says. Then he turns to Ms MC. “Maybe another time,” he suggests.
That’s it. Would really love to see everyone else’s tips and tricks!