I’ve read “Dramatica - A New THeory of Story” and I’ve started a project in Dramatica. I’m nailing down the categories but I do have some uncertainty in the Start/Stop and Action/Decision sections. In order to take an action you have to first make the decision to take that action. So which comes first? And if the main character has to stop believing something and start believing something else…which should it be…start or stop?
In regards to the Story Driver what starts your story and what brings it to an end? Both of those will most likely be of the same type and give you an idea of how to answer that question.
In regards to the Main Character Growth just skip it and let the program pick it for you. The difference between the two can seem impossible to determine when you’re starting out.
Just to add to Jim’s response, one nice thing with Story Driver is that if you get it wrong you can always change it later – as far as I can tell it doesn’t affect any of the other dramatics. (What I mean is, every valid storyform is still valid if you change the Driver. ) At least, that’s what I’ve found with all the storyforms I’ve tried! (EDIT: it can affect Signpost & Journey order as per @LunarDynasty below.)
Of course, you still have to only have one type of Driver in your story but if you start writing and realize it’s not the one you picked, it won’t mess up all your other points. If you want to read more about it, there’s a great article here: http://dramatica.com/questions/can-you-explain-the-story-driver-further
P.S. Welcome to Dramatica Suzanne! It’s fantastic (and I mean that in the true sense of the word, like you’ll swear there’s magic under the covers) but it can be frustrating too, especially when still learning. So please post any questions or concerns you have and we’ll try to help!
(Caveat: I’m still learning too but luckily there are some experts around here like Jim.)
This is partially true. While it doesn’t interfere with other variables in the engine, changing the Driver does alter the order of Signposts in most of the Throughlines.
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Thanks Brant – good to know!