None of this has anything to do with “Having an Intuitive Understanding of Oneself”…
…however the fact that you keep using the phrase “see this” insinuates the Issue of Interpretation and perhaps “Being Interpreted”. The problems you describe are problems of interpretation or “seeing” something there. Would it be OK to use this as encoding for the Overall Story Issue instead or would you like to keep trying to write the Overall Story Concern?
Jhull and I both thought jassnip had some great questions on this topic (see above). So maybe we could distill those down into something more concise for this Overall Story CONCERN of Having an Intuitive Understanding of Oneself? And again, because it’s “Overall,” this Concern should blanket all the principal characters, as well as most of the secondaries, a la:
Most everyone during this horrible Depression struggles between their all-American conditioning toward “we’re all supposed to be equal here” and their natural instincts toward self-preservation/selfishness. They understand the former is “a nice idea,” but maybe “balance” and “equality” are too subject to interpretation. If the whole world is actually falling apart, perhaps we should follow our senses and make sure “our side is a bit more equal!”
Just some thoughts, from looking deeper into the storyform?
If we are talking deeper, how about Maslow’s pyramid, with enough food to eat at the base?
Yup, staying fed is certainly one of those “self-preservation” instincts that we all experience deeply (with a few rare exceptions).
I think I’ve banged my head against this one enough. I should probably let someone else take a whack at it. So, yes, Jim, feel free to move it. Maybe I’ll figure it out once someone else comes up with an answer.
This could be a book by the time we’re done! Maybe we’re the characters! That’s pretty meta, huh?
[quote="Writegeist, post:240, topic:66, full:true”] (or might have said…)
Objective characters deal with the concept of allowing women a greater creative stake in the business. Executives see the possibility of losing money if word gets out that they are using women as artists and writers coming in conflict with perceptions of the women’s talent. The male animators feel threatened by the influx of new talent and threaten management with revolt and possibly starting their own studio. Women see this as a way to pursue their own interests, that their dreams can be true, thus threatening the stability of their households. Activists and journalist see this as a way to further their own agendas, further threatening the business, pushing the executives to consider firing the women who do have positions on the staff.
[/quote]
Is this what you meant? @Writegeist and @jhull
I’d like to say I know, but I don’t know the answer to that question 
Ok, put @Writegeist’s encoding down as the Overall Story Issue NOT the Overall Story Concern.
Sorry for the dealy – had to write an entire screenplay last week 
My contribution will simply be to take my ideas from Post #224 and turn it into the Overall Story Concern of Having an Intuitive Understanding of Onseself:
The group of female employees at the studio have an intuitive understanding of themselves and can’t help but let everyone know about it–a huge concern for those in charge. This understanding creates interpersonal conflicts between the women and the male artists there who for the most part–don’t know themselves artistically. Still, there are some male artists who leave for home early because they intuit that they’re sick–unfortunately leaving their remaning co-workers (and the women in the office) to clean up the pieces. The head writer’s intuitive understanding of himself leads him to force his own life story into every cartoon–not a good approach. And the elevator operator’s intuitive understanding of himself inspires him to pitch a new series idea every single morning regardless of who wants to hear it (and most don’t!).
@jhull et al. I’ve chosen IC Concern: Studying Atlantis
Sebastian has been studying the downfall of Atlantis. He is convinced that current circumstances (the depression) mirror the destruction of the fabled continent. And that the answer to solving the world’s problems can be found in the scant tidbits he is able to dig up.
Does this work?
Excelente! It would be great if you could add to it as far as how that concern influences or challenges the people around him. Not super important in this exercise, but probably helpful for others and for later if we were to actually ever write this thing.
But we can continue and if you come up with something feel free to add it in here and i’ll add it to the master doc.
@Prish your turn!
I just have to say and share, “This was so 60’s.” I could buy into that Sebastian started it all. HaHa
Would this work?
Relationship Problem: Constantly Examining Oneself for Something
Both Marybeth and Sebastian check themselves out to see if they have developed telepathy, yet.
I thought I could add to it, coordinating it with benchmarks, etc. Would that work?
Not really. I’m not sure where “developing telepathy” comes from. In addition, the Relationship Problem would be something that Marybeth and Sebastian are not aware of. How about this - instead of working out the particulars of their Problem - do you see their relationship as something that is growing or something that is dissolving?
This isn’t part of the storyform but it could help steer questions and thoughts regarding the Relationship Throughline.
Ok, I’ll mull this over for a few hours.
It says “constantly examining oneself for something”, so what could the “something” be, meaning what is allowed?
Since this is a Start story, I see the Relationship growing.
more later
Something could be
attraction
repulsion
Think Buffy and Spike
colds
jealousy
acquitting oneself well in an argument
too much or not enough money
visions (with the whole fortune-telling thing)
am I what this person needs?
Do any of those give you some ideas?
Relationship Problem: Constantly Examining Oneself for Something.
Marybeth and Sebastian never have enough money, but they are too proud to let each other know.
The Start dynamic has nothing to do with the Relationship Story so you really can’t use that as a basis for determining whether or not the Relationship grows or decays. You can have a story with a Main Character Growth of Start with a Decaying relationship just as much as you can have a Main Character Growth of Stop with a Growing relationship.
The “something” or “someone” or “particular group” referred to in the gists can be substituted for whatever storytelling you want to apply. Because Dramatica can’t tell what your subject matter is or what your genre is (in the classic sense), the decision was made to keep the gists as general as possible.
I’m not sure how the two of them not having money but are too proud to let the other know would be anything to do with constantly examining oneself for something.
Let’s put it this way – Marybeth and Sebastian have known each for awhile now. Somewhere, not too long ago, one or the other got on the other’s nerves for constantly examining oneself for something–pock marks, validation for their efforts, etc. It keeps them from getting together and falling in love. OR it could be they’re both so busy locked in their own worlds searching for their own purpose that they ignore the other or don’t participate in what could be a very synergistic relationship.
Either way you need to address this as a PROBLEM between the two characters. You also have to show how this problem presents itself in the story. WHY is it a problem? Too many times people think they can just write “Marybeth and Sebastian constantly examine the hours that they slept the night before” and think that’s all they have to do for a story. It needs to create a PROBLEM. It needs to motivate some resolution.