# What kind of Problem would cover the desire for novelty vs. familiarity? **URL:** \ **Category:** Support\ **Created:** [November 24, 2016, 9:35am UTC](https://discuss.dramatica.com/t/what-kind-of-problem-would-cover-the-desire-for-novelty-vs-familiarity/796 "2016-11-24T09:35:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![SharkCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SharkCat](https://discuss.dramatica.com/u/SharkCat)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2016, 9:35am UTC](https://discuss.dramatica.com/t/what-kind-of-problem-would-cover-the-desire-for-novelty-vs-familiarity/796/1 "2016-11-24T09:35:10Z")
If a character is having a conflict between choosing between staying stagnant by sticking with the familiar or taking a chance on trying something new that may or may not work out, would that be a Problem of Conscience (due to fearing potential consequences), Temptation (taking the easy way out by not facing fears), feeling an excessive need for Certainty, or thinking too much about Potential consequences (with a Solution of giving up on wanting absolute Certainty I guess)? Is it something else? ---
**Author:** ![bobRaskoph](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex010/user_avatar/discuss.dramatica.com/bobraskoph/32/75_2.png) [@bobRaskoph](https://discuss.dramatica.com/u/bobRaskoph)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2016, 1:12pm UTC](https://discuss.dramatica.com/t/what-kind-of-problem-would-cover-the-desire-for-novelty-vs-familiarity/796/2 "2016-11-24T13:12:25Z")
Change vs. Inertia? Honestly though, you could probably interpret several Problems like that. ---
**Author:** ![Greg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/71c47a/32.png) [@Greg](https://discuss.dramatica.com/u/Greg)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2016, 2:58pm UTC](https://discuss.dramatica.com/t/what-kind-of-problem-would-cover-the-desire-for-novelty-vs-familiarity/796/3 "2016-11-24T14:58:12Z")
my kneejerk reaction was the same as @bobRaskoph. Familiar vs new sounds a bit like inertia vs change. But, as @jhull said in his Narrative First article this week (with paraphrasing to make it relevant to the topic at hand), “making a statement like [“staying stagnant by sticking with the familiar or taking a chance on trying something new”] means nothing unless we provide some context for it.” I scanned through the Dramatica chart to see which throughline you might be looking at, but I don’t see Conscience, Temptation, Certainty, and Potentiality in the same quad. What I do see are those four elements in quads with Control and Uncontrolled, Acceptance and Nonacceptance, Probability and Possibility, Help and Hinder, and Proaction and Reaction. And with a little thought and the right context, familiar vs new seem like they could also be found in many of those elements. Can you give anything a bit more specific on what you have in mind for familiar and new to help provide the context? Or do you know which Throughline this character would fall in? ---
**Author:** ![Greg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/71c47a/32.png) [@Greg](https://discuss.dramatica.com/u/Greg)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2016, 4:31pm UTC](https://discuss.dramatica.com/t/what-kind-of-problem-would-cover-the-desire-for-novelty-vs-familiarity/796/4 "2016-11-24T16:31:07Z")
examples: Control and Uncontrolled: Ever since the zombie apocalypse began, Rick has been in charge whether he wanted to be or not (control). But now that Negan has come in and shown his ability to absolutely dominate Rick and his group, should Rick do what’s familiar and try to Control Negan? Or should he try something new and give up that Control to Negan? Acceptance and Non-Acceptance: Batman has always Accepted the Joker’s continued existence because of his policy of never taking a life. But when the Joker continues to kill those close to Batman, should Batman adopt a new policy and finally put an end to the Joker? Possibility and Probability: Mr MC always does the same exact thing every day, always sticking to his routines. This keeps the probability of unexpected events low and that means he will always know how to handle everything that comes his way. But one day Ms IC sits down next to him in the cafe where he always eats dinner. Could the possibility of a more fulfilling life lie in stepping outside of his routine and going to talk to her? Really I think the question of 'Should I do what I’ve always done or try something new?" Just is the question at the heart of every problem that an MC or IC can face. I mean, without context, the question just seems to be the thoughts of a character deciding if they will be a changed or a steadfast character. ---
**Author:** ![mlucas](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex010/user_avatar/discuss.dramatica.com/mlucas/32/275_2.png) [@mlucas](https://discuss.dramatica.com/u/mlucas)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2016, 5:02pm UTC](https://discuss.dramatica.com/t/what-kind-of-problem-would-cover-the-desire-for-novelty-vs-familiarity/796/5 "2016-11-24T17:02:10Z")
I think it will be easier if you determine the Throughline’s Domain & Concern first before worrying about Problem. You could use Problem level to help figure out Issue, but unless you’re really sure about it, trying to figure out Problem before picking Concern will be too tricky. Is this MC, IC, or OS? ---
**Author:** ![mlucas](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex010/user_avatar/discuss.dramatica.com/mlucas/32/275_2.png) [@mlucas](https://discuss.dramatica.com/u/mlucas)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2016, 6:52pm UTC](https://discuss.dramatica.com/t/what-kind-of-problem-would-cover-the-desire-for-novelty-vs-familiarity/796/6 "2016-11-24T18:52:42Z")
Actually, I may have been a bit too strong with my previous comment. It’s true when doing analysis that it’s best to focus on Concern first, but sometimes when working on your own writing you don’t know all the details yet; Concern might be hard to guess. Like @bobRaskoph said, what you described could represent several different elements. In the software you could use the “multi-pick” capability (in my Windows version it’s part of the Query System - theme storyforming) to select all the things that seem like they might fit. When thinking of Problem it sometimes helps to focus on the “bad” part of the definition, like in the Certainty definition how it says “many opportunities may be lost because it can be overly cautions and may hesitate until it is too late”. If that really jives with your sense of this character’s root problem, that’s a good sign. Also, it may help to phrase the problem as a “drive” too – it sounds like your character is _driven_ to stick with the familiar because he/she’s afraid of risks. ---
**Author:** ![SharkCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SharkCat](https://discuss.dramatica.com/u/SharkCat)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2016, 10:30am UTC](https://discuss.dramatica.com/t/what-kind-of-problem-would-cover-the-desire-for-novelty-vs-familiarity/796/7 "2016-11-25T10:30:00Z")
I considered Change/Inertia, but MC really does want change as long as it’s positive. Can Conscience include _doing_ something to prevent bad consequences or must it only be abstaining from doing? - I’ve got a Change MC under Manipulation who’s miserable because of an anxiety disorder. Getting better requires desensitization to fear. He avoids facing fears (ex. trying new things that he might fail at) because he thinks he’s a coward who can’t handle it or that maybe his fears are justified, even if others consider them extreme. As a result, he’s missed out on a lot of good things in life. - an IC of Activity (for making MC try various intimidating things) - RS is likely Fixed Attitude since they disagree on how to handle fear (IC = face it, take risks; MC = avoid or prevent, bad things might happen), whether Confidence vs Worry is the right attitude towards potential Future outcomes, and what is cause for worry. However, they are working on psychology, so I don’t know. It could be Future for all I know. - and OS is Situation because it’s what’s leftover and has given me the most difficulty. I could just say that they’re worried about the Future, which is true. However, I do like the idea of writing about fears. So with that in mind, I figured that MC is Concerned with Changing One’s Nature since he wants to become someone better and be cured of his anxiety so he can live a decent life and try new things instead of always worrying about what could go wrong. The Issue seemed to be Responsibility since his worst fears are about his actions or inaction accidentally harming others. I could also say Commitment since that could be about trying to commit to an act in spite of a fear of outcome, and that gives me Pursue/Avoid and Faith/Disbelief, which I’ve considered since him not believing that he has inner strength drives him to avoid fears (as does the desire for 100% Certainty). Every time I think I’ve got the right story form, I question it. After all, my MC clearly has Issues with Worry and fearing Responsibility but I can’t choose both. I can argue for MC having a Problem of Uncontrolled fear or of letting fear Control him or trying too hard to Control outcomes, etc on and on. ---
**Author:** ![mlucas](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex010/user_avatar/discuss.dramatica.com/mlucas/32/275_2.png) [@mlucas](https://discuss.dramatica.com/u/mlucas)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2016, 3:30pm UTC](https://discuss.dramatica.com/t/what-kind-of-problem-would-cover-the-desire-for-novelty-vs-familiarity/796/8 "2016-11-25T15:30:07Z")
Let’s explore your Avoid idea a little more. Actually, Avoid sounds pretty good for what you’ve been describing. e.g. _Being risk-averse_ is a gist for Avoid. It does sound like he’s driven to avoid things, driven to be risk-averse. But how aware is the MC that his Avoiding is a problem? If it’s totally front and center, something that he does consider a problem without needing to be shown it by others or forced to see it by the story’s events, then it might be better as Symptom. (In which case maybe Disbelief could be the MC Problem, based your description above.) You seem pretty sure it’s a Change MC, so how do you know that? How do you see him resolving personal issues at the end of the story (assuming Judgment is Good), what kind of new perspective does he take on? Maybe that will give a clue towards Solution and help you narrow down the problem quad further. ---
**Author:** ![mlucas](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex010/user_avatar/discuss.dramatica.com/mlucas/32/275_2.png) [@mlucas](https://discuss.dramatica.com/u/mlucas)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2016, 3:48pm UTC](https://discuss.dramatica.com/t/what-kind-of-problem-would-cover-the-desire-for-novelty-vs-familiarity/796/9 "2016-11-25T15:48:49Z")
Another totally different idea is that you could put Dramatica aside for a while. Start a new document and just try brainstorming more things about your story, trusting that your muse has the storyform hidden somewhere inside it. Like if you don’t know much about your OS or IC, try brainstorming ideas about them. (Of course you won’t be able to help seeing Dramatica stuff in your ideas, but try to ignore them – don’t capitalize The Future or Responsibility if those words come up! 🙂 ) For your brainstorming, you could try a structured approach like Melanie’s [Master Storyteller Method](http://storymind.com/msm/page25.html) or Jim’s free [Logline to Treatment](http://narrativefirst.com/courses/from-logline-to-treatment/enroll) email course. Or just let loose on your own. Then once you know more about your story you can come back to Dramatica and try storyforming again, armed with your new appreciation of your story. (Just an idea – I’m happy to continue trying to help on this thread!) ---
**Author:** ![Greg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/71c47a/32.png) [@Greg](https://discuss.dramatica.com/u/Greg)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2016, 5:42pm UTC](https://discuss.dramatica.com/t/what-kind-of-problem-would-cover-the-desire-for-novelty-vs-familiarity/796/10 "2016-11-25T17:42:31Z")
> [@SharkCat](#): > > Can Conscience include doing something to prevent bad consequences or must it only be abstaining from doing? The definition for conscience is “forgoing an immediate pleasure or benefit because of future consequences”. I would imagine this could include doing something to prevent bad consequences and not just refraining from doing something. It really depends on the context and the problems. For example, when Peter Parker sees someone in need, he becomes Spider-Man and goes to help even though he’s supposed to be delivering pizzas or meeting up with Mary Jane or whatever. So he forgoes an immediate pleasure (performing a job for which he gets paid, or going on a date) in order to save the citizens of New York city from crime. Forgoing an immediate pleasure or benefit doesn’t seem to refer to what the character is or is not doing necessarily, but what they are missing out on by doing it or not doing it. > [@SharkCat](#): > > I’ve got a Change MC under Manipulation who’s miserable because of an anxiety disorder. Getting better requires desensitization to fear. He avoids facing fears (ex. trying new things that he might fail at) because he thinks he’s a coward who can’t handle it or that maybe his fears are justified, even if others consider them extreme. As a result, he’s missed out on a lot of good things in life. If your MC problem is that he is miserable because of an anxiety disorder, I would think that would be under Fixed Attitudes. In order for him to fall into Manipulation as an MC, his problem wouldn’t simply be that he has an anxiety disorder, but a change in his way of thinking about that disorder. Is it the anxiety disorder he has that causes his problems? If so, I would suggest considering Fixed Attitude. If it’s the process of getting better and becoming desensitized to fear that is the cause of his problem (rather than a path to the solution) maybe Manipulation does work. You say that he is Concerned with Changing One’s Nature as he wants to be cured of his fears, but keep in mind that the relationship story, or even all characters in your story, could be concerned with Changing Nature. Just because Changing One’s Nature is going to be important to your main character at some point in the story does not mean that is his main concern, and his alone, throughout the story. As I said above, if his anxiety disorder is the problem, I don’t think his concern would be Changing One’s Nature. BUT, if the process of being cured of his fear is really where his problems stem from, the Changing One’s Nature might well be his concern after all. I hope I’m not making it worse by suggesting a throughline change. But if you found any of that helpful, I too would be happy to continue to try to help (or I would be happy to step back if you feel I’m confusing the issue, just let me know, it won’t hurt my feelings 🙂) ---
**Author:** ![Greg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/71c47a/32.png) [@Greg](https://discuss.dramatica.com/u/Greg)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2016, 6:05pm UTC](https://discuss.dramatica.com/t/what-kind-of-problem-would-cover-the-desire-for-novelty-vs-familiarity/796/11 "2016-11-25T18:05:35Z")
> [@SharkCat](#): > > Can Conscience include doing something to prevent bad consequences or must it only be abstaining from doing? > [@Gregolas](#): > > For example, when Peter Parker sees someone in need, he becomes Spider-Man and goes to help even though he’s supposed to be delivering pizzas or meeting up with Mary Jane or whatever. So he forgoes an immediate pleasure (performing a job for which he gets paid, or going on a date) in order to save the citizens of New York city from crime. I decided the above example may not be the best, because, in reference to what the character is doing, you could say that Peter Parker is not doing his job or not going on his date as part of conscience. So I wanted to suggest the immediate pleasure or benefit that a soldier in war might forgo could be not being killed by gunfire. In order to avoid the future consequence of his side losing the battle, he forgoes this pleasure by running unflinchingly into the fight and being killed, but helping to take the hill in the process. In this example, I’m pretty sure the soldier could only be said to be doing something in order to avoid the future consequence. ---
**Author:** ![mlucas](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex010/user_avatar/discuss.dramatica.com/mlucas/32/275_2.png) [@mlucas](https://discuss.dramatica.com/u/mlucas)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2016, 6:26pm UTC](https://discuss.dramatica.com/t/what-kind-of-problem-would-cover-the-desire-for-novelty-vs-familiarity/796/12 "2016-11-25T18:26:45Z")
> [@Gregolas](#): > > If your MC problem is that he is miserable because of an anxiety disorder, I would think that would be under Fixed Attitudes. That’s a good point. _Fearing Novelty_ is even a gist for Fixed Attitude. The real test is whether you can see the MC as being stuck in his fixed mindset fears, or if you see the anxiety disorder as a problematic way of thinking, so that his actual thought _process_ is all messed up. Schizophrenia, for example, would usually fall under Manipulation/Psychology. ---
**Author:** ![Greg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/71c47a/32.png) [@Greg](https://discuss.dramatica.com/u/Greg)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2016, 12:31am UTC](https://discuss.dramatica.com/t/what-kind-of-problem-would-cover-the-desire-for-novelty-vs-familiarity/796/13 "2016-11-26T00:31:48Z")
@SharkCat, I’m starting to feel like I’m over posting here, and I apologize for that, but going back to your original question, you ask" What kind of problem would cover the DESIRE for novelty vs familiarity?". Then you say, “MC really does WANT change.” Rather than your MC being concerned about Changing His Nature to someone who isn’t afraid, could it be that he is Developing a Plan to overcome his fears with an issue of Sense of Self (you say “he thinks he’s a coward”) and a problem of Desire (for something new, which is not being afraid) with a solution of Ability? Or a problem of Ability (his fear prevents him from being able to do something) with a solution of Desire? ---
**Author:** ![SharkCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SharkCat](https://discuss.dramatica.com/u/SharkCat)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2016, 12:47am UTC](https://discuss.dramatica.com/t/what-kind-of-problem-would-cover-the-desire-for-novelty-vs-familiarity/796/14 "2016-11-26T00:47:13Z")
I’ve tried switching around Domains plenty of times, but I can’t settle 100%. I want to do more Playground Exercises but they take me a long time and my urge to keep changing the forms makes me sink more and more time and I don’t know if I’m wasting it or not. I’ve had lots of ideas about the OS, but I need structure to sort out what belongs and to direct my efforts. I’ve considered Desire for something better as Problem and Solution of discovering that he has the Ability to do better, but he knows that he has that motivation of desire (the problem being not believing in himself… which he also knows so I guess that can’t be a Problem either) so I don’t know if I’m allowed to use that. Manipulation has a gist of “Being Obsessive-Compulsive” and that’s what’s wrong with him, along with side effects like feeling useless and unworthy of love. IC is trying to help fix that and MC sometimes screws him over trying to avoid fears, so maybe that belongs under RS instead. If it can be either Domain, both with gists about fear, what hope do I have of differentiating? In the case of Fixed Attitude, I’m assuming that Innermost Desires is the way to go since he has problems with brooding over things that could go wrong, even though “Worry” falls under Impulsive Responses? ---
**Author:** ![Greg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/71c47a/32.png) [@Greg](https://discuss.dramatica.com/u/Greg)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2016, 1:13am UTC](https://discuss.dramatica.com/t/what-kind-of-problem-would-cover-the-desire-for-novelty-vs-familiarity/796/15 "2016-11-26T01:13:27Z")
I definitely understand the frustration. I’ve just found the proper story form for an idea of mine after having tried what felt like way too many. Many times I wanted to just use what I had and write the story to it, but every time, something wouldn’t work and I’d go back again and find a new one. Finding the right one now feels absolutely worth the time and effort. I’m wondering if my suggestion above might not still be in the right area. Maybe he has a symptom of desire for doing something new with a response of not being able to overcome his fear. Maybe his problem is speculation that if he goes out on this new limb, it will crack under his weight with a solution of projection. Maybe not that exactly, maybe the symptom is ability with response of desire. But OCD seems like it could be a problem of speculation - if I don’t wash my hands 18 times, something bad will happen. ---
**Author:** ![SharkCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SharkCat](https://discuss.dramatica.com/u/SharkCat)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2016, 2:23am UTC](https://discuss.dramatica.com/t/what-kind-of-problem-would-cover-the-desire-for-novelty-vs-familiarity/796/16 "2016-11-26T02:23:37Z")
I’m hoping maybe your links will help if I revisit the log line stuff now that I’ve developed more material to work with and understanding of structure. ---
**Author:** ![mlucas](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex010/user_avatar/discuss.dramatica.com/mlucas/32/275_2.png) [@mlucas](https://discuss.dramatica.com/u/mlucas)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2016, 2:32am UTC](https://discuss.dramatica.com/t/what-kind-of-problem-would-cover-the-desire-for-novelty-vs-familiarity/796/17 "2016-11-26T02:32:09Z")
It’s okay for him to know about the problem, like desiring something better, if he doesn’t think it’s a problem. Sometimes, especially with steadfast characters, you might have everyone telling them what their Problem is (“Give up, Dr. Kimble!”) but they aren’t willing to consider it a problem. And I think that can happen with Change characters to. I don’t think you should do playground exercises until you’ve nailed down your storyform… since they might not apply fully to your story. Dramatica can be hard, but sometimes we make it harder than it needs to be. You might be able to just take a deep breath, take a step back and kind of _feel_ whether your MC has a problem in Psychology vs. Fixed Attitude. (Does he have a problematic _manner_ of thinking, where his thought _process_ is messed up? Or does he have his mind totally made up about something, and therefore is stuck in that problematic mindset / attitude?) Once you can settle on that feeling, you won’t need to question it anymore! (Heck, maybe you already did but we led you astray by suggesting Fixed Attitude – if so, sorry.) ---
**Author:** ![MWollaeger](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex010/user_avatar/discuss.dramatica.com/mwollaeger/32/82_2.png) [@MWollaeger](https://discuss.dramatica.com/u/MWollaeger)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2016, 5:42pm UTC](https://discuss.dramatica.com/t/what-kind-of-problem-would-cover-the-desire-for-novelty-vs-familiarity/796/18 "2016-11-26T17:42:31Z")
I feel like you are asking about a topic here, and the theme chart is a chart of perspectives on topics. You could do practically anything. Where is the inequity? Where is the problem? Why does someone waffle between novelty and familiarity? ---
**Author:** ![Prish](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex010/user_avatar/discuss.dramatica.com/prish/32/33_2.png) [@Prish](https://discuss.dramatica.com/u/Prish)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2016, 11:46pm UTC](https://discuss.dramatica.com/t/what-kind-of-problem-would-cover-the-desire-for-novelty-vs-familiarity/796/19 "2016-11-27T23:46:15Z")
> [@SharkCat](#): > > as does the desire for 100% Certainty). This sounds like the key. ---
**Author:** ![SharkCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SharkCat](https://discuss.dramatica.com/u/SharkCat)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2016, 12:24am UTC](https://discuss.dramatica.com/t/what-kind-of-problem-would-cover-the-desire-for-novelty-vs-familiarity/796/20 "2016-11-30T00:24:29Z")
Reading about the story form being from the Author’s perspective, I think I may have it. What I’m trying to say is that the only way to get rid of your fears is to confront them or else remain fearful and/or suffer from the regret of what could’ve been. At first I thought that it sounded like Doing and Innermost Desires for the Story Goal and Consequences, but those aren’t possible to pair up. Then I thought about how I’ve been wanting to express this through a Failure/Good story in which the characters are trying to get rid of their fear the wrong way. They mistakenly think that excessive control should make things better by theoretically preventing their fears from coming true, but it makes things worse (Response of Control?). I get a Goal and Consequence of Innermost Desires and The Future, but I don’t know which order to put those in or if they make sense. They have fears and desires about the future and the outcome would be about being afraid or regretful in the future. Even the first driver is the MC being put in a position of conflicting desires and potential futures. Any idea of how to make my OS and Static Plot Points say what I want? [Next page](https://discuss.dramatica.com/t/what-kind-of-problem-would-cover-the-desire-for-novelty-vs-familiarity/796.md?page=2)