Ill confess: Ive been using Dramatica of late. My main purpose is to sharpen character motivation and conflict, two areas that have been weaknesses for me. Im not going to endorse Dramatica. Its something to consider if you have certain elements you want to improve. Try the demo and see what you think. Its not an easy task. It takes me an entire day to work a story through the Dramatic process. Has it been worth it for me? I say yes. It has accomplished getting a through a few missing essentials through and between the rocks in my head. Ive a feeling this information and advice will stick. I dont think Ill need Dramatica forever or even for very long. Ill take what I need and move on. Hows it work? Well, the theory is unbelievably complex and embedded in the software. Youre essentially interviewed about your main and other characters. You have to get specific. I mean very specific. In no way do you pump in a few details and Dramatica spits out a plot. Nope. This is hard work. Theres even a book that spells out the Dramatica philosophy. I had better luck understanding Heidegger. But it seems legit to me, even if I dont agree with the weight given the almost infinite array of various choices one makes. That is, a weakness in the software is an inability to always pinpoint something a little more obtuse than, say, a character whose goal is to find a lost treasure. You learn to deal with this. But software based on a complex and highly subjective theory is going to have its holes, glitches and other weaknesses. Similarly, one may debate whether a story produced through Dramatica is legit, I think one can eliminate that question by thinking automatic grammar and spell check. Your computer is already involved. In fact, the way most of us work on a computer obviously has in ways not altogether yet understood changed the very nature of the way we write. Heres my conclusion: Dramatica is an excellent educational tool. One might stick with it forever. I see it as something I will eventually absorb and then consult the software once in a great while, perhaps. At any rate, like I said, Im not going to endorse Dramatica, but I do endorse giving its demo a try.
Posted on: Wed, 16 Oct 2013 17:40:10 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015