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Hi Chris,

I'm pretty satisfied that I have reached the one storyform that I need for my story. Everything makes pretty good sense at this point.

However, I was just experimenting with the story engine, just to see if other variations made more sense to me. If you'll look at the attached screen shot of the story engine, you'll see that I selected Self Interest as the OS issue, and set my MC to Steadfast and Intuitive.

I'm wondering if you could shed some light on one thing having to do with approach: given those other settings above, as soon as I set the MC issue to Closure, the Dramatica software sets the MC approach to Be-er. I see the MC very much as a Do-er, and of course I've also tried making that selection first... but I also think the MC's issue is Closure, which is no longer available if I select Do-er.

How is the theory underlying what the software is doing address this specifically? I trust what's happening, I just am not getting it.

Thanks,

Jeff

I had the same question when I first started. I don,t fully understand why, the logistics behind it, but I have figured out that MC with Manipulation or Fixed Attitude are always be-ers while Activity or Situation characters are do-ers.
Since you want him to have closure as his concern it means that he is a be-er. I am pretty sure though hat the problems of the story can cause him to take a do-ers approach in order to solve them but it would not be his prime way of handling those problems.

The domain in which a character prefers to solve problems is tightly associated with the nature of the Main Character's personal problem. Therefore, if the MC is a do-er, the MC's domain is one of the two external domains (Situation or Activities). If the MC is a be-er, the MC's domain is one of the internal domains (Fixed Attitude or Manipulation/Psychology).

The thematic Variations are also tied to the same domain and therefore also is connected to Do-er and Be-er choices.

SIDE NOTE: Intuitive thinking MCs (aka Female Mental Sex) do not play as well with male audiences, though has little affect on female audiences. Just an FYI.