Internal and External / Processes and States

Come here to ask questions or give advice about the theory that forms the basis of Dramatica.
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Clint541963
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Internal and External / Processes and States

Postby Clint541963 » May 04, 2011 7:57 pm

This is a Character elements question.

How are the character trait elements split? Do the element quadrants reflect the Table of Story Elements?

My instincts tell me Purpose and Methodologies are External and
Motivations and Evaluations are Internal.

And Purpose and Motivations are States and Evaluations and Methodologies are Processes.

Am I off base? If a story is an analogy of a single mind trying to solve an inequity then each character(as a single mind) has their own inequity they are trying to solve. Each character has all 4 throughlines going on and each is either a do-er or a be-er and tend toward male mental sex or female mental sex.
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Clint541963
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Joined: Jan 22, 2011 11:24 am

Re: Internal and External / Processes and States

Postby Clint541963 » May 05, 2011 6:52 pm

from the Dramatica Dictionary:http://www.dramatica.com/theory/d_dictionary/dictionary/p.htm

Purpose -- A desired and intended result -- Purpose and Motivation are often confused. Whereas Motivation is the drive that the character must fulfill or satisfy, Purpose is the specific item that will satiate that drive. Sometimes a character will attempt to satiate his Motivation by achieving several Purposes, each of which does part of the job. Other times, a single Purpose can assuage multiple Motivations. Many interesting stories are told about characters who struggle to achieve a Purpose that really will not meet their Motivation or about characters who achieve a Purpose for the wrong Motivation. But other, less common arrangements sometimes present more Deliberation oriented stories where the character achieves a Purpose near the beginning and then must search to find a Motivation that gives it value, or a character who has a strong Motivation but must search for the Purpose that truly accommodates it.
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Clint541963
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Posts: 83
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Re: Internal and External / Processes and States

Postby Clint541963 » May 05, 2011 6:57 pm

From the Dramatica Dictionary: http://www.dramatica.com/theory/d_dictionary/dictionary/m.htm

Motivation -- An underlying given or inequity which drives a character -- Motivation is the force that drives a character in a particular direction. In order for the problem in a story to be fully explored, all motivations pertaining to that topic must be expressed. This is accomplished by assigning characteristic elements that represent these motivations to the various Overall (Objective) story characters. In this way, different characters represent different motivations and the story problem is fully explored. In creating Overall Story Characters for a given story, 16 of the 64 elements will be selected as the Motivation elements of that character set.
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Sam Potter
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Clint541963
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Posts: 83
Joined: Jan 22, 2011 11:24 am

Re: Internal and External / Processes and States

Postby Clint541963 » May 05, 2011 7:03 pm

from the Dramatica Dictionary: http://www.dramatica.com/theory/d_dictionary/dictionary/m.htm

Methodology -- the elements a character will implement to achieve his Purposes -- When a character is motivated toward a particular purpose, there remains the decision of what means should be used to reach it. Not every possible Methodology is as appropriate as every other under unique circumstances. For example, if one wants to pound in a nail, a wrench would not work as well as a hammer. In fact, sometimes the whole problem in a story is created because someone is using the wrong tool for the right job. In creating Overall Story Characters for a given story, 16 of the 64 elements will be selected as the Methodology elements of the character set.
WorkingMan Productions
Sam Potter
Screenwriter

User avatar
Clint541963
Published Writer
Posts: 83
Joined: Jan 22, 2011 11:24 am

Re: Internal and External / Processes and States

Postby Clint541963 » May 05, 2011 7:13 pm

from the Dramatica Dictionary: http://www.dramatica.com/theory/d_dictionary/dictionary/e.htm

Evaluation -- [Dramatica Term] -- the standards by which effectiveness is gauged • The Evaluation character dimension explores the means used by characters to evaluate how well they are doing. Sometimes a problem comes from using an inappropriate yardstick when evaluating something. For example, two bosses may rate their company's sales performance by two different yardsticks. One may look at total sales, see total sales increasing, and figure things are looking up. Another may look at total profits, see profits falling, and figure things are not so good. Which boss is correct depends on the larger context provided by the story. In creating Objective Characters for a given story, 16 of the 64 elements will be selected as the Evaluation elements of the character set.
WorkingMan Productions
Sam Potter
Screenwriter


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