Changing Temporality a la Usual Suspects

Discuss the practical use of Dramatica. Have questions about how throughlines should be used, how to create Complex Characters or even the various combinations of the 12 Essential Questions and how they will affect your story go here.
pbchrist
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Changing Temporality a la Usual Suspects

Postby pbchrist » Sep 30, 2008 1:24 am

I have a story that I'm writing with Usual Suspects as the temporal/structural model - 2 time periods - the protagonist is in the present, recounting the past, maybe lying about it, and the Kujan character (impact character) eventually gets fooled into letting the protagonist go. Has anyone used Dramatica to create a story like this? Is there a certain way I need to approach it before storyweaving? There is brief mention of this in the Dramatica theory book, but not a step by step approach. At least that I've seen... Any and all help would be appreciated.

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szore
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Re: Changing Temporality a la Usual Suspects

Postby szore » Nov 08, 2008 4:55 am

If I were you, I would create 2 separate story forms, like 2 'sub-plots. Work through both, maybe use the short story templates, then combine, or weave the 2 finished separate story forms into one novel

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Chris Huntley
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Re: Changing Temporality a la Usual Suspects

Postby Chris Huntley » Nov 19, 2008 5:20 pm

Excellent suggestion by Szore.

There is no right or wrong way to do it, but there is an exercise I recommend that may help you.

See if you can write out the PLOT of The Usual Suspects. In other words, create an outline that puts all the events in their internally correct order. That means all the backstory happens first, then the main story events, then the police station events. I think it will help you clarify which parts are essential to the story, as well as where the story begins and ends, and what truly happens BEFORE the story starts, and what (if anything) happens AFTER the story ends.

Is it one story, or one main story with one or more substories? Is the police station sequence a framing device or an essential part of the storyform?
Chris Huntley
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