Theme - struggling with terminology
Posted: Oct 05, 2008 6:36 am
Hi there! This is my first post on the Dramatica forums, so go easy on me
I bought Dramatica Pro three years ago and was impressed with the theory, but found that I needed to explore my story through a first draft before I was ready to attempt a detailed analysis. So, when I got stuck on revisions recently, I installed Dramatica on my new laptop, experimented a bit with different storyforms, then set about working through the Level Three Storyguide. So far I've been pleasantly surprised at how Dramatica has anticipated some of my story decisions and made me think harder about others, but...I'm now nearing the end of Story Illustrating and am getting stuck on "Theme Development".
The choices I've made so far have resulted in the following OS factors:
OS Issue: Approach
OS Counterpoint: Attitude
I sort of understand the definitions of these, but I just can't get my head around how to apply them. Some of the other contrasting pairs (Truth vs Falsehood, Delay vs Choice) are easy to understand, but Approach vs Attitude...?
If it helps, the story is a historical mystery/thriller with lots of cloak'n'dagger stuff - murder, sabotage, spying, etc. - undertaken by characters who want to shake up, or preserve, the politicial status quo.
Thanks in anticipation!
(P.S. I did try searching before posting, but the search engine deemed that my search terms "theme", "attitude" and "approach" were all too common! )
I bought Dramatica Pro three years ago and was impressed with the theory, but found that I needed to explore my story through a first draft before I was ready to attempt a detailed analysis. So, when I got stuck on revisions recently, I installed Dramatica on my new laptop, experimented a bit with different storyforms, then set about working through the Level Three Storyguide. So far I've been pleasantly surprised at how Dramatica has anticipated some of my story decisions and made me think harder about others, but...I'm now nearing the end of Story Illustrating and am getting stuck on "Theme Development".
The choices I've made so far have resulted in the following OS factors:
OS Issue: Approach
OS Counterpoint: Attitude
I sort of understand the definitions of these, but I just can't get my head around how to apply them. Some of the other contrasting pairs (Truth vs Falsehood, Delay vs Choice) are easy to understand, but Approach vs Attitude...?
If it helps, the story is a historical mystery/thriller with lots of cloak'n'dagger stuff - murder, sabotage, spying, etc. - undertaken by characters who want to shake up, or preserve, the politicial status quo.
Thanks in anticipation!
(P.S. I did try searching before posting, but the search engine deemed that my search terms "theme", "attitude" and "approach" were all too common! )