New User, Comment, & Secondary Plots
Posted: Jan 31, 2011 12:12 pm
Hello all,
I'm an experienced reality TV show writer (yes, it's all fake) and an aspiring novelist living (surviving?) in Los Angeles. I'm now a rookie Dramatica Pro user as well, having installed the software about a week and a half ago.
First I have a comment, then a question.
Here's the comment:
I'm an intuitive writer by nature, so I compose my rough drafts without any plan beyond a vague inkling for the characters and what will happen to them. Although I enjoy the spontaneity of this "method," and although it lends the work a certain immediacy, the story's structure definitely suffers for it. My rough draft tends to meander and its themes are unfocused. To combat this, I thought a program / theory like Dramatica would help me. At first, I must admit, I was disappointed.
Like a good rookie I started out using the StoryGuide (Level 3) and it's funny how it sneaks up on you. I'm plowing through the questions, and for most of the way I'm thinking, "This was NOT worth $240!" I was getting frustrated with all the nagging. Dramatica wouldn't leave me alone about the theme, about the story form, about what the characters mean to the story -- nag, nag, nag! "This isn't helping me," I thought. "It's hindering me. Dramatica, you're MY contagonist!"
Then, at some point on the third or fourth day of use, I closed the program and smiled. It was a self-satisfied smile because the story was really and actually taking shape in my head. Suddenly, I realized that -- even just half-way through the StoryGuide -- I knew approximately seven bazillion times more about my story now than after I wrote the damn thing. Needless to say, I'm no longer disappointed.
Okay, sorry for the rant. Here's my question:
At the beginning of the StoryGuide, Dramatica warns us to work on one plot at a time. It also says not to worry, because the other plot can be woven in later. Now, I'm not talking about a subplot, but a secondary plot. Cool. My novel consists of three plots:
Plot "A" is the main plot, and takes up a majority of the story. It's the Main Character's tale.
Plot "B" is a secondary plot. The MC of Plot "B" is the Impact Character of Plot "A," and her solo tale ends when she joins the MC in Plot "A" and gets absorbed into those events.
Plot "C" is related to Plot "A" at its inception, then diverges wildly into its own tale, rejoining Plot "A" at the very, very end.
So, my question is: How do we do this in Dramatica Pro? Should I work on each plot as separate story files and then just weave them together on my own? Or is there something in the software that can help me do this?
I mean, the whole point of secondary plots is to get a different POV for the overall story, and to contrast each other, right?
Thanks!
-Jesse
I'm an experienced reality TV show writer (yes, it's all fake) and an aspiring novelist living (surviving?) in Los Angeles. I'm now a rookie Dramatica Pro user as well, having installed the software about a week and a half ago.
First I have a comment, then a question.
Here's the comment:
I'm an intuitive writer by nature, so I compose my rough drafts without any plan beyond a vague inkling for the characters and what will happen to them. Although I enjoy the spontaneity of this "method," and although it lends the work a certain immediacy, the story's structure definitely suffers for it. My rough draft tends to meander and its themes are unfocused. To combat this, I thought a program / theory like Dramatica would help me. At first, I must admit, I was disappointed.
Like a good rookie I started out using the StoryGuide (Level 3) and it's funny how it sneaks up on you. I'm plowing through the questions, and for most of the way I'm thinking, "This was NOT worth $240!" I was getting frustrated with all the nagging. Dramatica wouldn't leave me alone about the theme, about the story form, about what the characters mean to the story -- nag, nag, nag! "This isn't helping me," I thought. "It's hindering me. Dramatica, you're MY contagonist!"
Then, at some point on the third or fourth day of use, I closed the program and smiled. It was a self-satisfied smile because the story was really and actually taking shape in my head. Suddenly, I realized that -- even just half-way through the StoryGuide -- I knew approximately seven bazillion times more about my story now than after I wrote the damn thing. Needless to say, I'm no longer disappointed.
Okay, sorry for the rant. Here's my question:
At the beginning of the StoryGuide, Dramatica warns us to work on one plot at a time. It also says not to worry, because the other plot can be woven in later. Now, I'm not talking about a subplot, but a secondary plot. Cool. My novel consists of three plots:
Plot "A" is the main plot, and takes up a majority of the story. It's the Main Character's tale.
Plot "B" is a secondary plot. The MC of Plot "B" is the Impact Character of Plot "A," and her solo tale ends when she joins the MC in Plot "A" and gets absorbed into those events.
Plot "C" is related to Plot "A" at its inception, then diverges wildly into its own tale, rejoining Plot "A" at the very, very end.
So, my question is: How do we do this in Dramatica Pro? Should I work on each plot as separate story files and then just weave them together on my own? Or is there something in the software that can help me do this?
I mean, the whole point of secondary plots is to get a different POV for the overall story, and to contrast each other, right?
Thanks!
-Jesse