Troubles With Impact Character

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.
TheMoonCriedOut

Troubles With Impact Character

Postby TheMoonCriedOut » Aug 01, 2013 12:45 pm

I'm having real troubles pinning down who my IC is. It could be either one of two characters, or both. I am aware that you can have two impact characters who hand off to one another, and I am aware that you can have an absentee impact character as long as it's very clear that they are influencing the MC. The situation is this:

My MC is a girl who, through a series of emotional losses, the most significant of which is the death of her father, has, emotionally speaking, shut down. She avoids interacting with other people and avoids becoming involved in the lives of others. She retains a very strong bond with her father, and has never been able to grieve and let go. She was present when he died, but has repressed the memory. Now, she comes into contact with her father's best friend, who is also her love interest (which is not as icky as it sounds, honest.) He is with her for pretty much all of the story. Here is where my dilemma starts.

Although he is dead, her father is very present. She thinks about him a lot, and her father's best friend speaks of him often, as do others. Her decision to change comes when she finally remembers how he died. So, is he the IC? Or is it the best friend, who uses her father's example as an argument to try and alter her way of dealing with things, as well as his own attitudes? Is it both of them? Because if so, I see problems with one handing off to the other. Also, how do you input two characters as the IC in the dramatica pro software?

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Been tearing my hair out over this one. :?:

User avatar
Chris Huntley
Site Admin
Posts: 724
Joined: Jan 25, 2008 5:19 pm
Location: Glendale, CA USA
Contact:

Re: Troubles With Impact Character

Postby Chris Huntley » Aug 02, 2013 10:25 am

I guess my first question is "What is the OS about?" If everyone is concerned with the effects of the death of her father, that might what the overall story throughline. If that is the case, then the friend may be the IC.

What is the MC's problem? Perhaps she is driven by Logic and her solution is to embrace Feeling (the Spock/Kirk conflict in the reboot of Star Trek). In that case, the IC would represent Feeling as an appropriate approach to dealing with the MC's personal issues, even if it is couched in terms of the IC Symptom and Response (whatever they may be).

Bottom line: CHOOSE who you want to be the IC and then go from there. There is no 'right' choice except the one that works best for how you want the story develop.
Chris Huntley
Write Brothers Inc.
http://dramatica.com/
http://screenplay.com/

TheMoonCriedOut

Re: Troubles With Impact Character

Postby TheMoonCriedOut » Aug 03, 2013 3:03 am

The OS throughline comes out as Obtaining, I think. It's within the fantasy genre, and the plot concerns an unknown personage (to the other characters, that is) trying to seize control of the land. So people are concerned with preventing that from happening by figuring out who is behind it and why, or as in the case of the villain, preventing anyone from interfering.

I would say the MC's problem is, if anything, an excess of emotion. She's afraid of the ending of things, and so doesn't invest in anything or anyone because she's afraid of the pain she will feel when the situation or relationship ends. She feels people always leave her, whether they want to or not. She's afraid of the future. I feel this gives her a fixed attitude throughline, and casts her as the Emotion character(?), but not entirely as I keep coming back to giving her the Avoid characteristic as the MC problem... which has confused me regarding her role in the OS. Avoid is coming up as the MC crucial element. Isn't the Avoid characteristic a part of the Antagonist role?

I think that looking at what you've written, the IC is primarily probably the friend, as he has a very rational character, and could probably use some of the Logic characteristics; though due to the MC's tendency to avoid, he's going to have to pull some double duty as the protagonist until he has time to influence the MC sufficiently.... I'm tying myself in knots here.

Thanks a lot for your help on this, Chris.

User avatar
Chris Huntley
Site Admin
Posts: 724
Joined: Jan 25, 2008 5:19 pm
Location: Glendale, CA USA
Contact:

Re: Troubles With Impact Character

Postby Chris Huntley » Aug 05, 2013 7:39 am

Cool.
Chris Huntley
Write Brothers Inc.
http://dramatica.com/
http://screenplay.com/


Return to “Practical Dramatica”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 7 guests