Storyweaving vs. Storiesweaving-How many Minds does it take?
Posted: Feb 11, 2014 12:39 pm
Dear Chris, dear Everybody!
Being a writer for many years now, I came across the Dramatic theory and software after having finished the first draft of a John-Irving-style 900-pages novel (and even being awarded for it), just to find myself totally stuck, having lost the big picture of what was going on at all (after 4 years of work).
Dramatica Story Expert helped me with clarifying my vision and pointing out things I was no longer able to see. It made me discover that one unique storyform which perfectly reflects the dramatic structure of my novel.
Here is a (very) brief description:
- In the 1960s my MC starts a family. He is tempted, makes a decision and looses it all. 20 years later he has started a family again. Tempted once more, he makes a contrary decision and - since the context has changed - looses it all again.
- My MC is the same person throughout the novel; for my IC I use handoffs between 3 women who have strong influence on my MC’s life.
- Readers will be presented with the events in a non-chronological order: starting out with chapter 1 of the second family’s story, followed by chapter 1 of the first family’s story, and so on … so when the characters in the second family’s story discover WHAT really has gone wrong in the past, the following chapter reveals HOW it went wrong (which both lead to the final, resolution act of the book).
The problem is - in order to achieve this „history repeating“-effect, my Storyweaving had to look like this: starting out shortly after Signpost 2 (Introduction of the second family) the second family’s story moves straightforward until it reaches Signpost 4 at the end of the book, while being intercut with scenes from the first family’s story, which begins at Signpost 1 (Starting a family for the first time) and moves straightforward until it reaches Signpost 2 at the end of the book.
The only alternative option - as far as I can see - is to use two storyforms, one for each family’s story, and interweave them (although none of them would make a „complete“ story and the latter would not have ever happened without the first).
So, finally, this is where I really really need your help:
Are there any questions I should consider - to help me with the decision whether I should use one storyform (and a rather complex Storyweaving) or better two?
Any suggestions are appreciated!
Thank you in advance,
Yours,
Peter
Austria, Europe
Being a writer for many years now, I came across the Dramatic theory and software after having finished the first draft of a John-Irving-style 900-pages novel (and even being awarded for it), just to find myself totally stuck, having lost the big picture of what was going on at all (after 4 years of work).
Dramatica Story Expert helped me with clarifying my vision and pointing out things I was no longer able to see. It made me discover that one unique storyform which perfectly reflects the dramatic structure of my novel.
Here is a (very) brief description:
- In the 1960s my MC starts a family. He is tempted, makes a decision and looses it all. 20 years later he has started a family again. Tempted once more, he makes a contrary decision and - since the context has changed - looses it all again.
- My MC is the same person throughout the novel; for my IC I use handoffs between 3 women who have strong influence on my MC’s life.
- Readers will be presented with the events in a non-chronological order: starting out with chapter 1 of the second family’s story, followed by chapter 1 of the first family’s story, and so on … so when the characters in the second family’s story discover WHAT really has gone wrong in the past, the following chapter reveals HOW it went wrong (which both lead to the final, resolution act of the book).
The problem is - in order to achieve this „history repeating“-effect, my Storyweaving had to look like this: starting out shortly after Signpost 2 (Introduction of the second family) the second family’s story moves straightforward until it reaches Signpost 4 at the end of the book, while being intercut with scenes from the first family’s story, which begins at Signpost 1 (Starting a family for the first time) and moves straightforward until it reaches Signpost 2 at the end of the book.
The only alternative option - as far as I can see - is to use two storyforms, one for each family’s story, and interweave them (although none of them would make a „complete“ story and the latter would not have ever happened without the first).
So, finally, this is where I really really need your help:
Are there any questions I should consider - to help me with the decision whether I should use one storyform (and a rather complex Storyweaving) or better two?
Any suggestions are appreciated!
Thank you in advance,
Yours,
Peter
Austria, Europe