In the latest issue of Creative Screenwriting (Volume 12, #5) Editor-In-Chief Den Shewman opens up with a great piece about not “thinking so much” when it comes to writing.
But this goes against all that Dramatica stands for!
When faced with the 300+ questions of the Level 3 Story Guide or the ominous multi-colored Theme Browser you can’t help but overthink your story. Do you have all the Character Elements in the right place? How are you going to illustrate an Impact Character’s Counterpoint of Deficiency? And what really is the difference between Prerequisites and Preconditions?!
It’s enough to drive an author towards softicide (the act of deleting a $200+ story structure program off of your hard drive!).
I think Shewman is right. My most inspired story moments have come about with Dramatica nowhere to be seen on my taskbar. As Shewman says:
you have to let go and write what feels right — which is not always the same thing as what feels logical. Sometimes, your story or character doing something illogical (but human) is the best thing that can happen.
To be totally fair, Dramatica can predict the emotional state of your story as well as the logical, but the point is still a good one.
And when you’re done letting your subconscious have it’s way with you, you can go ahead and open up Dramtica and let it help you make sense out of that mess of a first draft.
Technorati Tags: screenwriting, story
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