The Dramatica software, particularly the Query System, employs a top-down approach to figuring out your story. In other words, you start out with the broadest perspective of your story (deciding on the Throughlines) and then work your way down to the finest granules of magnification (where your character’s Problem and Solution lie). While this approach is perfect when first learning the theory, there is a different approach that can result in more creative choices.

This morning I was having trouble nailing down the Domain of my Main Character’s Throughline. For those unfamiliar with the Dramatica Story Table of Elements (PDF), the Domain is the broadest look one can take on the problems within their story. Each Throughline will have its own Domain; each represents a different perspective on the story’s central problem. These can be either Fixed Attitudes, Ways of Thinking, Activities or Situations. Because some of these are so similar (how exactly are attitudes different from ways of thinking?), deciding which one describes your Main Character’s Throughline can be a tricky thing.

Unless you start from the bottom of the model and work up.

Looking Underneath

To help me better decide on my story, I began looking at the items underneath the Domains. As mentioned in the opening, as you work your way down through the model your level of detail increases. Put simply, the four items in a quad sum up the appreciation directly above them. Past, Future, Present and Progress perfectly describe all the different ways of looking at a Situation. In a similar fashion, Becoming, Being, Conceiving and Conceptualizing all describe the different ways of problematic thinking that may go on within a story.

Exploring Different Ways of Telling Your Story

Back to my problem with the Main Character Domain. Having remembered this technique of looking beneath an appreciation, I set out to discover what was really going on inside my Main Character. Because I wasn’t sure exactly which Domain I wanted to go with, I wrote out four different versions of what my Main Character Throughline could’ve been.

For the purposes of this article (and because I firmly believe that a story should remain yours until you’re absolutely certain it’s ready to show), I’ll make up a Main Character and a possible problem.

For this example let’s take Henry, a 53-year old recluse who refuses to go outside. Now is that a problematic situation, a problem with a fixed attitude, a problematic way of thinking, or a problematic activity?

Let’s see…

• Henry deals with painful memories from his childhood, his futile attempts to shut out the screaming kids next door, his thoughts about recycling, and his fears of never amounting to much.
• Henry deals with what exactly happened that day on the ranch, the way things are going to be for him once he loses his house, how his dexterity is gradually deteriorating more and more each day, and how he is going to get food right now, even though his fridge is empty.
• Henry deals with acting like a frightened six year old, becoming a “nicer” person to be around, developing a plan to stay secluded forever, and coming up with ideas that will help perpetuate why he doesn’t need any outside help.
• Henry deals with the neighbors misconstruing him as a blight on their neighborhood, talking to people he can’t stand (but has to), learning the best way to organize his LP collection, and stealing food from the kid’s lunchbags.

What I’ve done here is to come up with different examples using the Concerns located beneath each possible Throughline. The first one describes a Fixed Attitude Main Character Throughline (Memories, Preconscious, Conscious and Subconscious). The second one describes a Situation Main Character Throughline (Past, Future, Progress, and Present). Third is a Psychology Main Character (Being, Becoming, Conceptualizing, and Conceiving). And the last describes a Physics Main Character (Understanding, Doing, Learning and Obtaining).

Because the Concern level (the one below the Domain level) is the closest thing to Plot, my examples above could be thought of as separate scenes or sequences. When I did this work on my own story, I instantly knew which “story” I wanted to tell. Unfortuantely it wasn’t the one I thought I was writing, and thus, had to change some other things.

This might not be such a bad thing.

Working Towards Originality

Brainstorming books always talk about the benefit of not going with your first idea. They often suggest that you need to write down 10-20 different takes on an idea before you find the one that is original and completely ”you.”

This could be one way to do it.

Share This

Somewhat related to this article

• well or wall for a Steadfast character→

• giving meaning to the meaningless→

• the adventure begins…→

• Stories Exist for One Purpose: Meaning→

• How to Introduce Your Main Character’s Most Important Relationship→