This is Story Fanatic, a collection of articles covering story structure and analysis for
creative writers. Published weekly.
The Story Outcome determines whether or not the Protagonist succeeded or failed in their attempts to resolve the central Story Goal. This bit of story structure focuses on the logistical “outcome” of the story. Combined with the Story Judgment, it helps to create the Meaningful Ending that every great Author aspires to.
Why is it many can be so quick to brush off a particular understanding of story structure? Having their trust so completely eroded by those who came before, those who tried and failed to explain the real purpose of story, many would rather stick their head in the sand than experience further disappointment. The time may have come for those individuals to dip their toes in the water once again.
The Dramatica theory of story is not simply a tool for analysis. When one understands the concepts within, a whole world of narrative possibilities opens up. What many see as a confusing mishmash of pseudo-Jungian gobbledygook, actually becomes a springboard for creative writing that engages and enlightens an Author on what they’re really trying to say.
If stories are about solving problems, then it follows that a meaningful ending will be based on whether or not an appropriate solution is found. More than simply a case of the characters giving up, a failure represents a continuation of the inequity created by the Inciting Incident. Identifying the source of this problem becomes job one for any Author who wishes to write something meaningful.
There are several different ways to end a story meaningfully. Triumphs end with scenes of joy and revelry. Tragedies culminate with characters in despair over their ultimate failure. Yet there is another kind of ending that happens somewhere in-between the two, an ending that doesn’t call upon things to be so black and white.
Not all comic book movies are created equal. One of the key differences between those that last a lifetime and those that make audiences angry is the degree of sophistication within the actual Goal of the story. The more unique and distant it is from the common path of simply defeating yet another villain, the more audiences will engage with the work and praise the Author for treating their time with respect.
The idea that the Protagonist is always the centerpiece of a well-told story is a fallacy. While this is most often the case in popular American cinema, there are literally thousands of complete and meaningful stories that can be created wherein the audience has no personal attachment to the one character driving things forward. Limiting oneself to an understanding that is easier to get leaves a writer open to creative suppression.
A complete story combines character, plot, theme and genre into a delicious concert of meaning that both satisfies and fulfills the appetites of avid moviegoers everywhere. If just one bit is slightly off, it can make all the difference between a film destined for the 5$ bin and one destined for the halls of the timeless classics. Toy Story 3 may defy that convention.
Finding meaning in the events that unfold in our lives is the responsibility of every screenwriter. Communicating that meaning with clarity and precision is the responsibility of effective story structure. Combine the two together and you elevate a simple biopic into something meaningful and lasting.
Screenwriters looking to write films that are a bit more complex and subtle in their approach, would do well to understand the mechanics behind the “bittersweet” ending. Juxtaposing success or failure in the main storyline with the emotional fulfillment (or lack thereof) of the Main Character leads to more complex, more true-to-life storytelling. When looking at the “sweet” half of bittersweet endings, the message is clear: sometimes losing can be the best thing.
The tragic story, while a downer for any audience, carries with it significant meaning. Authors who wish to write stories that tell of both personal and extra-personal destruction can do so through the use of a tragic story structure. The key is understanding that this destruction comes as a result of failing to resolve the story’s major problems.
Screenplays that strive to be about something more than explosions and attractive personalities must come to a conclusion with one of four meaningful endings. No matter how subtle or obvious the storytelling may be, every single complete story told will either be a Triumph, a Personal Triumph, a Personal Tragedy, or a Tragedy. In this first of a series of articles, Hollywood’s favorite – the Triumph – is examined.
Films can have the same story structure, yet be so different in their storytelling that most normal people would rarely identify them as being the same. Story fanatics are not normal people. The Sixth Sense and Into The Wild – two films that couldn’t be more different in subject matter and genre – have almost the same exact structure, sharing many of the same thematic issues.
Approaching the analysis of a story using the Dramatica software.
Using concepts found in the Dramatica theory of story to write a story with your audience in mind.
Techniques to free up what might seem like a rigid tool for writing stories.
Dramatica can seem a bit overwhelming when you first start out. I remember flipping through the dictionary at the back of the theory book and thinking, “This is insane!” But after eight years of working with it, I’ve got the model pretty much memorized (at least down to the Variation level) and have a pretty good understanding of each of the terms.
A closer look at the Plot Dynamics in a story.