Stranger Than Fiction joins the long line of films that begin with a great premise, yet fail to deliver the story goods. This failure comes not as a result of bad directing or poor acting choices, but rather as a result of an inconsistent and faulty story structure. When setting up the dramatics of a story it’s important to make sure that the audience understands exactly to whom the story belongs.

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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.

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A story shouldn’t be “a bunch of things happen to or around our Protagonist, and then at the end, they change for some reason.” That potential for growth should be buried deep within every Main Character from the very beginning. Luckily for us, Dramatica provides some great insights into the most deepest recesses of your Main Character’s soul.

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Ensemble stories are always elusive when it comes to interpreting their meaning. Typically, these kinds of stories bring together several separate throughlines with the intention of making some “greater point.” Unfortunately for many, Alejandro Gonzales Inarritu’s Babel is not typical. While compelling and thought-provoking, the film lives up to the confusing nature of its Biblical namesake.

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Not every well-told story fits perfectly into the typical Dramatica story paradigm - i.e. an Objective Story, a Main and Impact Character, and a Subjective Story. Sometimes a good story can have multiple Impact Characters and multiple Main Characters. One way of pulling this off with minimal confusion to your audience is to ensure that each Main Character shares the same perspective…just as the South Park movie did.

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Some readers aren’t aware that you can actually ask me questions if you feel so inclined. While I don’t profess to know everything about this theory, or screenwriting in general, I do feel like I have a unique voice on the matter and enjoy helping to make stories and, more specifically, screenplays, better. The following is an example of the kind of feedback you’ll expect when you click on “Contact” above…

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Nowadays, photographic evidence isn’t enough. With the advent of Photoshop and digital photography, anyone can claim ownership of the truth. In order to convince someone that a conspiracy exists, even one related to something so inconsequential as story theory, the whistle-blowers of today need cold hard facts and an airtight case.

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Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, you just can’t crack the code of a story. Whether it’s a film you are analyzing or a spec screenplay that you’ve been working on for weeks, the storyform can remain frustratingly elusive. There is a technique I’ve found that works, and although it’s not revolutionary, it might help you get over that Dramatica-imposed writer’s block.

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The relationship between the Main Character and Impact Character provides the heart of a story. Unfortunately, this emotional connection is often overlooked in many a screenplay. The heap of forgotten films teems with stories that made the simple error of not engaging their audiences passionately. It seems strange then, that Deadwood, a series often referred to as vulgar and crude, should present us such a successful attempt at this essential relationship.

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Little Children, directed by Todd Field, provides an insight into modern parenting that some would say hits a little too close to home (especially for those of us directly experiencing this role!). The film thrives on wonderful performances by both a dowdy Kate Winslet and a believably creepy Jackie Earle Haley. Unfortunately for us lovers of fiction, the film fell victim to a little glitch in storytelling right near the end.

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