Some stories take forever to get started; others capture you from page one. What is it about some stories that just force you to stay attentive, eagerly anticipating some sort of resolution? The answer, I think, lies within the concept of the fully explored argument.

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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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Is it possible that four throughlines are too much to think about during the early stages of writing a story? I’m beginning to think so.

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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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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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Having worked with Dramatica for over ten years now, the one thing I’ve come to learn is that there is always a new way of looking at things. Often this new perspective is so simple that I can’t help but smile and think, “Why the hell didn’t I think of that?!” This happened to me recently when trying to decipher the throughlines for Michael Mann’s Collateral.

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Everyone wants to know “Do any professional screenwriters use Dramatica?” Well, I’m here to tell you that I’ve found irrefutable evidence that the answer to that question is “yes.” The proof lies in one of the better episodes of The X-Files - “Milagro.” And like Mulder used to say, “The truth is out there,” you just have to know where to look for it…

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Out of all the Domains your story could reside in, perhaps the most difficult to understand is the Psychology, or Manipulations, Domain. Most authors have no problem describing problematic situations, or activities, or even problematic fixed attitudes like prejudice or racism. But problematic ways of thinking? That one is usually the big stumper. Luckily, ol’ Yertle the Turtle is there to help explain…

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Believe it or not, one of the more difficult things to do when analyzing a story is deciding who the Main Character is. Because the Dramatica theory of story separates the concept of Main Character from the Protagonist, determining that essential character calls for a more precise analysis. This became a problem when analyzing the last film for the Dramatica Users Group - Laura.

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A recent review in the New York Times labeled Disney’s newest animated film, Meet the Robinsons, “one of the worst theatrically released animated features issued under the Disney label in quite some time.” While I have to agree that the first half of the film was excruciatingly painful, when all was said and done there actually was a decent story buried in there. If only we as an audience had been informed of that a bit earlier…

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