Dramatica: Inside the Clockwork

by Melanie Anne Phillips

From the much has been written about the Dramatica Theory and Model of Story Structure, the focus has been primarily on how it works and how to apply it. Yet every once and a while, someone asks what is to me a much more interesting Why does it work? And even more rarely, someone of a more philosophical bent will ask and even more penetrating What does it mean?In answer to these last two queries, I’ve gathered together the very best essays and articles I’ve written over the last quarter century about the inner workings of Dramatica – they whys and wherefores of its structure and function.This book delves deeply into the reasoning behind the design and construction of the model, the underpinnings of theory beneath the level of narrative, and provides a view of the elegance an grandeur of Dramatica from a perspective seldom from within the model itself.We begin our journey by entering the model through its principal gateway, the quad, which leads us deeper and deeper into secret passages and wormholes as we explore a new point of view from which to appreciate inside the clockwork. --Melanie Anne Phillips

203 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 7, 2013

Reviews

[Jack · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dramatica Theory (getting under the hood and kicking the tires)

Ok, when I bought the software, I was a bit skeptical. It was for an older version of Windows, the help file didn't work and the process book read nothing like a How To Use book as is normal with software. I went hunting for other things on Dramatically and decided on reading this (its Sunday afternoon, after all) After reading this book,band learning of the work behind the software, I have a completely different view of things. I recommend reading this before diving headlong into the software! It will help to get your cranium around the concepts and avoid a lot of Doh! moments.