Big Love: Understanding the Goal and Consequences of a Story

June 26, 2007

Most writers understand the importance of having a Goal for characters in a story to strive for. What is less understood is the flip side of that Goal: the Consequence. And while it may seem that any arbitrary relationship will do, the two are dramatically connected in a very precise and simple way.

The Dramatica MailList

A relatively hidden resource for information on Dramatica lies within the Dramatica MailList. By signing up you become privy to some pretty remarkable revelations. One of the theory’s co-creators, Chris Huntley, is a prolific contributor, as are several other writers well versed in all things Dramatica. At last count I believe there were some 300 people subscribed.

Because not too many people know about it, and because of the hidden nature of list serves to general internet “traffic,” many of the list’s more helpful posts will be reprinted here. If you are at all interested in learning more about this theory and perhaps even contributing, I suggest you sign up by following the link above. If all you want is information (and what else is the Internet good for?!) then stay here - rest assured I’ll be reposting the best of the best here.

Objective Story Goal

Back to our discussion on a Story’s Goal and the relationship to its Consequence. As stated in the opening, most, if not everyone, understands the concept of a Central Goal for which all characters are interested in (some more than others). Using the fantastic HBO series Big Love as a potential example, Chris recently described what a Story Goal of Conceptualizing ((Note that the Cliff Notes version of Conceptualizing is “Developing a Plan.” If you are new to Dramatica, it might be easier to think of this concept in this way)) might be:

The HBO series “Big Love” is about polygamous families in a monogamous society. One might imagine a story where the polygamous families wished to come up with a plan to change how society reacts to the idea of polygamy. Flatly stated the story goal might be: “How can the general monogamous population be manipulated to be more accepting of polygamous relationships? What kind of plan will make that work?”

Pretty straightforward story theory.

The Consequence and Its Relation to the Goal

The Consequence, however, is often not discussed in the great tomes of screenwriting. Basically, the Consequence is what will happen if the characters don’t succeed in achieving their goal. It could also be something that is currently troubling the characters. The second could be considered the “stick” version of a Consequence, while the first would be the “carrot.”

The two are interrelated in such a way that would be better expressed by looking at the Dramatica Table of Story Elements:

In the lower left you’ll find our Story Goal of Conceptualizing. You’ll also notice that I circled Understanding in the upper right hand corner - this would be our Consequence. The Consequence will ALWAYS be located diagonally across from the Goal, in the same relative position on the chart. Story Goals of Learning will have the Consequences of Conceiving. Goals of the Future will have Consequences lying in the Subconscious.

This is not some arbitrary decision. As you start to think of stories this way, you’ll begin to see that this relationship is actually quite natural.

Understanding as a Consequence

So with Understanding as our Consequence to the Goal of Conceptualizing, how does that fit in with our look at Big Love?

Understanding as a consequence means that if the goal is not achieved, people will understand what’s going on, not like it, and perhaps act accordingly. It can also mean that there is a Misunderstanding as a result of not achieving the goal which brings negative ramifications. In the “Big Love” example started above, we might see the consequence of Understanding as: “If the polygamous families fail with their plans, their lifestyle may be misunderstood resulting in actions against them.” Note that it is the “misunderstanding” that is the consequence, not the actions against them. The misunderstandings may be bad enough but they will likely have ramifications in that domain.

See how naturally that fits? I’ve written a couple stories with this exact same setup (it happens to be one of my favorites) and I can tell you that correlation really resonates quite nicely.

You can imagine a story about a father trying to determine exactly what happened the night his family was brutally murdered (OS Goal of The Past). If he fails, he’ll be left with only the painful reminders of those he lost (OS Consequence of Memory). Or how about a group of office workers trying to come to terms with a lifetime of doing the same boring mundane job day in and day out (OS Consequence of Doing)? Driven by this horrible reality, they could strive to be something uniquely original and genuine - something no team has ever tried before (OS Goal of Being).

Anything will work, as long as you maintain that relationship.