This is Story Fanatic, a collection of articles covering story structure and analysis for
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The Impact Character within a complete story provides an alternative paradigm that challenges the Main Character to reexamine his or her own point-of-view. This can be, but most often isn’t, the Antagonist of a story. By the end of the story, either the Impact Character’s influence will have won out and the Main Character will alter their paradigm, or their influence will have strengthened the Main Character’s resolve and the Impact Character will alter their paradigm. Thus, this character is essential for a story to have meaning.
Every complete story consists of four throughlines. The Overall Story Throughline, which is an objective look at the problem affecting everyone in the story. The Main Character Throughline which obviously covers the central character with which the audience empathizes most with. The Impact Character Throughline who provides an alternate way of solving the problem at hand and a perspective different from the Main Character. Finally, there is the Subjective Story or Relationship Throughline – which covers the relationship between the Main Character and the Impact Character. Having all four of these in a story is required if the Author’s intention is to argue some greater meaning.
This central character is defined as Steadfast because during the moment of crisis, when their Resolve is most tested, they stick with their approach to solving the story’s problem. This perseverance in no way guarantees a successful outcome. It simply describes a character who maintains their tried and tested paradigm.
This central character is defined as Change because during the moment of crisis, when their Resolve is most tested, they drop their approach to solving the story’s problems and adopt a new one. This change in no way guarantees a success. It simply describes a character who trades their old paradigm for a new one.
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.
Dramatica is the story theory to beat all other story theories. Based on the simple idea that every complete story is really an analogy to a single human mind trying to solve a problem, this revolutionary understanding explains what makes great stories so compelling. To learn more about this theory in detail, be sure to visit the Dramatica website.
At the end of every complete story, the Main Character will be faced with an important decision: either continue to solve problems the way he or she always has, or change their approach and attempt to solve the problem differently. The Main Character Resolve determines what their answer will be. If they maintain their approach they are said to be Steadfast. If they adopt a new paradigm, they are said to be Change.
Personal triumphs are stories that explore what its like to feel good about losing out. While the efforts in the primary throughline may have failed, the Main Character has grown to a point where they have overcome their own personal angst. This is why these stories are often called “bittersweet” - the good guys may have lost, but the Main Character goes home happy.
A personal tragedy exists when the Main Character is unable to resolve their own personal angst. Have they overcome that personal problem that was bugging them since the beginning? Or are they still haunted by the demons and issues that they began the story with? The latter is a personal tragedy; the former is not.
There are four major throughlines in every complete story. The Overall Story, or what is commonly referred to as the “A” story line or “headline,” often describes what the story is “all about.” It represents a very dispassionate view of the story’s problems as it steps back and looks at the characters as functions, almost like chess pieces on a board. From this perspective, names and personal problems are not as important as the character’s role and story function.
The Main Character of a story represents the audience’s personal perspective into the story. Through this perspective, we the audience get to experience what it would be like personally to experience the story’s problems. The Main Character may or may not be the Protagonist. Protagonist describes a function, whereas the Main Character describes a perspective or point-of-view.
This is the character driving the story forward; the one leading the charge towards the Story Goal. This character may or may not be the Main Character of the story. Either way, the main function of the Protagonist is to Pursue.
When the Main Character of a story also happens to be the one driving the story forward (Protagonist), he or she is considered the Hero of the story. Many story theorists/gurus collapse the concept of MC, Protagonist and Hero all into one. While this works for most stories (particularly Western film), it tends to ignore those stories where the Main Character is “along for the ride.” Separating these concepts allows for greater accuracy in analyzing and developing a story.
Every complete story needs to signify to the audience when it will be done. Stories come to an end either because the characters run out of time, or because they run out of options.
In an attempt to understand the various machinations at work behind the scenes of a well-told story, many look to the Hero’s Journey, or various models thereof, as the answer. Unfortunately, the analysis that comes as a result is severely lacking in meaningful content and accuracy. The key is truly understanding what problems the Main Character of a story faces.
The central character of every great story must “arc.” Everyone knows this, yet many do not completely understand what it means. Assumptions are made that change is required, that without some greater need replacing a motivated want, a character somehow “doesn’t work.” This error in judgment can easily be overcome by appreciating the difference between this most important character and the story at large.
What of stories that feature heroes who don’t learn something? The argument might be made that such a situation foretells a story with faulty construction. Authors need not fear if they are on the path to creating such a story as the purpose of narrative fiction is not always to teach the hero some new life understanding. Sometimes (actually all the time) it is simply using the central character’s approach as a means of arguing some greater meaning.
The idea that a Main Character must always change runs counter to many a writer’s intuition. A more productive approach would be to focus on the growth that character undergoes as they deal with the build-up in pressure over the course of the story. This development can be likened to the tender balance that exists when one visits the deep blue sea.
Perception often leads to deception; how one sees the world of story shapes their understanding of it, granting them all sorts of interpretations that may or may not be accurate. As with Christopher Nolan’s dark treatise on dueling magicians, unveiling what is really going on within a story can lead to an emotional catharsis for writers themselves; leading them to even greater expressions of meaningful fiction.
Character arc is often referred to as the transformation a Main Character undergoes throughout the course of a screenplay. This is incorrect. Effective story structure dictates growth, but not necessarily transformation.
Far too often, experts on screenwriting and storytelling fall back on the inaccurate assumption that a Main Character must completely transform themselves. This is only correct for half of the stories ever written.
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.
The concept of the character arc is often thought to explain the transformation a Main Character goes through over the course of a story. The problem with this definition is the idea of “transformation”. Not every Main Character completely changes, nor do they have to. Growth can occur without losing oneself.
A detailed look at the thought process I went into while analyzing I Am Legend.
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.
An exploration of the idea that all Character is fate.
How to determine whether or not your Main Character has changed their essential nature or remained steadfast.
Clarifying change in characters other than the Main Character.
Quick tips on two important concepts.
Tips on the Main Character’s Growth.
Defining the difference between a character who “changes” and one who “grows.”
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.
Can you have a Main Character who is not really involved in the Overall Story?
As with all things Dramatica, the Main Character Dynamics (Resolve, Growth, Approach and Mental Sex) can be seen as relating together in a single quad.