Thursday, Mar. 11

The Math Behind Story Structure

The ever-brilliant Melanie Anne Phillips elaborates on the math behind the Dramatica theory of story. Essential to any understanding of the theory is the concept that the story mind represents an internal model of our outside world. Externally, we have Mass, Energy, Space and Time. Internally we have Knowledge, Thought, Ability, and Desire. Mass equals Knowledge, Thought equals Energy and so on.

Knowledge bends our thoughts in new trajectories because of what we know, just as Mass in Space bends energy (such as light waves) along the vectors of its gravity….It take a lot of thought to make a little knowledge, just as a little bit of knowledge can generate an awful lot of thought. Now… isn’t this interesting… That relationship between Knowledge and Thought is the same as the relationship between Mass and Energy in Einstein’s equation: It takes a lot of energy to make a little mass but a little mass can generate an awful lot of energy.

This is something that must be read several times before it can be fully comprehended. Additionally, it’s important to note the great effort she makes in explaining that while on the surface these mathematical equations may seem stifling or antecedent to the magic of story, deep down the theory is elegant enough to take into consideration all manners of creative expression.