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After twenty years in the animation industry and five more helping writers 1-on-1 develop their stories, one thing is clear--writers will do anything to avoid writing real conflict.
James Hull
Too many writers new to Dramatica and Subtext write the Influence Character Throughline as if the Main Character in their story.
Many paradigms of story structure look at stories and identify common patterns. The Dramatica theory of story runs against the grain by looking to the psychological concept first and then looking to published works for confirmation.
A recent discussion in the Discuss Dramatica forums illuminates the unfortunate consequence of a deductive mindset.
As a theory of story, Dramatica tends to attract scientists and mathematicians. With its claims of connections to General Relativity and its discovery of "Quad"-ronometry, many find themselves compelled to strike down any claims of viability.
The quest for perfect story structure often leads one to lean heavily upon scientific method. Deduction and definitions set stable ground for those uneasy beneath the umbrella of their own subjectivity.
The most challenging thing about writing a story is making choices. You can't write everything in your head and hope it all works out in the end.
