Problem-Solving and the Order of Acts Within a Story

The order in which an Author presents the thematic material of their narrative relies on the specific technique the Main Character uses to resolve problems.

Over the weekend, we removed the plastic wrap off FIVE of our premiere articles within our Vault:

• The Mind of a Main Character
• The Dramatic Differences Between the Male and Female Mind
• Determining the Mind of a Main Character
• Why Act Order is More Important Than Time Spent
• Thinking of Your Audience First

The first three cover the Dramatica concept of the Main Character's Problem-Solving Style. For those new to the theory, the MC Problem-Solving Style (originally the Main Character's Mental Sex) sets the base-operating system for the story engine of a narrative. Male problem-solvers seek solutions to problems by looking to cause and effect. Holistic problem-solvers seek solution to problems by looking to the relationships between things and shifting the balance to draw out change.

This difference requires Authors to make a choice as to how their Main Character functions as it explicitly sets the order of thematic material considered in each and every Act.

Why Act Order is More Important Than Time Spent explains why this order is infinitely more helpful (and useful) than the actual time spent within each Act. Think you need to "turn" the First Act after 25 pages in a screenplay and the Second after 75 or so? Think again: the actual substance of those Acts supersedes any of these considerations.

Finally, Thinking of Your Audience First takes an initial look at Dramatica's Audience Appreciations. We provide this article within the context of history. The more recent series of articles The Audience Appreciations of Story dive into these illusive concepts with far greater confidence and accuracy.