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Query System - finds the best way to express your idea
Story Engine - reveals relationships of deep structure independent of subject and content
Character - crafts deep, interesting character traits in sync with central themes
Story Comparisons - see which classic stories share your story's structural elements
Story Status - shows what character, plot, and theme issues you need to address
Scene Creation - weaves together plot points with maximum impact
End Result - exports the scene-by-scene narrative plot synopsis (novelists) or treatment (scriptwriters) into your favorite word processor
Integration with Movie Magic Screenwriter script formatting software and StoryView software
Page Template
Dramatica Pro 4
Average Rating:  
What do you think about this software? Write a review about it!
| Overpriced, Character Creation Clunky, Obscure Terminology |
| Reviewer: LadyNaava |
Date: May 28, 2005
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Rating: |
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I've been a user of Dramatica since earlier versions. And while I find Dramatica has some good points, I find that there are some parts of this application that are just clunky. Number 1. The character creation screens and data is just terrible. For an application of this price I would expect a little more thorough approach. I would rally like an opportunity to compile a character's background, history and personal info within the application. I'd also like to be able to flag some of these traits so that they can be added to the story or become part of subplots used in the story. For instance if a character is insecure, I'd like to add that as an emotional goal to overcome during the length of the story. I'd also like to export characters easily for use in subsequent stories. This is not easily done. In my opinion, the entire Character generation screen is useless. (I won't even go there about the UGLY selection of character portraits). Come on, for this price get some nice looking professional icons rather than those ugly clip-art ones, OR make it easier to ad your own portraits.. Have you tried importing a portrait? Its not easy let me tell you! When trying to chose an icon to represent my protagonist I had a choice between X-Men and small cheap looking pictures of ugly cartoons. Come on now.
On to the software, I like the storyforming tools. But really the terminology at points is obscure. When it says my main character's "thematic opposite to the area of John's greatest sensitivity concerns willingness to reevaluate" it would be nice if I didn't have to refer to the manual to figure out what that means. I'm not a dummy, but I would like to be able to use the software without having to refer to the HELP.
Overall, I LIKE Dramatica Pro. But its by no means an easy App to work with. Some parts seem to be deliberately obscure, and its thin on character creation and rather heavy on your wallet. |
56 out of 109 found this review helpful.
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| Dramatica-lly Correct |
| Reviewer: icariusrex |
Date: May 27, 2005
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Rating: |
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A software program that helps you write better stories? The heck, you say! But Write Brothers' Dramatica Pro promises just that. And it has at least the logical potential to live up to its claims - being based on a relatively new (but not avant garde) theory of writing which looks sensible enough. To the extent that such a theory can be translated to computer-speak, Dramatica comes as close to science-fiction as possible as a "story calculator". But, how successfully it functions may depend a bit too heavily on the individual user's vision and proclivities.
But, first things first. What is Dramatica?
The term Dramatica refers to two things. First, it is a theory of story (developed by Melanie Anne Phillips and Chris Huntley), which can either be book-learned and hand-applied (see their website, www.dramatica.com for the necessary literature), or applied via the software program. The Dramatica Pro software operates off of the theory, and serves to take much of the legwork out of applying that theory. It's a lot like Spreadsheet or Database software - except that it deals in story values rather than arithmetic values.
One thing that needs to be made clear is that Dramatica is not a story generator. Rather, it is a storyFORM generator, which means it will calculate an underlying philosophical structure of a story, leaving the literal details to you. The software itself is incapable of learning or knowing such literal details (aside from your story's title and character names - and even these are optional). It does allow you to key in, from scratch, extensive amounts of information pertaining to these literal details, which it will then insert into the various Story Reports it is capable of generating, but even then, this raw data will appear only for the writer's benefit.
It would be most accurate to describe Dramatica as "problem solving" software, since it operates off of the thesis that the majority of stories (at least in western culture) are about characters solving problems. Dramatica defines the classic "story" as an "argument" in which the author states a position on an issue through the positions of the characters, the choices they make, and which one of them is allowed to succeed.
I strongly recommend familiarizing oneself with the theory before attempting to use the software. There is a steep learning curve, and learning the basic tenets of the theory should be considered a prerequisite. The theory itself, for the most part, is fascinating and seems pretty well on the money in terms of how it can be accurately applied to a great many popular stories, books and movies.
To make the software "talk", the user needs to enter in a certain amount of values in a step-by-step tutorial process called the "Story Guide". Although there is a voluminous amount of information that the writer could key into the software, for either his own or the software's necessary purposes, the software can make do with a rather small amount of required information that doesn't take much time to key in (which is one thing I like about it - you can either invest weeks or months into using Dramatica to develop your story, or get an instant-gratification result with only five to ten minutes' worth of inputting; the former will probably garner a richer dividend, but the latter's results may be just as serviceable). The required questions are all multiple choice, further speeding the process. The software comes loaded with over 32,000 potential storyforms, and with each question the user answers, the software automatically eliminates those storyforms which won't conform to the choices, until the process of elimination finally settles you at one, final storyform (out of over 32,000, remember). At this point, the software has all the information it needs, and presents its analysis of your story via a laundry list of reports which delve into its various dimensions (with varying degrees of plain English). Theoretically, you're supposed to use these reports to 1) determine whether you and the software see eye-to-eye on the story you want to tell, and 2) if yes, then learn what you need to change or add to make your story conform (at least more closely) to Dramatica's view.
Unfortunately, this is the point where many a beginning (or even intermediate) user may be mystified, annoyed, or downright stupefied. Although Dramatica employs lots of common words to present its analyses, it defines many of those words a bit differently than how they are popularly used. For example, a typical Dramatica report will postulate to the writer that his plot progression be accelerated by "Approach" and slowed by "Obligation".
In a word - "Huh?"
Luckily, the software comes loaded with a complete Dramatica dictionary, but even after consulting with it, it remains incumbent upon the writer to figure out exactly how an aspect of "Approach" will drive his story forward, as well as how "Obligation" (back to the dictionary?) slows it down. A particularly nervous writer might have a breakdown obsessing over such a quandary.
Fortunately, not all of the key terms which pop up in Dramatica's reports are so abstract - but enough of them are to give many a writer serious consternation.
The writer must also contend with these abstractions while making the initial choices from which the reports are generated.
"Which area of concern are ALL the characters in 'Your Story' interested in or worried about regarding the Overall Story goal?" the software asks at one point. The question is straightforward enough, but the list of available answers (narrowed down by my own previous choices in this example storyform) is perhaps not: The Past / How Things Are Changing / The Future / The Present. Personally, I have yet to figure out how answering "How Things Are Changing" (which translates in Dramatica as "How Things Are Going") is significantly different from answering "The Present." There is a difference, apparently, and at every turn, Dramatica supplies hints and context examples which can help clarify the term usage. For some, then, the choice might be simple. But others may be pulling their hair out.
With such a language barrier, it's well-nigh impossible to know for certain whether or not the story Dramatica sees in its "mind" is the same story the writer sees (and whether or not the advice Dramatica dispenses is at all appropriate). Users are relegated to adopting a "close enough" attitude.
In the end, the software probably works best for the writer who's already off to a running start, with a pretty clear image of the story he or she wants to tell, and is simply consulting with Dramatica for fine-tuning purposes. After all, deciphering "The Present" or "How Things Are Changing" will be easier if there's an already fleshed-out plotline to bounce Dramatica's reports off of. Meanwhile, a desperate novice with little or no preconceived story ideas who appeals to Dramatica to do all the work for him might simply drown in the sea of abstractions. The makers of Dramatica stress that it is simply "a tool", and not a task master. As for my take on the matter, I would liken the use of Dramatica to consulting with a psychic (and, since I would prefer to regard Dramatica in a more respectable light than those myriad 1-900 numbers advertised on late night television, let's say, for the sake of this analogy, that it's a fairly renowned, respected psychic): There's a "good chance" it could give you valuable insights and help you solve your (story) problems, but, depending too heavily on it, or taking it too seriously, could lead to heartbreak.
Two uses I can wholeheartedly tout about Dramatica are its excellent character-building functions, and that it serves very well as a computerized writing journal.
The character builder lets you designate archetypal roles to your characters - protagonist, antagonist, contagonist (a Dramatica term, meaning co-antagonist), guardian, sidekick, skeptic, emotion, and control - and presents multi-layered diagrams which illustrate how these characters complement and contrast each other on various levels. You can also create "complex" characters who deviate from the strict archetypal molds. This aspect of the software is especially useful, as it inspires the writer as to how he or she can employ character dynamics to subtly convey story themes.
The "illustrating" aspect of the software is where the writer can truly "write", and although the software doesn't function as a word processor, and cannot analyze any raw information that the writer inputs, it still provides ample space for such data. A writer could ultimately do their brainstorming and even preliminary draft writing within the software (though the actual writing will need to take place elsewhere), and have all that data neatly organized, to boot! Of course, that function alone might not justify the $100-$200 price tag. |
53 out of 109 found this review helpful.
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