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Dramatica
Dictionary
G
Gathering Information
(a.k.a.
Learning) -- [Type] -- dyn.pr. Understanding<-->Gathering
Information -- gathering information or experience; learning -- Gathering
Information describes the process of acquiring knowledge. It is not the
knowledge itself. When a portion of a story focuses on learning, it is
the gathering of an education that is of concern, not the education that
ultimately has been gathered. Gathering Information need not be an academic
endeavor. One might learn to express one's feelings or learn about love.
Gathering Information does not even require new information as sometimes
one learns simply by looking through old information from a different
perspective or with a new approach. It is not important if one is learning
to arrive at a particular understanding or just to gather data. As long
as the focus is on the process of gaining information or learning, Gathering
Information is the operative word. -- syn. cultivating experience,
acquiring information, collecting data, gathering knowledge
Goal -- [Type]
-- The central objective of a story -- A Goal is that which the Protagonist
of a story hopes to achieve. As such, it need not be an object. The Goal
might be a state of mind or enlightenment; a feeling or attitude, a degree
or kind of knowledge, desire or ability. Although it is his chief concern,
the Goal which a Protagonist seeks is not necessarily a good thing for
him nor is it certainly attainable. Only through the course of the story
does the value and accessibility of the Goal clarify. Dramatica points
out the nature of Goal that is consistent with an Author's dramatic choices,
but it remains for the Author to illustrate that nature. For any given
category of Goal, an unlimited number of examples might be created.
Good -- [Plot
Dynamic] -- If at the end of the story the Main Character is no longer
nagged by his personal problems, the judgment of the story can be said
to be Good -- The Main Character ultimately succeeds in resolving his
personal problems -- Even though the effort to achieve the story's goal
may result in success, this is not necessarily a good thing for the Main
Character. In fact, success might be obtained in the objective story even
though the Main Character fails to resolve his personal problems. Similarly,
the effort to achieve the story goal might end in failure yet the Main
Character ends up overcoming his personal problems. Regardless of whether
the objective story ends in Success or Failure, if the Main Character
succeeds in resolving his personal problems the outcome is deemed Good.
Grand Argument
Story (GAS) -- [Dramatica Term] -- A story that illustrates
all four throughlines (Overall Story, Main vs. Impact Story, Main Character,
and Impact Character) in their every story point so that no holes are
left in either the passionate or dispassionate arguments of that story
-- A Grand Argument Story covers all the bases so that it cannot be disproved.
From the perspective that it creates, it is right. There are four views
in a complete story which look at all the possible ways the story could
be resolved from all the possible perspectives allowed; these are represented
by the perspectives created by matching the four Throughlines with the
four Classes(the Overall Story, Main vs. Impact Story, Main Character,
and Impact Character Throughlines matched up with the Classes of Situation
(Universe), Activities (Physics), Manipulation (Psychology), and Fixed
Attitudes (Mind) to create the four perspectives of the particular story
they are operating in). Every complete storyform explores each of these
perspectives entirely so that their views of the story's problem are consistent
and that they arrive at the only solution that could possibly work, allowing
the givens built into the story from the start. When this is done, a Grand
Argument has been made and there is no disproving it on its own terms.
You may disagree with they story's givens, but as an argument it has no
holes.
Growth (a.k.a MC
Direction) -- [Character Dynamic] -- The way a character grows
in his attempt to solve his problems, toward either "Start"
or "Stop" -- Change Characters see their problems as being inside
themselves. Steadfast Characters see their problems as being outside themselves.
Sometimes a problem is created by too much of something, other times by
too little. Growth describes whether a problem is "too much"
of something, or "too little." It appears differently depending
on if the Main Character Changes or Remains Steadfast.
If a character must
change, he has one of these two kinds of problems. Either he is bullheaded
in sticking with an inappropriate approach or he simply doesn't use an
approach that would be appropriate. In the "too much" scenario,
the character comes off as aggressively obstinate. In the "too little"
scenario the character comes off as stubbornly ignorant. The "too
much" Change Character needs to "stop." The "too little"
Change Character needs to "start."
If the Main Character
remains Steadfast, though, then the kinds of problems they'll face will
involve either holding out for something to Start or holding out for something
to Stop. Metaphorically, the Steadfast Character is either a storm trying
to weather away an island, or an island trying to hold out against a storm.
Both Change and Steadfast Characters grow in a direction which can be
called "Start" or "Stop."
Guardian -- [Archetype]
-- An archetype that represents the motivations of Conscience
and Help -- This Archetypal character acts as teacher/helper to the Protagonist.
As Conscience, he provides the audience with the story's assessment of
what is good and bad in the world it describes. In his Dynamic Pair relationship,
the Guardian counterbalances the efforts of the Contagonist to hinder
progress and tempt the Protagonist from the proper path. Since, according
to Archetypal convention, the Protagonist must ultimately face the Antagonist
without assistance, both the Guardian and Contagonist must be dramatically
nullified before the climax of the story so that they cannot interfere.
This often occurs as a separate confrontation between them, just prior
to the Protagonist meeting the Antagonist, or it may occur concurrently,
but concludes before the actual climax of the story is reached.
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