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Dramatica
Dictionary
U
Unending -- [Element]
-- dyn.pr. Ending<-->Unending -- a continuance without
cessation -- The Unending characteristic sees nothing as ever coming to
completion. What others may see as an end, this characteristic sees as
a change of direction. For example, obtaining a diploma is seen not as
an end of college but as another step in one's career (which is Unending).
This has an advantage of "never saying 'die'," which helps the
motivation stay alive to keep trying. On the other hand, seeing a bad
thing as unending can rob one of motivation. Also, when something is really
over, the character representing Unending can't see it. This might be
a former relationship or a current job that he takes for granted. -- syn.
continual, ongoing, perpetual, ceaseless, interminable, incessant,
perennial
Uncontrolled --
[Element] -- dyn.pr. Control<-->Uncontrolled
-- a disorganized response -- The character representing Uncontrolled
spreads himself very thin by expending his energy and motivation in all
directions at once. As a result, he is fully involved in his environment,
which covers all the bases. Yet, because his attention is randomly distributed,
there is not single direction to his thrust. Therefore, the Uncontrolled
character frequently spends a lot of energy getting nowhere. -- syn.
unregulated, disorganized, unfocused, rampant, unguided, open, frenzy
Understanding --
[Type] -- dyn.pr. Learning<-->Understanding --
appreciating the meaning of something -- Understanding is different from
knowledge. From knowledge one gets awareness, from Understanding one gets
meaning. To obtain meaning requires not only knowing the substance of
its nature but the context of its essence. In other words, one must not
only define what something is but how it fits into the larger picture
as well. To this end, Reason describes the function and Emotion defines
the purpose. So Understanding is not just an intellectual pursuit but
requires an empathy with the meaning as well. It is useful to note that
many Eastern and ancient philosophies define Understanding as "becoming
one with" that which is being considered. Until one joins his subject
in unity, he cannot understand it. -- syn. comprehending, grasping,
appreciating, obtaining meaning, acquiring meaning
Unique Ability
-- [Variation] -- The item that makes the Main Character uniquely
able to determine the Overall Story's outcome; the item that makes the
Impact Character uniquely able to pressure the Main Character to Change
-- Just as a requirement defines the specific nature of things needed
to achieve a particular goal, Unique Ability defines the specific quality
needed to meet the requirement. Unique Ability is another way in which
the Main Character is identified as the intersecting point between the
Main vs. Impact and Overall stories as it is only he who ultimately has
what it takes to meet the test of the requirement and thereby achieve
the goal. The Unique Ability need not be anything extraordinary but must
be the one crucial quality required that is shared by no one else. Frequently,
the Unique Ability is in keeping with the Main Character's position or
profession, however it can be much more interesting to assign an incongruous
Unique Ability. In either approach, it is essential to illustrate the
existence of the Unique Ability in the Main Character several times throughout
the story, even if it is not employed until the climax. In this way, it
becomes integrated into the nature of the Main Character and does not
seem conveniently tacked on when it is ultimately needed. Also, the Unique
Ability can be extremely mundane. The key is that the ability does not
have to be unique by nature, but just possessed uniquely in that specific
story by the Main Character. Clever storytelling may arrange the climax
of the story so that some completely ordinary and insignificant Unique
ability makes the difference in the outcome of a cosmic struggle.
Unit -- [Structural
Term] -- Dramatica breaks down the components of story into the smallest
possible building blocks that have meaning for an author. These essential
building blocks are called Units.
Universe (a.k.a
Situation) -- [Class] -- dyn.pr. Mind<-->Universe
-- a situation -- The Universe Class is where any fixed state of affairs
is explored, such as an institution, system, or situation that remains
stable and unchanging. The point may be to show that the system is good,
bad, or neutral, but the focus must be on the system not on how the system
is changing. -- syn. a situation, a set of circumstances, state
of affairs, predicament, environment, milieu
Unproven -- [Element]
-- dyn.pr. Proven<-->Unproven -- a rating of knowledge
that has not been tested -- Unproven describes an understanding suspected
to be true but not substantiated enough to call it fact. The character
representing Unproven will not accept anything as fact just because the
theory has worked so far. No matter how many times or how many ways evidence
builds to support the contention, Unproven will not be satisfied until
the conclusion is absolutely drawn in hard data not just road tests. This
keeps the character representing Unproven from jumping to conclusions,
but makes him less able to accept the obvious conclusion unless it is
directly observed in a way that is not open to alternative interpretation.
-- syn. unverified, unconfirmed, unestablished, undemonstrated,
untried
Unwilling -- [Overview
Appreciation] -- The Main Character unwillingly participates in the
effort to find a solution to the story problem -- Unwilling describes
a Main Character who would prefer not to become involved in neither the
problem nor the search for a solution. As a result, some sort of leverage
must be applied to "force" him to join the quest. Once the Main
Character is enticed or coerced into beginning the journey toward a solution,
he requires outside encouragement or compulsion to keep up the effort.
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