Melanie Anne Phillips

Excerpted from  Dramatica: A New Theory of Story The process of communication requires at least two parties: the originator and the recipient. In addition, for communication to take place, the originator must be aware of the information or feelings he wishes to transmit, and the recipient must be able to determine that meaning. Similarly, storytelling requires an author and an audience. And, to tell a story, one must have a story to tell. Only when an author is aware of the message he wishes to impart can he determine how to couch that message so it will be accurately received. It should be noted that an audience is more than a passive participant in the storytelling process. When we write the phrase, "It was a dark and stormy night," we have communicated a message, albeit a nebulous one. In addition to the words, an- other force is at work creating meaning in the reader's mind. The readers themselves may have conjured up memories of the fragrance of fresh rain ...

Excerpted from  Dramatica: A New Theory of Story  (Annotated) Mastering the craft of writing requires a skill in communication and a flair for style. Through communication, an audience receives meaning. Through style, an author achieves impact. The Dramatica theory of story explores both aspects of the writing process providing structural guidelines for clarifying communication and artistic techniques for enhancing style. Accordingly, this book is divided into two principal sections:  The Elements of Structure  and  The Art of Storytelling . Separating these two aspects of the writing craft allows us to see more deeply into each. This arrangement also splits the experience of writing into two parts, when in practice, they are usually blended in a simultaneous effort. Many other books have been written which explore the blended creative process. In contrast, this is a book of theory, and is designed more to educate, than to inspire. Still, the motivation ...

In this episode I describe how your story's thematic argument fits into the 28 Magic Scenes.

In this second article in the Dynamic Model series, I’m going to explore really intriguing problem – how particles can be transmuted into waves and vice versa. Read the complete article here:  The Dynamic Model (2) – Transmutation of Particles and Waves

Here’s another clue for you all…. Though it wasn’t discovered through mathematics, Dramatica’s model of story psychology can, in fact, be described by mathematics – at least to an extent. Read the complete article on my Dramatica blog at  Trigonometry and Dramatica

This is the first in a series of articles I’ll be writing about a whole different way of looking at the Dramatica theory – in terms of dynamics, rather than structure. In fact, the dynamic model is a counterpart, not an alternative, to the existing structural model with which you may be familiar. Read the complete article on my other blog at  The Dynamic Model Melanie

Here's a link to the next class in my 113 part series on story structure. In this episode, we explore how story structure came to be in the first place, beginning with the earliest storytellers and evolving into a linear, step-by-step logical and or emotional throughline leading from premise to conclusion. http://storymindguru.com/dramatica-unplugged/2%20A%20Tale%20Is%20A%20Statement.htm

Here's a link to the first episode of my 113 part video series on story structure. In this segment I introduce the concept of the Story Mind - that every story has a mind of its own with its structure being the story's psychology and its storytelling style and subject matter creating the story's personality. Story Structure - Part 1

Some time ago I described the difference between the two basic forms of story structure with the following phrase: You spin a tale, but you weave a story. The common expression “spinning a yarn” conjures up the image of a craftsperson pulling together a fluffy pile into a single unbroken thread. An appropriate analogy for the process of telling a tale. A tale is a simple, linear progression – a series of events and emotional experiences that leads from point A to point B, makes sense along the way, and leaves no gaps. A tale is, perhaps, the simplest form of storytelling structure. The keyword here is “structure.” Certainly, if one is not concerned with structure, one can still relate a conglomeration of intermingled scenarios, each with its own meaning and emotional impact. Many power works of this ilk are considered classics, especially as novels or experimental films. Nonetheless, if one wants to make a point, you need to create a line that leads from one point to ...

Excerpt from the new book I'm writing on the Dramatica Theory of Story: What is a character? Like most dramatic concepts, it depends on who you ask. Some say characters are just ordinary people in extraordinary situations. Others say characters represent personality types. And then there are those who see characters as archetypes personifying human ideals and exemplifying quintessential human qualities. As varied as these descriptions are, they all share one thing in common: They are looking at characters through the veil of storytelling. As before, when we strip that away, we begin to see the true structural nature of characters: past their personalities and into their underlying psychologies. Read Entire Article

Another excerpt from the book I am writing on the Dramatica Theory of Story: In our own minds we have a sense of who we are. In stories, that “sense of self”, essentially the identity or ego of the story, is represented by the Main Character. As readers or audience we tend to identify with that part of the Story Mind, either in empathy or sympathy, because it is the essence of the story’s humanity. And just as within ourselves we sometimes must consider changing our point of view or our sense of what is right or wrong about a particular issue, so too does the Story Mind grapple with the possibility of change... Read Complete Excerpt

Just completed another section of the book I'm writing about the Dramatica theory of story. READ COMPLETE EXCERPT

Click on the link below for the latest section I just completed  for a book I'm writing on the Dramatica Theory: Structure and Dynamics

One of my pet peeves and personal frustrations is how great ideas - truly revolutionary paradigm shifts - are often lost in the bundled clothing of a larger concept, hypothesis or theory. A case in point:  In the Dramatica theory of story which I co-created, there are probably several hundred such ground-breaking concepts, but they are all embedded in the overall theory like raisins in rice pudding. One of these, as an example, is that the Main Character in a story does not have to be a Protagonist.  Main Character is the one the story revolves around passionately, specifically in regard to that character's point of view on some moral issue (in most uses).  What happens to them, their growth and whether or not they eventually change their world view or point of view is the essence of the Main Character.  The Protagonist, on the other hand, is a functional character in the drama - far more plot-oriented, and does not (as part of their function) have to change or e...

Some twenty years ago, upon realizing that the structure of stories was actually a model of the mind itself, Chris and I began to wonder if that model could serve as a blueprint and instructions for creating a truly artificial mind. Today, with the debut of IBM’s Watson and its attendant interest and enthusiasm, it seems the perfect time to revisit those considerations and the conclusions at which we arrived. What follows is a complete description of Dramatica’s plan for building a thinking and feeling machine that is not only aware, but self-aware as well and how that model is only partially realized by Watson. To begin with, minds are not exclusively engines of logic.   Rather, they are generators of passion as well.   Awareness requires only logic.   Self-awareness requires emotion as well. Logic is based on discrete points connected by causal relationships.   Emotion is a continually evolving condition that ebbs and flows.   In more technical terms, thi...