Dramatica: A New Theory of Story [Paperback]

Melanie Phillips (Author), Chris Huntley (Author, Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 10, 2004

Dramatica: A New Theory of Story is the definitive guide to the most profoundly original and complete paradigm of story since Aristotle wrote Poetics. This book is chock-full of stunning solutions to vexing story structure and development problems that have mystified and tormented writers for ages. An absolute must read for any writer who wants to elevate the quality of their written work.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Melanie Anne Phillips is a past director of Dramatica Research and Development at Write Brothers (formerly Screenplay Systems). Prior to her association with Write Brothers, Ms. Phillips amassed some 200 credits in non-union film production, including directing two independent features, editing features and industrials, and writing work ranging from features to television commercials. Ms. Phillips now develops writing tools for her own company, Storymind.

Chris Huntley, Vice President and Academy Technical Achievement Award® winning co-creator of Write Brothers, Inc. and the Movie Magic® series of software products, co-developed Dramatica over a period of fourteen years. His 23 years of experience with script formatting, word processing and software development are reflected in the acclaimed Dramatica theory of story. Mr. Huntley continues to develop writing tools for Write Brothers, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Write Brothers, Inc.; 10th anniversary edition (December 10, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 091897304X
• ISBN-13: 978-0918973047
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 7.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #530,101 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great theory if you think you'll need it., September 23, 2005

By 

Tall Dee "ctalld" (Fort Mill, SC United States) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Dramatica: A New Theory of Story (Paperback)

I've been a hobbyist writer since 2000; but, having recently retired I decided to become serious about writing. A friend suggested I read this book, because as an engineer by training and vocation I am a person who needs to understand a subject before really "doing" it. To that end Dramatica is excellent. But, the theory section, some 163 pages, is quite tough slogging. I had to make many notes and turn what I read into my own words to gain full understanding. Was it worth the effort? Yes, absolutely, but if you are not a persistent type person you will never complete the task. The authors themselves on page 78 say, "This discussion can get theoretical at times, and we present it more for those interested in details, rather than as essential reading." They are absolutley right.

Now, the second half of the book is on the subject of "The Art of Storytelling." However, from what I garnered, the art they present is a proprietary one aimed primarily as an adjunct to their writing software "Dramatica." I consider the writing process as put forth by the authors as too structured, too complex and too demanding of details. Since a writer's subconscious really does most of his writing and if he lets it loose (he really should) then all his carefully laid plans run the risk of being abandoned. To write an "honest" story, one that will grab readers, the writer must be truthful to himself otherwise his readers just stop reading. Will all this structured work as promulgated by the authors hinder or help truthful storytelling? That's for you to decide. Remember Shakespeare, Dickens and Hemmingway didn't take courses on writing, didn't read texts on writing and certainly didn't use writing related computer programs. What they did do was read a lot and write a lot. My conclusion on the Dramatica book is that it's worth the read, but it's not really necessary.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars You can get as a podcast, November 19, 2006

By 

Celeste Thoms "Moviemaker330" (Rochester,NY) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dramatica: A New Theory of Story (Paperback)

This is a good resourse, but if you are thinking about buying this book, do realize that you can download the lecture free as a podcast on iTunes.

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Talent is not enough--unless you're using Dramatica, March 30, 2006

By 

Joy Higgins "Wordweaver" (Denair, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dramatica: A New Theory of Story (Paperback)

Dramatica: A New Theory of Story is not a book you can skim through, it is a tough, no-nonsense, disciplined approach to creative writing; one that not only requires intense study, but also demands that you lay aside everything else you have ever read about story technique. The payoff is, Dramatica will force you to be the best you can be. Talent isn't enough in today's marketplace. No matter how great the writing, publishers want stories with no plot holes (if they find 'em, you gotta fix 'em and they don't tell you where to look). They want brief yet succint answers to questions like "who's the audience, what's the premise, the theme, the genre, the plot, etc." Dramatica will give you that information. Sometimes you'll hear, "it doesn't quite come together" which means the structure of your story is weak. That's where Dramatica shines like a lighthouse beacon in a storm. If you use Dramatica properly, underdeveloped structure will never be a problem. Once you have a firm grasp of all the story points you must cover in order to produce a complete and satisfying story, unchain the talent and watch it produce. Does Dramatica stifle creative imagination? Absolutely not! If anything, it throws you into overdrive as you work through the story encoding and story weaving sections. Try it. You'll love it! If you are serious about, and committed to, the stories you want to tell, Dramatica needs to be at your elbow. A word of advice though-once you get the book and/or software, study the Dramatica dictionary of word meanings before you get into the theory; make them automatic thought processes and you'll do just fine. Happy reading. Happy writing.