Write Brothers Dramatica Pro Win/Mac

by Write Brothers

Product Features

• Structure your plot - answer thought provoking questions about your characters and plot.
• Illustrate Your Story - write specific examples of how each of your story decisions
• Create Scenes - Now you weave together all the parts of the story you've developed so far.

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B000H774K0
• Item model number: 1DP0041
• Date first available at Amazon.com: July 15, 2006
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,738 in Software (See Top 100 in Software)
  • #21 in Electronics > Accessories & Supplies > Audio & Video Accessories > Cleaning & Repair > Disc Cleaners

Product Description

Got a story in mind? How about an idea for a story? Either way, Dramatica Pro acts as your creative-writing partner. The software takes you to a story-development environment, where you'll solve the plot and character problems that prevent many good stories from becoming good enough to sell. Dramatica's StoryGuide assists you from the initial idea all the way through to completed narrative treatment, inspiring you and supporting you along the way.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

68 of 69 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars It Does What It Claims - And Very Well, November 9, 2007

By 

Patrick McHugh (Ypsilanti, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Write Brothers Dramatica Pro Win/Mac (CD-ROM)

I have found Dramatic Pro to be an excellent tool in helping formulate and organize novel-length suspense stories. It's comprehensive and it makes you thoroughly think through the structure and flow of your story. The software does what it claims to do and it is based on successful story components. I've read other individual's reviews that were less than complimentary and I would have to say that their expectations of this software were probably beyond what the software said it could do. No writing software that I know of will lead a writer through the writing process. It's not like greeting card software that lets you pick and choose every element of the creative process and then you just print the result. But what this software does do is challenge you to not forget, and to properly develop, those key ingredients and components in any story that make the difference between one that other people like to see or read or one that gets ho-hum responses. Just learning the importance of having an Impact Character is enough to turn a mediocre story into a much better one. When you analyze successful and unsuccessful books or movies, more than half the time the difference can be traced to the development, or lack of development, of one or more Impact Characters. Dramatica Pro forces you to pay attention to through-lines, problem creation and resolution, and every element that could possibly be part of a story. But this software does require patience and the personal desire to get things properly organized. If you lack patience, then don't buy this software. If you don't like the fact that almost all successful stories have predictable elements, then you will not like this software because it will lead you down a path that you probably don't want to follow. If you have no tolerance for a jargon learning curve, then don't buy it. And if you are looking for a muse to stimulate your creative juices, then you shouldn't even be looking at any computer software - go find a pen pal. In my opinion, Dramatica Pro does what it says it can do and I really like the way it does it.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dramatic Pro: A Superb Writing Coach, March 14, 2009

By 

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

This review is from: Write Brothers Dramatica Pro Win/Mac (CD-ROM)

Most authors employ both a creative and an analytical process in structuring a final story--one to write with and one to edit with. Dramatica Pro is the perfect tool to guide you through both processes. Be aware, however, that the program makes you work. Hard. When used correctly, Dramatica pushes you into forming characters with depth; you'll never hear a reader say "he/she would never do or say that." Dramatica forces you to focus on developing a story rich with plot tension and thematic development; there will be no "holes" to trip you up. Dramatica's main desktop is the gateway for all story-building. Take the time to explore each tile and the wealth of information at your fingertips. Start with the query system and answer each question. You'll be surprised at how much you don't know about the story in your mind when you begin and how much you do know when you're finished. If, like me, you are a "seat of the pants" writer, don't pass on this superb advisor assuming you don't need it. Write your story, input the information into the appropriate tiles and find out how much you've missed that would make your story much, much stronger.

Caveat: if you are looking for a program that will write your story for you, this is not it. If you're looking for a program that will correct poor prose, poor spelling, bad dialogue, point of view errors, etc--this is not the program for you. If you want a writing partner that will nag you into producing a strong plot structure, a well developed theme, and a rock solid foundation, then Dramatica is your choice.

The program is not easy, but it is "user friendly." If you spend some time understanding the terminology and the plethora of tools available to keep you focused on the story you want to tell, Dramatica Pro will repay you with stories others will want to read/watch.

28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Expensive but Helps With Plotting, September 21, 2007

By 

Bea Shalla "Abenteurerin" (Bamberg, Germany) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Write Brothers Dramatica Pro Win/Mac (CD-ROM)

This has helped me organize the scenes in my novel.

It's helped me decide which characters I needed to develop my story better.

You not only need a Protagonist, you need (of course) an Antagonist (the Main character, the Impact character) and a Consider Character, Reconsider, Logic, Conscience, etc.

It also makes sense that a good novel has more than one thoroughline, more than one areas of conflict.

I'd give this 5 stars for me, but for others, it may be too bothersome to figure out how it works. I had to read about 500 pages on how to use it, why certain characters are essential, what thoroughlines will work with what, etc. and I still don't feel I know how to use everything this program offers.

I see that there's a book on Amazon, Dramatica: A New Theory of Story (Paperback), that may explain more of how to use this software. You may instead like to write your novel and use books like the Plot Doctor or Scene and Structure and others.

Good luck!