Key Concepts

Building a story with Dramatica is unlike any other experience. The platform pioneers Objective Narrative Structure so you can craft stories with precision, clarity, and purpose instead of leaving interpretation to chance.

What Is Objective Narrative Structure?

Objective narrative structure is the architecture of your story viewed from outside the action. It treats the narrative as a system of interconnected elements--characters, themes, plot points, and storybeats--that work together to drive meaning. Each component only gains significance in relation to the others, and the observer (you, the author) sits outside the system to evaluate how well the argument holds together.

We believe strong structure makes stories more meaningful and consistent. By focusing on the objective underpinnings, you build narratives that resonate universally--transcending personal bias or fleeting trends.

Why Choose the Objective Approach?

• Consistency: Keeps the story's core argument clear no matter who reads it.
• Depth: Reveals layers of meaning through deliberate interaction of structural elements.
• Impact: Produces stories that deliver emotional and intellectual weight across audiences.

How Dramatica Empowers You

Dramatica supplies tools, guidance, and context so you can analyze and build stories using objective structure. From calibrating character arcs to weaving thematic arguments, the platform supports every stage of the structural journey.

Made for Authors

Dramatica is built for authors, not characters. When you see a Story Goal, remember it reflects your intention--characters may or may not be aware of it. In The Descendants, the Story Goal is Conceiving (Matt King realizing he should preserve his family's legacy). Matt might not consciously recognize that goal, but the author does. Think like an analyst or an engaged reader so you maintain an objective viewpoint free from the subjective bias of character-centric frameworks like the Hero's Journey or Save the Cat.

Subject Matter Is Not Conflict

Subject matter (love, heartbreak, caste systems, war) is fertile ground, but it is not conflict. Conflict lives underneath--within the tensions that drive the story. Heartbreak is the result of conflict, not the cause. A caste system can avoid conflict unless you probe the friction between control and freedom.

Always ask: what is the underlying source of conflict? That answer moves you from surface-level subject matter to a compelling story.

Identifying a Source of Conflict

Treat Narrative Functions as engines of conflict. In A Christmas Carol, Scrooge's Main Character Throughline lives in the Mind Domain. Illustrating it as "having a bad attitude" is insufficient; you must show how that attitude creates conflict. Use the removal test: if you take away the element and the problem disappears, you've identified the source.

"Why Is This a Problem?"

Every Storypoint you illustrate should explain why it causes trouble. "The adventurers want to obtain a treasure trove" is thin. Explaining why the act of obtaining the treasure causes problems for everyone turns a Mad Libs plot into a meaningful argument. Dramatica--and Narrova in particular--pulls you toward the source of conflict.

Finding the Source of Conflict

When you're unsure, ask Narrova. For example:

Narrova transcript
Author: "Everyone wants to obtain the identity of the murderer or keep their own secrets from being obtained." Why is this a problem for everyone?
Narrova: Offers angles like fear, self-preservation, justice vs safety, power dynamics, and the disruption of normalcy--all showing how Obtaining becomes a problem.
Author: "Wow! Absolutely!!"
Narrova: "Happy to help--let me know what else you need."

Pull one idea or mix several to make the story sing. Each illustrates why Obtaining causes conflict.

Going the Extra Distance

Iterate by editing your request:

Narrova transcript
Author: "I like #1, #2, and #5. Set in 1910 Paris--give me a few paragraphs."
Narrova: Delivers a tense Parisian scene showing fear, self-preservation, and disruption of normal life.
Author: "Wow! Absolutely!!"

Need a new angle?

Narrova transcript
Author: "Focus on the power dynamics idea in 1910 Paris."
Narrova: Describes how information becomes currency among nobles, merchants, and the underworld, turning Obtaining into a dangerous game.

That's one Storypoint out of dozens; repeat the process across the Storyform to refine every facet.

Narrative Functions and Illustrations

A Narrative Function is a process that shapes the story’s meaning. Each Narrative Function acts as an engine of conflict--the verb that drives tension rather than a static object. Illustrations bridge the abstract Narrative Function to your story.

• Yes examples: "Simplifying the system" for Reduction, "Suspending disbelief" for Disbelief, "Accepting one's future" for Future, "Formulating a conspiracy theory" for Theory.
• No examples: "Inequity can be right" for Inequity, "Forgetting one's criminal past" for Past, "Wanting to protect someone" for Protection. These treat Narrative Functions as nouns rather than processes.

Remember: the Storyform drives the narrative. If your storytelling shifts, update the Illustration. Narrative Functions can repeat across Throughlines--illustrate them differently to create resonant thematic echoes.

Too Much or Not Enough

Dynamic pairs (Avoid/Pursuit, Faith/Disbelief, Order/Chaos) sit on a sliding scale. Between Faith and Disbelief, you can explore "Too much Faith," "Not enough Faith," or "Too much Disbelief." These gradations reveal nuance between characters (agnostic vs atheist, for example).

Tips for Effective Illustrations

• Use starters like "Being/Not Being," "Having/Not Having," "Lacking/Not Lacking."
• Avoid starters that flatten Narrative Functions into objects ("demanding," "needing," "wanting").
• The same Narrative Function can evolve over the story--for example, Progress might begin as "life slowly declining" and later become "making steady upward progress." Both articulate Progress as conflict.

Dramatica houses an extensive Illustration library curated by experts and the community. If an Illustration doesn't fit, submit your own. Approved entries include feedback so you know why they work. Denials come with guidance on better fits. Set privacy with the padlock icon or in Preferences.

Classifying Conflict

Conflict falls into four broad classifications:

• Universe: A fixed external situation.
• Physics: An external process.
• Psychology: An internal process.
• Mind: A fixed internal state.

Each Throughline (Objective Story, Main Character, Influence Character, Relationship Story) claims one domain. Objective Story and Relationship Story must contrast just as Main Character and Influence Character do. That opposition maximizes friction.

Classifying Throughlines to Domains

Start by listing what's actually problematic. You decide the source of conflict--there's no hidden "right" answer. Consider:

• Pirates of the Caribbean: Characters chase ships, treasure, and each other. Remove the action and there's no story--so the Objective Story lives in Physics.
• The Princess Bride: The charm is in dysfunctional personalities and manipulations. Remove the psychology and the story dissolves--so the Objective Story lives in Psychology.

Use the removal test for your own work: if eliminating a factor kills the conflict, you've named the domain correctly. Repeat across Throughlines to anchor the entire Storyform.