Eight Story Questions

Dramatica’s deep-probing query system asks you essential questions about your story, all of which will help you develop a richer narrative, more complex characters, and a tightly-knit story structure.

When you’ve answered them-and narrowed the possible ways of telling your story down to the one that best expresses your personal vision-Dramatica supplies some answers of its own. It can tell you which parts of your story are strong and predict which areas need punching up.

Ask yourself these 8 plot and character questions about one of your stories. Do the answers easily come to mind? If not, your story may have untapped potential…

Does your Main Character…

…change his way of dealing with the problem at the heart of the story, like Rick and his noninvolvement in Casablanca—or remain steadfast, like the innocent Dr. Richard Kimble in The Fugitive?

…grow by acquiring a quality, as Rick Deckard gains an emotional life in Blade Runner—or losing a quality, as Charlie Babbitt must do with his selfishness in Rain Man?

…work out her problems internally, like Rachel Lapp in Witness—or externally, like Clarice Starling in The Silence Of The Lambs?

…focus in on the linear sequence of steps needed to solve a problem, like Dana Scully in The X-Files—or keep the bigger picture in mind, like Pike Bishop in The Wild Bunch?

…resolve his personal problems like Charles in Four Weddings and A Funeral—or not, like T.E. Lawrence in Lawrence of Arabia?

Is your Plot…

…driven by decisions, like When Harry Met Sally—or actions, like Unforgiven?

…brought to a climax by running out of time, like Charlotte’s Web—or options, like Othello?

…a success in terms of the characters achieving the story goal, like the Scottish freedom fighters in Braveheart—or a failure like the witch finders in The Crucible?

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