Dramatica Pro

Okay, the first thing you need to know about Dramatica Pro is that it is only for the serious writer, the one who is determined to be the best writer he/she can be and is willing to put the effort into becoming that writer. You need to be determiend because not only is it expensive ($179.95) but the producers make no bones about it - there is a serious learning curve. Thing is, it's not just about learning the software, it's about learning, at a very deep level, the structure of story.

Unlike Storyweaver, which focuses on the creative process, boosting your inspiration and guiding it to add depth, detail and passion to your story, Dramatica Pro is all about story structure. You can use either, or both.

One challenge that people find with this is that there is a whole new terminology to learn too. So what we think of as the antagonist is called the 'impact character' for example.

Check out Dramatic Pro here

I also need to say straight out that I have not used this myself, to any extent. I did download the demo, but was not in a position to perservere with the learning curve at the time. (Having said that, I fully intend to purchase it and devote the time to learning it as soon as I possibly can, as I am very excited about the possibilities.)

So what I am sharing with you here is others' experiences and the producers' input. This is the only software on this site that I have not tried for myself, and for a good while I did not include it. on the site. But it is so integral that I realised I was doing you a disservice by excluding it.

I will share with you the various pieces of information I have found and you can make up your own mind, or test it yourself.

The producers say of it:

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.

Find out about Dramatica Pro here

And here's a very comprehensive review I found on Amazon. You will see that even though the writer really liked Dramatica Pro, he was very clear to say that it takes a lot of learning and not to buy it if you don't have the patience for it.

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.

Here is the:

Dramatica Pro Home Screen

DramaticaPro

You'll see how comprehensive it is. You have your home page which is the 'Start Here' button, and a much-needed 'Help' button. 'Open Story' is just an 'Open File' button.

And then you get into the fun bit. You have a 'Characters' button to help you design comprehensive, archetypal-but-yet-real characters, and a 'Plot Progression' button to, well, help you track your plot!

'Theme Browser' as you'd expect, helps you form and create your theme. Theme is a big element of the Dramatica principle and your theme will be neatly and tightly woven throughout your story.

The 'Query System' seems to be also called the 'Exposition Map' - knowing what information you've shared when. It's essential for writers to be in charge of this, giving the right information in the right place ... and this should help you do that.

The 'Story Engine' is harder to explain (see the image below), but it's to do with the deep bowels of your story, to make sure that the elements of Dramatica's story-telling are there.

'Story Points' gives you the list (well, you give it the list first!) of the main story points from which you can develop your story. I like this option as when I think of a story I know about five or six high points and it's about filling in the gaps from there.

The 'Reports' button gives you a summary and overview of the various elements, and 'Brainstorming' is self-explanatory too.

Dramatica Pro Story Engine

As I say, Dramatica Pro is complex and it's got a steep learning curve, but if you are interested in checking it out there is a demo version, and also there is a full 90-day money-back guarantee so you can try it out with no risk.

Find out about Dramatica Pro here

Return from Dramatica Pro to Home