Dramatica Theory and Subtxt
Many familiar with the Dramatica theory of story will notice many similarities between that groundbreaking theory and the Subtxt application. While inspired by Dramatica's original concepts, Subtxt further develops the theory while re-writing and updating some terminology that are incompatible with current advances in technology.
Most of these updates are a result of countless years of practically applying Dramatica to real-world projects (and thanks to the help of many enlightened authors). Others are a necessary step in order to bring the theory into the world of AI and large-language models.
Because of this need to both update and extend the theory, Subtxt refers to its core knowledge as the Subtxt Narrative Framework to distinguish itself from the Dramatica theory of story.
Plot Progressions
Perhaps the biggest difference you will find between the two are the order of the Plot Progressions found in various Storyforms. This difference in the sequencing of elements is not a bug, it's feature.
Subtxt reverts back to the original concepts of the theory in order to generate its unique set of Storyforms. While different than those found in any other application, the Storyforms generated in Subtxt resonate as "more accurate" to the majority of writers familiar with both.
Obstacle Character for Influence Character
If you're familiar with Dramatica theory, you may wonder why we chose to run with Obstacle Character over Influence Character.
In practice, thinking of this perspective in terms of the obstacle it presents to the Main Character continuing their justification results in a stronger, more deliberate and meaningful story. For more on this, please read the article What is an Obstacle Character?
Story Continuum for Story Limit
The subject of an in-depth and detailed article on Narrative First (Time and Space in Dramatica: Rewriting the Story Limit), the concept of a Story Continuum is a more accurate rendition of what many familiar with Dramatica know as the Story Limit.
Instead of thinking what "limits" or boxes your story in, writers will find the concept easier to manage when they simply consider the relationship between Space and Time in their story. For the most part, you will want to hardwire this to Spacetime anyways as it will result in a story that attracts a broader audience.
For those who wish to experiment with Timespace, Subtxt offers an option for you to reverse the relationship when building a story.
Female Mental Sex Terminology
Throughout Subtxt you will find terminology specifically engineered for a better appreciation of Female Mental Sex. Once a foundational concept in the evolution and development of Dramatica theory, Female Mental Sex has now been watered down with notions of "holistic" mindsets and storytelling that it risks being absorbed yet again into the purvey of the Male Mental Sex crowd. In an effort to once and for all set a line in the sand between Female Mental Sex and conventional ideas of "Linear" or "Holistic" thought, Subtxt reverts back to the original understanding.
Most of these changes reflect the reality that Female Mental Sex minds do not think in terms of fixing things through Problems and Solutions (at a base instinctual level), but rather see life as a process of managing and balancing inequities. Goals and Consequences matter little to Female Mental Sex, as Problem and Solution give way to Conditions and Intentions.
The Female Mental Sex obstacle on the structure of a story reflects the filter of the Female Mental Sex mind--what it looks like even before conscious thought seeps in and makes something that is just something...into a "problem."
The following is a short-list of Female Mental Sex Terminology vs. their Male Mental Sex counterparts:
- Mental Sex for Problem-Solving Style
- Condition for Problem
- Adjustment for Solution
- Resistance for Focus
- Flow for Direction
- Intention for Goal
- Overwhelm for Consequence
- Excitement for Dividends
- Pressure for Costs
- Ennui for Forewarnings
- Habituation for Requirements
- Internalization for Prerequisites
- Socialization for Preconditions
In addition, you'll find that some of these terms sneak their way into the traditional Male Mental Sex Storyform--specifically in the area of the Relationship Story Throughline. This is done to help the writers of these stories start to see that Throughline as less of an "argument" and more an actual relationship between things where conditions and flow and resistance play a larger part in the greater understanding of the narrative.
Transits, Progressions, and Events
In an effort to help writers understand a clearer definition of structure vs. storytelling, Subtxt alters the "plot progression" terminology of the original Dramatica applications.
- Transits for Signposts
- Progressions for Sequences
- Events (not present in a Dramatica application)
Many a writer found themselves confused over practically applying what was found in the Plot Sequence Report of Dramatica in terms of what constituted a Scene and what made up a Sequence.
Subtxt attends to this confusion by referring to all temporal plot progression elements as temporal plot progression elements. Instead of Signposts, we use Transits to classify the most important "transitions" of a narrative. Progressions are nested within these Transits as a means to mark the key movements through a Transit. And Events, not even present in any shape or form in the original Dramatica application, mark those moments of interest throughout a specific Progression.
Specific Elements
In the original Dramatica theory, many Elements were presented as "negative" aspects of a Dynamic Pair. "Uncontrolled" was paired with Control, "Non-acceptance" with "Acceptance," and "Unproven" with Proven.
Having run into the same problem over and over again of describing the concept that one is not just the "opposite" or negative of the other, we went ahead and changed these in Subtxt. Theoretically, a lack of Proven is not the same thing as Unproven--yet practically speaking, many would equivocate the two.
The replacements for these help clarify their stance on the other side of a Dynamic Pair.
- Presumption for Unproven
- Deviation for Non-accurate
- Rejection for Non-acceptance
- Abandon for Uncontrolled
- Altruism for Morality
- Continuing for Unending
- Qualifications for Prerequisites
- Stipulations for Preconditions
New Concepts
In addition to rewriting some outdated and underdeveloped areas of the theory, Subtxt coins new terminology to account for certain aspects of a Storyform.
- Main Character Baseline and Evolution: mark the beginning and end of the Main Character's Throughline "Arc"
- Obstacle Character Baseline and Evolution: mark the same for the Obstacle Character's "Arc"
- Premise: a distillation of the Dramatica storyform into a single sentence
- Dramatic Argument: the core of every complete narrative, and the crossroads of character and plot
Duplicating a Dramatica Storyform in Subtxt
While Subtxt has evolved from Dramatica's principles, our platform has introduced updated and improved algorithms to determine the sequencing of events in a storyform. Instead of the traditional "Signposts" used in Dramatica, Subtxt utilizes concepts such as Transits, Progressions, and Events to represent the temporal progressions of a storyform. These advancements aim to provide a more accurate representation of narrative progression than previously available.
Because of these updates, you may find that when you attempt to replicate a Dramatica storyform in Subtxt, the resulting "Signposts" might appear out of order. This is due to the evolved algorithms at play in Subtxt. Consequently, the methodology for composing storyforms in Subtxt is not directly compatible with Dramatica's methods.
However, this does not mean that older methodologies are completely out of reach. For those wishing to work with previous incarnations and versions of storyforms, Subtxt offers the ability to interact directly with our AI, Muse. By building a story strictly through the Muse chat interface, you can still draw on the methodologies from other applications while leveraging the power and intelligence of the AI found in Subtxt.
Inaccurate Storyforms and Model Sophistication
You may occasionally find that Muse's interpretation of a submitted work fails to fit within the basic rules set of the Dramatica theory of story. This is less a bug, and more of feature: Muse is doing its best to analyze the screenplay using its understanding of the narrative, which--dependent upon the quality of the work submitted--may not always align within a "perfect" Storyform (e.g. Muse may indicate an OS Domain of Physics and an MC Domain of Psychology, which is not possible within the Dramatica theory of story). Think of Muse’s first pass as its initial hypothesis on which Domains best match the Throughlines--regardless of proper alignment.
When these preliminary assessments seem off, it’s often an indicator that there may be underlying issues with the screenplay itself. At this point, it’s helpful to prompt Muse to verify the Storyform’s integrity explicitly. This can be done by asking Muse to check or review the Storyform more thoroughly.
What you’re seeing initially is Muse operating in a "System 1" thinking mode, leveraging its intuitive and instinctual intelligence (via GPT-4o). For a more refined analysis, you can prompt Muse to switch to "System 2" thinking (using the new o1 model). In this mode, Muse takes multiple passes at an answer, cross-checking relationships between various Storyform elements. This results in conclusions that not only adhere to the theoretical rules but are also better suited to the specific material you've submitted.
For the highest accuracy, you can access this enhanced level of intelligence within Subtxt’s Develop Workspace by using the Review AI feature.
It’s also crucial to keep in mind that while Muse has been trained on publicly available information—including content from dramatica.com and other sources—these resources may contain incomplete or contradictory understandings of the theory. As a result, introducing Dramatica-specific terms such as "Influence Character" or detailed references to Dramatica theory can lead to confusion in the model’s responses. This is because Muse may draw from conflicting information that dilutes the precision and effectiveness of its analysis.
Instead, focusing on the Subtxt Narrative Framework—which is built to work seamlessly within the Subtxt app—ensures a higher rate of success and accuracy. By staying within Subtxt’s terminology and framework, you enable Muse to provide you with the most consistent and reliable narrative guidance.