(ONWARD)

I know. You don't read forewords. You always skip them.

I understand.

Just don't skip this one.

Looking at story in a new way is like

falling into a fast river of cold water

with all your clothing on: it's a big shock.

Dramatica is a theory, a paradigm, a model, a philosophy of story. It's got a different perspective on many of the ideas you may have already learned in books and classes on writing, or from the raw experience of writing.

At first, you struggle,

intensely aware of your situation.

Will you get whisked away?

Smash head first into a rock?

It takes some time to get used to Dramatica's unique perspective, novel terminology, and dramatic concepts that predict relationships between character, theme, plot and genre.

Kick off your shoes,

shed some of your excess clothing.

You can always get dressed later on.

Right now, you need to get accustomed

to your new environment.

What is story? What are the underlying principles? The beginning of this book introduces concepts about story that will amaze many, surprise others and confuse the rest (this is normal!).

Shooting the rapids,

quite unsure if you're going to make it,

you dodge a few nasty-looking boulders.

Whew!

Domains. Throughlines. Perspectives. Objective and Subjective characters. Dynamic pairs. Contagonists. Signposts and Journeys. Where did all this stuff come from?

A low branch, conveniently hanging over the water.

You reach for it as you get whisked

over the thundering waterfall,

sailing through thin air into...

Storyforming. Story Encoding. Story Weaving. Story Reception. As you move through these Four Stages of Communication, things begin to look more familiar.

...a nice, calm, shallow pool of water.

You're alive!

Heck, the water's not cold -- it's refreshing.

You might even want to stay in for a while...

You begin to see how Dramatica can be used to accurately describe story problems, fix faulty structure, and improve storytelling. Wow!

...As you paddle toward the shore,

you notice a group of familiar faces

applauding you: friends,

fellow writers, your agent.

The journey to learn more about the mysterious art and craft of creating stories is always worth the effort. As you approach the end of the book, much of what you've read will come together. After the final page turns, I hope Dramatica will occupy a unique place in your heart and mind when considering this thing we call “story."

Your best friend extends a hand

to hoist you out of the water.

You're buck ass naked, but who cares?

You just had an adventure.

Stephen Greenfield

President, Write Brothers, Inc.

Chief Software Architect, Dramatica