Using computer software to plot your stories . . .

[Monazwx]

Not an erotic story but, I'm contemplating doing nanowrimo and in an attempt to get a plot worked out for that I have spent last night and today playing with note cards (well, flowchart software but same ides) and Dramatica.

This thread is a spin-off from the 'How do you plot your stories' thread. I'm wondering how many people find software helpful in their story writing? What software do you use and what value it adds to the quality of your work?

(same goes for characterization development software as well)

 

[sunandshadow]

Let me preface this by saying that all of the following are intended for novels and/or screenplays, it would be overkill to try to use them on short stories. And none of them are specifically intended for erotica or even romance. I myself do not really use any of these, I just play with them. This is partly because I write multi-protagonist, sometimes no-antagonist, stuff, and partly because I have a lot more fun playing with story ideas than actually writing anything.


Software:
Dramatica
Anthemion Writer's Cafe (includes Storylines, or available separately)
MyNovel
NewNovelist (hero's journey based)
StoryCraft (hero's journey based)
StoryBase (this one is a brainstormer only)
Writers' Blocks (I think this is only organizational, not brainstorming or theory)

There are also non-software systems which use worksheets instead:
The Marshall Plan
Book In A Month
First Draft In 30 Days

And then there are more freeform plotting techniques:
Freytag's Pyramid and Act Structure Theory (1 act-12 act variations)
4-Act Story Diamond (hero's journey based)
Fortunately-Unfortunately
Holly Lisle's Notecard Method
Wind Chime Notecard Method
The Snowflake Method
The Writer's Journey (Hero's Journey) (also known as 12-step,
12-Chapter Mystery Formula
Gary Provost Paragraph
20 Master Plots (book)
Vector Theory of Plot (aka thematic argument)
The Can't Find It In A Bookstore method (RWA endorsed, I believe)
The Steal That Plot method (also known as Analyze&Emulate) (this is a book but the idea's so simple the book doesn't really add anything)
Tarot and Zodiac/Horoscope methods

 

[Monazwx]

These are all great. Thanks so much. What's "Hero's journey"?
Also, are there any of these for characterization-development?

 

[sunandshadow]

Wow, is it even possible to read a how-to-write book these days without tripping over the hero's journey? The hero's journey plot template and set or character archetypes comes from people doing research on myths and folktales from cultures around the world. The main people who contributed something to this theory are Vladimir Propp, Joseph Campbell, Carl Jung, and Christopher Vogler. Here's the wikipedia page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monomyth

The most typical hero's journey story is the one where a farmboy (or last male of a special lineage) is orphaned, goes on a long set of adventures over which he becomes a warrior or gains magic powers or helpful items, becomes famous, is taught and tested by mentor figures, probably marries a princess and becomes a prince or king, sometimes a demigod, and often dies in a self-sacrificial way to save the world or give some great blessing or discovery to the world; if he doesn't die he founds a dynasty and/or a country or in one case I saw a university substituted.


Many of the things I listed are partially for character development, but I myself don't generally use those parts because character development comes more naturally to me than plot. So, I'm not as familiar with those parts. Are you looking for a piece of software or worksheet/brainstorming exercise to help you with something specific?

 

[phelon]

most the software is way overboard for stories here..
though if your running multiple parts.. it can help you organize the facts your using in the stories and about the characters..

some of the brainstorming stuff is ok though you can probably do almost as good with word and making your own outline...

back when i toyed with writing that was what i used.. it was a much more time efficient tool for the shorts

 

[AoNoDoY]

Wow, is it even possible to read a how-to-write book these days without tripping over the hero's journey?

Well, yes, yes it is possible. I've looked at a few how-to-write books and had never heard of hero's journey either. But now that you described it, I can certainly remember having read a few hero's journey stories.

Let me preface this by saying that all of the following are intended for novels and/or screenplays, it would be overkill to try to use them on short stories.

Thanks for posting the list, SAS. I've been interested in writing what I think of as set-pieces lately; these resources should come in handy. I am going to ignore your advice, though, and try to glean something for short stories. We'll see what happens.

As for software, I never even knew there was software for writing. My knee-jerk reaction was to think of using software as a laughable bastardization of the act of writing, but the more I think of set pieces, the more I become interested in how technology might be employed to....

Techno music interests me because it's artificial but still moves people. I would be interested, Monaz, to hear if you've used some of the software yet. How did it go? What does it do?

Software does raise some scary notions of artificially created entertainments in the future, I'd really prefer not read stories written by computers, for instance. Would it be like elevator music? That's funny, too, because I've played around with "atmospheric" writing, like writing that's not really meant to be "read", just sort of glanced over for effect, like mediocre art hanging on the wall of a mediocre hotel. Or Coldplay. Or Thomas Kincaid... Mood lit instead of mood music?

Plenty of people, myself included sometimes, labor under the notion that writing needs to come from within and needs to be born from a deep well of emotion and the writer's path needs to be stumbled around on for a long time.... I wrote catalog blurbs for awhile and found out I liked having a set form upon which to express the ol' creativity.... I shall try these things....

 

[sunandshadow]

AoNoDoY - none of these softwares actually generate fiction. (There is software that generates music, and art, but experiments into software to generate music have generally produced incoherent babble or madlibs.) What these softwares do is either provide a plot structure and a series of prompts to help the writer brainstorm what should go at each step of the plot structure, or some are more of an organization-helper like digital notecards, or some are brainstorming without the plot structure, and some also include character development help. Dramatica is the biggest and most complicated of the softwares, it has an accompanying theory book. It gives you a large set of multiple choice questions, then based on the first few you find easiest to answer it answers some of the other ones for you, resulting in a 'storyform'. Then there's a second layer of brainstorming/development questions customized based on this storyform. I think the third layer on top of that leads you through actually writing scenes based on what you yourself wrote in the second level. It also provides a plot diagram, and automatically-generated reports describing the storyform you have chosen from several different angles.

 

[AoNoDoY]

Yes, I see, thanks SAS. I wonder if there are some dramatica-influenced works on lit? I wonder if there are any selling right now?

 

[sunandshadow]

I wouldn't have any idea about ones on lit, but the Dramatica website has a list of movies and novels where the author said they used Dramatica.

 

[Monazwx]

Wow, is it even possible to read a how-to-write book these days without tripping over the hero's journey?

Don't know how I never heard of this, but thanks again! (guess I have to read more How-To books).

Many of the things I listed are partially for character development, but I myself don't generally use those parts because character development comes more naturally to me than plot. So, I'm not as familiar with those parts. Are you looking for a piece of software or worksheet/brainstorming exercise to help you with something specific?

Yeah, I have the plot in my mind already, but I'm having trouble developing the characters fully, (physically and emotionally). I have sub-plot(s) as well, and they're conflicting with the primary plot in terms of motivation of the characters. I'm looking into this Dramatica thing.

 

[Monazwx]

most the software is way overboard for stories here.. though if your running multiple parts.. it can help you organize the facts your using in the stories and about the characters..

some of the brainstorming stuff is ok though you can probably do almost as good with word and making your own outline ... back when i toyed with writing that was what i used.. it was a much more time efficient tool for the shorts

Stories for here are usually pretty cut and dry. I hardly ever even write the plot on paper, and just write it from scratch on MS Word. However, I'm attempting a longer piece, and need a little tech assistance.

 

[Monazwx]

As for software, I never even knew there was software for writing. My knee-jerk reaction was to think of using software as a laughable bastardization of the act of writing, but the more I think of set pieces, the more I become interested in how technology might be employed to........

Until I started doing some research on NanoWriMo, I wasn't interested in anything technological in terms of writing either. I knew that there were machines, such as the Alphasmart, etc., but not software per se. But writers digest is opening my eyes.

Plenty of people, myself included sometimes, labor under the notion that writing needs to come from within and needs to be born from a deep well of emotion and the writer's path needs to be stumbled around on for a long time.... I wrote catalog blurbs for awhile and found out I liked having a set form upon which to express the ol' creativity.... I shall try these things....

Trust me, if the writer doesn't have the skills, I doubt that any software on earth can create the bestseller for them. I've only used Writer's Cafe so far (very infrequently), but from the limited experience that I've had with it, I like it. I was interested in the Storylines feature, because I get to arrange, (and re-arrange), certain aspects of the story outlines. So far, it's going really well, but I guess I'll really know at the end, or rather the beginning , when I begin to edit. Best of luck with the writing!

 

[silvastormcloud]

really interesting thread guys i think that mapping out a good story line is often a challenge

 

[XXplorher]

I'm wondering how many people find software helpful in their story writing? What software do you use and what value it adds to the quality of your work?

Using it to PLOT your stories? For real? Is that for real? Like, you punch in an idea and it tells you where to go? Does that really exist?

Cuz if it does? That shit needs to burn!!


"Adds to the 'quality' of your work".


Software won't do that. How the hell could it? And if it could, how could you possibly be okay with that? (Spellcheck is one thing - I'd be lost w/out it - but you specifically said 'plot'. WTF, woman?)

Set it asunder. Set yourself free!!

 

[sunandshadow]

Do you believe fiction theory books or lectures by English professors can't improve anyone's writing either? Because those are the two main sources of the material in this software.