Write Brothers Dramatica Pro 4 (Win/Mac)

Getting started in Dramatica Pro as a beginning user is intuitive and easy. In the StoryGuide segment, there are three levels of story forming, and we tried out the most advanced (which is estimated to take three to four days of work). Dramatica Pro comes with 32,768 potential "storyforms," all of which incorporate structural, thematic, and dynamic elements of your story. After answering about a dozen of the multiple-choice Dramatica Query System questions, we were able to decide on one storyform. For those that choose not to pursue the multiple-choice route, there is also the Story Engine, which allows for a more holistic and freeform method of sketching out your basic story.

One thing you'll notice right off is the unique language of Dramatica Pro. While many terms--motivation, pursuit, antagonist--will be familiar to most writers, there are a number of terms that are used in specific relation to Dramatica Pro's capabilities. Fortunately, at each stage of the story-creation process, there are a number of help buttons (such as Explain, Theory, Usage, and Context) that provide further definition of terms and their usage. And after a few sessions, we found ourselves thinking about "signposts," "journeys," the four "throughlines," and other features that bring a story into focus.

Dramatica Pro's main desktop is the portal for all story-building activity. Its 12 tiles present users with options for developing just about every aspect, from character creation and polishing, to plot-progression charts and reports on your progress and story. Because Dramatica Pro does not try to be a word processing application, every nook and cranny is filled with developmental prowess to help hone your skills while discovering your story.

One aspect of the application that we appreciated was the opportunity for writer growth. After becoming familiar with the application's interface, we were able to use Dramatica Pro's Story Engine and Story Points to access our story's "master controls" without all the exposition and explanation. Also, Dramatica Pro offers a Brainstorming command that allows the program to intelligently tweak your storyform into something new should you experience writer's block.

Overall, Dramatica Pro is a great resource for writers. By enabling you to focus more on your stories and less on the mechanics of storytelling, you'll feel empowered to try new things and explore your creativity. --Emilie Dirks

Amazon.com Product Description
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.

I would expect a software application of this price to be totally interactive. For example, it has a brainstorming feature to create new characters. Great! It should tell you how to complicate your plot by adding new characters, right? Maybe it will suggest that you change your love story between two people into a love triangle! But no. The "add a character" feature does nothing except ask you the sex of your new character and assign him/her a goofy name. (Banquo or Zues or Iccabod) It also has a feature where you can select a picture of your character from a big selection of mug shots. This would be sort of fun, except the pictures are so small and the resolution so bad that it is almost painful and not worth the effort.

There is also a "spin the plot" feature which would presumably offer plot twists that you had not considered. However, all this does is reshuffle the elements of the story (Instead of a happy ending, make it a sad ending). Well, duh.

And there is nothing about motivation, the most important part of any novel. At every level, the application should ask, "Why does So-and-So do that"? Dramatica Pro takes everything at face value.

Perhaps the level of interaction I want is beyond the current technology available. Dramatic Pro is not useless, but for $250 I certainly was expecting a lot more.


Dramatica Pro V4   March 3, 2001
Mark C. Ploskunak
68 out of 74 found this review helpful

This a well structured and thought-out piece of software that DOES NOT WRITE THE STORY FOR YOU! Ironically, although based in many ways upon Aristotle's 'Poetics', it brings unique slants and methods to character building, including building deep psychological profiles, a organized story line and focus on the story's intent. When used with maximum features one is forced to examine the role and purpose of "every" character in the proposed story. Have some loose ideas? Answer a series of questions and a preliminary structure is provided. But there is no requirement to follow it slavishly, it is an aid to creativity, not a substitute. There is no doubt that it is a complex piece of software that trys to introduce new ways of stoy telling and answer the primary question that should be in any writer's mind, what is this story about? What "argument" is being presented and how is that argument resolved? I have learned more about writing in learning to use this software than I have in the last 20 years. In addition their website offers a plethora of insight, options and even has the original book behind the concept online and downloadable. This is NOT software for people who are not serious about their writing. what literature means in today's society, and requires a substantial amount of work to learn and use properly. It integrates with Screenwriter 2000 and Storyview very well, as well as a number of other common story writing and formatting programs. In short, this a product that requies thinking, a serious approach to writing and the willingness to spend time using it and learning a new method of story craftsmenship. I own hundreds of software programs, and this is among those that was worth every bloody cent. But one must always remember, writing is hard work and this software, nor any other software program will NOT do that WORK for you. To expect that by just filling in some templates and characterization forms and then have a "Story" written and ready to go is absolute nonsense. If you're serious about writing, try their demo. I highly recommend this product, but it suited me very well and bought several of their other products. BUT, try the demo, it may not be your cup of tea, or maybe like me you'll become so stimulated by it's thought provoking proceses that I wouldn't write a 3 character, one act play without using it. This is a well thought out and serious system, and has to be approached with that in mind, or in fact it might appear to a waste - but personally, I think that's the "writer's" fault. Not the program.


Creative writing partner   January 22, 2005
JHS (NC , USA)
54 out of 57 found this review helpful

Well, that's what this is, according to the box it comes in.

What it is not:
... a guaranteed magic wand that will grant you good literature.
... simple for everyone to use.
... a solution to the creatively challenged.
... inexpensive
... a complete waste of your money.

What it is:
... A partner, a tool, that supplements the writer's existing skills.
... not impossible to learn within a reasonable period.
... one solution to the problem of poor organizational skills.
... another way to get the juices flowing.
... arguably the best in its field.
... worth the cost if you are serious about improving as a writer.

Don't be swayed by those who say this software is difficult to use, and don't be swayed by those who say it's not. I feel that, for those who are able to use most softwares intuitively, it isn't particularly difficult. Although it isn't perfect, there are very few - if any - softwares that are. It all depends upon you. And in Dramatica's case, once you get past that hurdle it very quickly becomes a breeze to use.

No, I don't feel that it supplants my creativity. But that's more likely because I don't allow it to.

As for writer's block, there are established ways of getting over that, and - for me - they do not include the use of a computer.
The main problem I have is lack of persistence of focus. And, as a cure for that, it's excellent.

What has it done for me?
It's given me a much greater focus on and control over the mechanics of ordering my thoughts. Sure, I could use index cards, but they're very unwieldy. As a replacement for them, Dramatica has been more of a boon than a relational database has ever been. All the benefits without the programming.

There are different ways of using Dramatica. I've already got a good idea about my characters and how the plot progresses before I begin. Most often, I use character building and the many different reports to complement.
The various input options, such as character building, are very helpful for noting down important elements and ensuring the continuity of them.
I rarely use the brainstorming option, but it's there if I am well and truly mired in a loop.

To sum up: horses for riders, not so much for courses.
Don't be swayed by negative or positive reviews. Use the trial version as long as you can, make sure you use it as a partner, a tool, and not the universal panacea, and you'll find out if it is right for you.

If you think it is, and decide to spend your hard earned money on it, then be prepared to work harder on your writing than you have, perhaps, before. If it only does that, I think you'll consider it money well spent.


elaborate, for sure   October 21, 2002
chris romano (Topanga, CA USA)
50 out of 52 found this review helpful

As a new user, DRAMATICA PRO 4 feels like an elaborate system of thinking created to help you, the writer, better structure your story. Keep in mind, you must have an idea for a story beforehand, as DRAMATICA will force you to think about it in more ways than you thought possible or necessary. It's a good thing...with sweat trickling down your forehead as you scramble to answer the many, MANY questions regarding your project...you're unknowingly rounding out your story in ways you probably normally wouldn't.

I spent about two days trying to enter all the descriptions it was pressing for and I still hadn't completed the entire process. In the end, I actually abandoned the DRAMATICA system and just wrote the darned story from scratch...but I think that was only possible, really, because I had thought about all the angles to my story through the DRAMATICA PRO system.

I was disappointed at the fact that DRAMATICA PRO is "old" software, circa 2000 (when the registration asks for "what year" you purchased it, "2001" is the latest year possible), and there's no Mac OS X support. It does run in Classic mode, however.

It seems like it could be a very valuable tool, but it demands a healthy investment both in your time and in your understanding of its theory. I would only recommend the monetary investment if you're committed to the mental one.