power structure manual

B

Table oof CContents

1 Welcome tto PPower SStructure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

2 Getting SStarted . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

3 A TTour oof PPower SStructure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

4 Structure OOptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28

5 Other FFeatures aand OOptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82

6 Printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .98

7 Power SStructure QQuick SStart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105

Index .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. i- ix

© ScriptPerfection Enterprises, Inc. 1999-2000

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be transmitted, reproduced, stored inany retrieval system or translated into any language or computer language in any form orby any means, mechanical, electronic, magnetic, optical, chemical, manual, or otherwisewithout prior written consent of ScriptPerfection Enterprises.

The software described in this book is furnished under license and may be used only inaccordance with the terms of such license.

Power Structure and ScriptThing for Windows are trademarks of ScriptPerfectionEnterprises, Inc. Movie Magic is a registered trademark of Creative Planet, Inc.Screenwriter 2000 is a trademark of Screenplay Systems, Inc. All other trademarks are reg-istered trademarks of their respective holders.

Disclaimer

ScriptPerfection Enterprises makes no representation or warranties with respect to thecontents hereof and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fit-ness for any particular purpose. Power Structure� is provided �as is� without warranty ofany kind, either expressed or implied.

ScriptPerfection Enterprises shall have no liability or responsibility to you or any otherperson or entity with respect to any loss or damage caused by Power Structure� including,but not limited to, any loss of profits, interruption of service, loss of business or conse-quential damages resulting from the use of such programs.

Chapter 11�Welcome tto PPower SStructure

here are lots of computer programs out there that promise to make you a betterwriter. This isn�t one of them. There are lots of programs that promise to make it asnap for you to develop realistic characters, exciting plots and sure-fire story lines.

This isn�t one of those, either. We know better.

Everyone involved in the development of Power Structure is a published writer, ranging inform from novels to screenplays, so we�re painfully aware that there is no simple�muchless guaranteed�approach to any aspect of creative writing.

On top of this, we know that every writer has unique work habits. There are those who dis-dain planning of any kind; when such people get a vague idea for a story they plungestraight into the �real� work, trusting their instincts to lead them to a successful conclu-sion. In contrast are those writers who won�t put down a single word until they�ve plannedout every detail of plot, atmosphere, and character. Finally, of course, there are the major-ity of writers, who live somewhere in the middle�those who feel the need to create somekind of outline or guideline, however vague, before proceeding.

And let�s not forget that regardless of their creative style, writers also vary wildly in termsof how organized they are. Some label files and sort documents in a logical, systematicmanner; others scribble notes on napkins and dig them out of the dirty laundry later, if theycan find them at all.

Regardless of your approach or style, if you�re a writer, Power Structure is for you.

T

Be SSpecific

How, exactly, does Power Structure help improve the quality and/or efficiency of yourwriting?

In its narrowest sense, Power Structure is a �story development� or �outlining� program,which means it provides you with features to efficiently develop plot and character ideasbefore you begin incorporating them into your full-blown work. But that�s only the begin-ning of Power Structure. Besides providing an abundance of unique and powerful tools tomaximize your storytelling skills and painlessly improve your organization as a writer,Power Structure creates a stimulating environment in which you can explore your story andcharacter ideas.

On top of that, Power Structure offers the following benefits:

◆ Because you want to write, not struggle with learning a new program, Power Writeris both intuitive and simple to use. Start today!

◆ When those random bits of genius strike, simply jot them down in a floating, fullysearchable electronic scratch pad so you can access them again in any form, at anytime.

◆ Develop any character to the level you desire�from physical details to personal his-tory, innermost desires, or any other data you wish to enter.

◆ View your story in three Acts, Chapters, Scenes, or virtually any other structuremodel you prefer.

◆ Develop each Plot Point to the degree of detail you desire�from a single line to afull chapter or scene.

POWER STRUCTURE CAPOWER STRUCTURE CATEGORIESTEGORIESoffer numerous levels of detail. Youdecide how far to go!

1

Chapter 1�Welcome to Power Structure

2

◆ Track story conflicts and subplots, and graphically see how they develop and inter-act so you can prevent �dead spots� in your story, and ensure that everything youwant resolved gets resolved.

Above all, remember that Power Structure is designed for you. It�s amazingly flexible�youcan customize both the entire program and individual documents to suit your workingstyle and personal needs.

How tto UUse TThis MManual

You printed this manual from a PDF file. That file was, in turn, an adaptation of the orig-inal manual, a �flip-over� book designed to be set up on its own built-in stand so you canread it without taking your hands off the keyboard. That�s a feature which does not trans-late to a book you print at home. Therefore, although this version contains all the text andgraphics of the original, it�s laid out differently.

This manual was written with different kinds of users in mind. If you�re the kind who wantsto learn just enou�gh about the program to start it up and dive right in, we suggest thatafter you install Power Structure, you skip to Chapter 7, �Power Structure Quick Start,�and get your hands dirty by creating a sample Power Structure document. If you�re thekind of user who prefers to understand everything about a program before taking it on theroad, save �Power Structure Quick Start� until you�ve read and experimented with the restof the manual.

Be Specific (cont’d)

Another hint. Because Power Structure�s printing options are so varied, our chapter onprinting (Chapter 6) covers only the general aspects of printing in Power Structure. Detailsabout printing particular types of Structure documents can be found at the end of each rel-evant section.

Definitions

When it comes to the terminology of writing, we�ve discovered that people (even writers,if you can believe it!) sometimes use similar terms for different things. To avoid confusion,here are our definitions of a few terms used extensively in this manual:

Story. Refers generically to any form of fiction you might be creating: short story, novel,screen- or stage play, etc.

Structure document/file. It�s important to differentiate between the story as definedabove, and the Power Structure document you�ll build the story around. They�re related, ofcourse, but they aren�t identical any more than the blueprint of a building is the buildingitself. Therefore, the terms �Structure document� and �Structure file� will be used to referto anything you create in Power Structure, while the term �story� is reserved exclusivelyfor the tale you�re conjuring up in your head.

Conflict. As you probably know, in its largest sense the term �conflict� refers to an openclash between two opposing forces, and forms the backbone of nearly all storytelling. Butwe�ll use the term in a more specific manner. As a rule, the overall plot of a story is com-posed of numerous smaller stories, each of which has its own internal dramatic core andunique beginning, middle and end. Some of these subplots are in turn composed of stillsimpler stories. For the purposes of this manual, the minimum possible mini-story is calleda Conflict. For example: �Jack disrupts Jill�s quiet village� is a Conflict, because it suggests

The STSTORORYY “TREE”“TREE”

plot point

SUBPLOT

plot point

plot point

plot point

SUBPLOT

Conflict Conflict

Conflict

plot pointplot point

—THE STORY—

2


a series of opposing dramatic events with a beginning, middle and end. How and when thedoes the disruption occur? Why does it happen? How far does it go? How is it resolved?

Plot Point. To use a musical analogy, if a Conflict is a musical phrase, then a Plot Point isa single note. By itself a note doesn�t tell us much, but when arranged in a particularsequence with other notes, it helps create the effect we�re looking for. For example, a PlotPoint in the Conflict above might be: �Jill tries unsuccessfully to force Jack to leave.�

The SStructure oof PPower SStructure

Think of Power Structure as a toolbox�a really big toolbox, one jammed with tools so var-ied they can be used to build everything from a bookend to a space station. Some of thetools are big and hardy, designed for roughing out characters, themes, acts and overall storylines; others are smaller and more precise, for developing chapters and scenes; and finallythere are the tiny, highly specialized tools intended for picking out minute details of moti-vation, background, and purpose.

You won�t need to use every tool on every project. Power Structure gives you the freedomto not only pick and choose what you need, but to customize many of the tools to suityourself.

It�s your toolbox. Fill it with what you need, and use it as you like.

Definitions (cont’d)

YOU CAN CHANGEYOU CAN CHANGE almost any termused in Power Structure to suit yourpersonal preferences. (See Chapter 5,“Other Features and Options”).

3

Chapter 22�Getting SStarted

hen you insert the Power Structure CD into your computer, the installation programwill automatically launch itself (if for some reason it doesn�t, double-click on the CDicon in Windows Explorer, then double-click on the Setup icon), and present you

with the screen at left. Unless you have specific reasons for not doing so, we suggest youlet the program install itself in the default directory and Program Group displayed. You canalso select whether to place a shortcut icon to Power Structure on your desktop, your Startmenu, or both.

Serial NNumber

As you can see, you�re asked to type the serial number into a box on the initial Setup win-dow. Your serial number can be found on the back of this User�s Manual. We can�t stressenough that you must keep a record of this number! People lose manuals, so write it downsomewhere else as well. Tell it to your psychiatrist or your mother. Tattoo it on your fore-head. Yes, after you install Power Structure the serial number will be listed on your Helpmenu under �About��, but that won�t do you any good if your computer crashes, will it?And yes, you�ll ordinarily be registered with us automatically by the time you�ve finishedinstalling Power Structure�but still, you�ll need to give us your serial number if you seektechnical support or program updates in the future. So record this number in a safe place.You�ve been warned!

Once you�ve typed in your serial number, simply click Install. The Setup program will nowplace Power Structure on your hard drive, in the directory and with the options alreadyspecified.

WThe Power Structure INSTINSTALLAALLATIONTIONMENUMENU

A NNote oon CCopy PProtection

Yes, Power Structure is copy protected, in that we have to have some means of keepingtrack of who�s installing the program, and how often. Each user is licensed to load and runPower Structure on up to three computers at the same time, for his or her personal use only(for network installations or additional installation credits, call us at 800 450-9450). Buttake heart; in most circumstances our copy protection is virtually unnoticeable.

The process works like this: Once you�ve installed the program, it will only run if you doone of the following: A) put the original CD in the drive, or B) register.

So , Register

We�ve made this procedure as easy as possible, assuming you have Internet access. Simplymake sure you�re logged onto the Internet, then�

1. Click Register Via Internet.

2. Make sure the Power Structure CD is not in the drive, then run the program. Afterthe initial �splash screen� you�ll be presented with the registration menu.

2. Fill in the various boxes (the blue ones must be filled in; the white ones are optional).

3. Click Register installation now.

A pop-up box will inform you of your registration options. Select Register via Internet,and in a matter of seconds, you�ll be able to open Power Structure on that computer with-out using the CD as a key.

THE WISE USERTHE WISE USER registers his or herprogram. It only takes a bit of typingand a click of the mouse.

4

Chapter 2�Getting Started

What iif II ’m nnot CConnected?

If you�re one of those Luddites who eschew the Internet, you�ll have to either insert theCD as a �key disk� each time you launch Power Structure, or call us at (800) 450-9450 toregister.

Uninstall ing Power SStructure

Like we said, you�re licensed to install Power Structure on up to three computers at any onetime, for your own use. Typically, writers will install on a desktop machine, a laptop, andpossibly a computer at work (not that you�d ever dream of writing the Great AmericanNovel at the office, of course). Each of these installations will require its own validation,which will register on our database as usual.

But what happens if you�re going to sell a computer that�s got Power Structure installed onit, or you need to have an ailing hard drive wiped or replaced? Simple: Uninstall PowerStructure first. Our database will return one of your installation credits to you, so you canreinstall the program elsewhere.

To uninstall, simply click on Start, Programs, Power Structure, then on the Uninstall icon.Follow the instructions from there.

In the event that a hard drive crash or other unpredictable calamity destroys one of yourinstallations before you can uninstall, give us a call. Have your serial number ready, as wellas your tale of woe, and after a suitable amount of torture we�ll most likely help you out.

So, Register (cont’d)

Click here to uninstallPower Structure

UNINSTUNINSTALLINGALLING Power Structure isalso a snap

Running PPower SStructure

So now you�ve got Power Structure installed, and you�ve either registered it or have the CDin the drive. To start the program, simply double-click the Power Structure icon on yourdesktop, or access it from your Start menu. The Power Structure logo will construct itselfon your screen, and then you�ll see the menu of options pictured at left.

Open Last Structure file. This won�t do you any good until you�ve created and savedyour first Plan, but after that, you can select this option to immediately open that file.

Open Other Structure file. Brings up a list of the Power Structure files stored in thedefault directory, so you can choose which one you wish to open.

Start New Structure file. So you can do that.

Note the box labeled Don’t show this menu at start-up. Checking it means that in thefuture, Power Structure will open directly to the �Welcome to Power Structure� menu(which you also get any time you start a brand-new file).

If you choose the Start New Structure file option, or begin a new Structure file at any time,you�ll be shown the �Welcome� menu on the next page. This menu displays the mostcommon story formats used by fiction writers. Choose the one you want and click StartNew. If you don�t see the exact format you prefer, don�t despair. All the formats on the listcan be modified, or you can create your own unique format and save it for future use.

Below are brief descriptions of the specific differences between the default formats. For themost part these differences are matters of terminology and general layout. Again, remem-ber�anything you wish to change can be changed.

Campbell & Vogler’s Mythic 12 Steps. No, this isn�t a support group for people whosee unicorns. It refers to the work of mythologist Joseph Campbell, who developed two

This is the FIRSTFIRST menu you’ll seewhen you launch Power Structure.

55

Chapter 2�Getting Started

important concepts: �The Hero�s Journey� as the paradigm of all storytelling, and the ideaof archetypes whose roles are assumed by various characters in a piece of fiction. Theseconcepts were further codified for writers by Christopher Vogler, a Hollywood develop-ment executive, in his book The Writer�s Journey.

If you select this format, your options will include Journey Stages, as defined by Campbelland Vogler.

Novel format (Chapters/Plot Points). The default format for the novel includesChapters and Plot Points. Can also be used to develop short stories, essays, poems, orother forms of narrative writing.

Play (2 Stageplay Acts and Scenes). Includes Act and Scene options for two Acts.

Play (5 Stageplay Acts and Scenes). Includes Act and Scene options for five Acts.

Screenplay (Scenes & Plot Points). The Screenplay format offers Scene designationsalong with Plot Points.

Screenplay (Sequence & Scenes). This is an alternative Screenplay format offeringSequence and Scene options instead of Scene and Plot Point.

TV Structure (5 Acts & Scenes). This format is designed to coincide with scripts writ-ten for television shows that use five Acts with corresponding Scenes.

TV Structure (7 Acts & Scenes). Same as the five-Act structure, but intended for scriptsthat use a 7 Act TV structure.

Running Power Structure (cont’d)

This menu appears whenever youbegin a BRAND-NEWBRAND-NEW Structure file.

Templates you�ve created yourself will automatically appear at the bottom of this menu.For more on templates, please see �Creating Templates� in Chapter Five, �Other Featuresand Options.�

Finally, you�ll notice on this window a CheckBox labeled Don’t show this menu whenstarting a new file. If you check it, then in the future when you launch Power Structureyou�ll bypass this menu entirely and go directly into a blank document using whatever ter-minology and format you selected as your default.

Anyway, once you�ve selected the format of your choice, click the Start New button, andyou�ll be presented with a blank Power Structure document with your chosen defaultsloaded in and ready to go.

6

Chapter 33�A TTour oof PPower SStructure

hen you open any Power Structure document, including a brand-new one, you�ll bepresented with a screen similar to the one on the next page (the only difference beingthat �Chapter� might be replaced by �Scene� or some other label, depending on the

format you loaded).

As with any Windows program, at the top of the screen is a menu bar from which youselect most of your options. Beneath that is a �tab bar� used for accessing your differentPower Structure views. Next comes a button bar (optional) for those of you who enjoyusing a mouse, followed by the bulk of the screen, which is split vertically into two parts.

Sheer JJanus

As you�ll discover, nearly all Power Structure screens share this two-faced configuration.General options are located in the left window, and more specific options and input fields in the right. (See image on next page for details.)

Let�s say you just loaded the Novel format. Your left main window will display the itemChapter One, next to a plus (+) sign and above the item New Chapter. A dotted line con-nects the latter two. These symbols are very common in Power Structure, and mark a �nest-ed hierarchy.�

This means that the category in question contains at least one, if not several, additional cat-egories or layers of categories. For example, the Chapter item contains the subcategoryPlot Point, which itself contains subcategories for The Conflict, Characters Involved,Story Stage and Ticking Clock. To access subcategories, you can either 1) double-click the

W

Janus was a two-faced Roman god.It’s a literary analogy, see?

CHAPTERS VIEWCHAPTERS VIEW exhibits the “twofaced” configuration of many PowerStructure windows

A plus (+) sign indicatesadditional categories

Structure categories Options and input fields

Drag this divider toadjust the relative widthof the two main windows

Category item

7

Chapter 3�A Tour of Power Structure

item with the plus sign next to it; 2) click on the plus sign itself; or 3) press Enter whilethe desired item is highlighted.

By the way, many of the items in hierarchy lists can be edited by right-clicking on them andthen choosing one of the options described below.

Collapse all. Clicking this reduces the entire �tree� of expanded items and options to itsminimum size.

Create new. Generates a new iteration of the selected item; for example, if you right-clickon �Chapter One,� choosing �Create new� will generate the item �Chapter Two,� alongwith a complete subset of options.

Edit. Enables you to rename the item. For example, you might be planning to give theChapters in your novel actual headings, such as �Carl Goes to Town.� This option allowsyou to give each Chapter the appropriate heading in your Power Structure document. (Youcan also pull up the Edit option by selecting the item and pressing the Quick Key, F2.)

Delete. Deletes the item and all its subsets. You can also delete an item by selecting it andpressing the Del key on your keyboard.

Sheer Janus (cont’d)

RIGHTRIGHT-CLICKING-CLICKING a category itemproduces these options.

CHOOSING “EDIT”CHOOSING “EDIT” from the listallows you to modify the categoryheading.

The MMain MMenu BBar

When you scan through the menus on your main menu bar, note that many of them offer�Quick Key� combinations (for example, Ctrl+Q accesses the Quick Note Pad) thatenable you to activate the option without taking your hands off the keyboard.

The menus and their contents are described in detail on the following pages.

The MAIN MENUMAIN MENU bar

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FILE

New. This brings up the same �Welcome to Power Structure� menu you encountered whenyou first launched the program. All the options are identical.

Open (Ctrl+O). To open an already-created Structure document.

Save (Ctrl+S). To save changes you've made to an open Structure document.

Save As... To rename a file (so as to start a new copy of it, which you can then changewithout affecting the original copy).

Backup To... To save a copy of the currently-open document to an external medium, likea floppy disk or Zip drive.

Close (Ctrl+F4). To close the currently-open document, but not the program.

Create Title Page. Takes you to a special WYSIWYG window where you can create, save,or load a custom title page for your document.

Print Reports (Ctrl+P). Opens a menu from which you can select options for printingall or part of your document.

Register with Firstuse. This feature allows you to register your Structure file withFirstuse.com, an Internet database offering electronic �fingerprinting� of documents. Thisensures that an external record of when you completed and registered the file exists. PowerStructure also places a copy of the fingerprinted file on your hard drive using the existingfile name, plus the extension .fu, so you can access it in the future if need be.

Import. Opens a menu from which you can choose to import certain kinds of informationfrom files created in the following programs: Power Structure, ScriptThing for Windows,Movie Magic Screenwriter, Story View, and Dramatica.

The FILEFILE menu

This area displays the names of up tothe last three files you worked on.Click on one to open it.

Export. Saves your Power Structure files in a format accessible to the programs listedabove. Also offers .RFT, a format used by most word processing programs, including MSWord.

Exit (Alt+F4). Closes Power Structure entirely.

If you see the names of Power Structure files listed at the bottom of the Window, those arethe last few Structure documents that you had saved in the program. Selecting a name fromthat list will reopen the file.

TIP: Need to rework a script that’s inMove Magic Screenwriter 2000 orScriptThing for Windows? Just openthe file directly in Power Structure,restructure it as needed, then exportit back to Screenwriter 2000 orScriptThing!

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EDIT

Cut (Ctrl+X). Removes selected text from the file and place it on the Windows Clipboarduntil you need it again.

Copy (Ctrl+C). Makes a copy of selected text and place it on the Windows Clipboard,without affecting the original in any way.

Delete. Erases selected text entirely.

Paste (Ctrl+V). Places previously-cut or copied text in the currently-open file at the loca-tion of the cursor.

Edit Text. This option applies to the items in a left-hand window; for example, Chapteror Plot Point. Choosing this option pops up the �edit� box for the selected item, so youcan change the text.

Bold (Ctrl+B). Makes selected text bold, or ensures that new text typed in will be bold.

Italics (Ctrl+I). Makes selected text italicized, or ensures that new text typed in will beitalicized.

Underline (Ctrl+U). Makes selected text underlined, or ensures that new text typed inwill be underlined.

Normal (Ctrl+N). Removes any special formatting (Bold, Italics, etc.) from selected text,or ensures that new text will not have any special formatting applied to it.

Terminology. Brings up a series of menus you can use to access and change virtually all ofthe default terms used in Power Structure. Delete terms from lists, add them, or modifythem to suit yourself. For detailed instructions, please see �Editing Terminology� inChapter 5, �Other Features and Options.�

The EDITEDIT menu

SEARCH

Find. Locates a word or phrase you type into the box.

Replace. Locates a word or phrase, then replaces it with another word or phrase.

Find Next. Repeats the previous find/replace command.

For more on searching for and replacing text, please see Chapter 5, �Other Features andOptions.�

The SEARCHSEARCH menu and its options

10


11

VIEW

This menu lists the main submenus relating to Power Structure's Views, which are alsoaccessible from the row of tabs beneath the main menu bar. Because we'll cover story devel-opment options in detail in the next chapter, the following descriptions are cursory:

Story/Theme View (Ctrl+1). Where you work out the overall intent of the story.

Character View (Ctrl+2). Where you develop the characters of the story.

Three Act View (Ctrl+3). Where you describe the overall dramatic flow of the storyusing traditional three act structure.

Chapter View (Ctrl+4). Where you break the story down into chapters.

Plot Point View (Ctrl+5). Where you determine the Plot Points that make up the vari-ous conflicts in the story.

Conflict Overview (Ctrl+6). Where you view your document as a chart displaying theebb and flow of Plot Points through all or selected Conflicts.

Gestalt View (Ctrl+7). Where you see three aspects of your story�Acts, Chapters andPlot Points�at a glance.

Full Screen WP (Ctrl+8). Where you view each Plot Point in an editable, full-screenwindow.

Index Cards View (Ctrl+9). Allows you to view, edit and organize Plot Points on ascreen where you can examine the Plots Points in the context not only of their chronolog-ical order, but also their relationship to other Plot Points. For more information on usingIndex Cards, please see Chapter 6, �Other Options.�

The VIEWVIEW menu

Setup Gestalt View. Lets you choose how many columns of information will display inthe Gestalt View window.

Top Button Bar. Lets you choose whether to display or �hide� the Top Button Bar.Writers who have no liking for the mouse might prefer to shut off the button bar and savean extra line or two of display space.

Color Categories. Lets you select whether to display colored �tags� (which you assign tovarious categories of information) on hierarchy lists, and/or same-colored lines around rel-evant edit boxes.

Power Access. Launches Power Access, a handy feature that allows you to simultaneous-ly run your word processing program while having your Power Structure information atyour fingertips.

11


TOOLS

Spell Check. Checks the spelling for a selected word or block of text.

Thesaurus. Accesses alternative word choices for the currently-selected word.

Quick Note Pad. Pops up a notepad on which you can jot ideas, questions, or anythingelse you want to look at later.

Name Bank. Accesses a database of first and last names for both men and women, as wellas a list of surnames.

Auto-Spell on Exit. Turns on or off the option to have the program automatically checkthe spelling of all text when you leave that window.

Check all Conflicts for “tangling.” When you create a Plot Point, Chapter, Scene, orother subdivision of your story in Power Structure, you retain the option of rearrangingtheir positions relative to one another�for example, if you drag Chapter 16 up in front ofwhat was Chapter 4, everything in the document will automatically shift and renumber toaccommodate the change. However, there can be situations where certain Plot Points can�tbe logically moved to certain locations, because of the nature of that Plot Point. For exam-ple, if the Point has been identified as introducing a particular Conflict, it doesn�t makesense for it to end up in a position after the Conflict�s resolution. If you move it to such aposition, it has become �tangled� and you�ll get poor feedback about it in some of yourcharts and printouts. When you use this option, Power Structure scans your document,identifies tangles and gives you options for dealing with them.

For more information on tangles, see �Untangling Conflicts� in Chapter 5, �OtherFeatures and Options.�

The TTOOLSOOLS menu

Condense Plot Points. When you use the Index Card option or Conflict Overview, youhave the freedom to create blank Plot Points as �spacers� between existing Plot Points.Generally these spacers will be filled in later, when you figure out what you want to be inthem. However, when you finish your Structure document, you might find that some spac-ers remain and show up on your Index Cards and in Conflict Overview. SelectingCondense Plot Points automatically eliminates all blank spacers from your document.

Using “Condense Plot Points”automatically eliminates leftoverblank Index Cards. (See “IndexCards View” in Chapter 5, “OtherFeatures and Options”

CONDENSE PLOT POINTSCONDENSE PLOT POINTS warning

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13

TEMPLATES

Load Structure Template. Pulls up a menu containing the �new file� options. Select one,and that format template will be loaded.

Save Structure Template. If you create a Structure document with a layout and set ofterminology lists that you like, you can save it as a template. If you choose an existing tem-plate type from this menu, the new settings will be saved as your defaults for that type. Ifyou choose User defined, you can name a new type of template which will subsequentlyappear on all Template lists. If you choose Program Default, Power Structure will save thecurrent template settings as the program default.

The LOADLOAD Structure Template menu

The SASAVEVE Structure Template menu

Accesses templates that are on afloppy disk or other source

Templates you’ve already createdand saved are listed here

Restoresthe originaltemplatesettings

HELP

Clicking Help connects you to a link to the technical support information on our web site,making it certain that you always have access to the very latest data about Power Structure�sfeatures.

The HELPHELP menu

You can find yourserial number byclicking here

Takes you toour web sitehome page

Takes you to our“Frequently AskedQuestions” webpage


The BButton BBar

These buttons are useful for writers who enjoy using the mouse; they activate most of themajor options found on the pull-down menus.

(1) New. Opens a new, blank Structure document.

(2) Open. Brings up the list of existing Structure files.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

(11) Cut. Cuts selected text to the clipboard.

(12) Copy. Copies selected text to the clipboard.

(13) Paste. Pastes previously cut or copied text at the current location of the cursor.

(14) Bold. Makes selected text bold, or if no text is selected, bolds new text you type in.

(15) Underline. Underlines selected text, or if no text is selected, underlines new text youtype in.

(16) Italics. Italicizes selected text, or if no text is selected, italicizes new text you typein.

(17) Normal. Makes selected text normal, or if no text is selected, shuts off any text for-matting for new text.

(18) Text Zoom. Enlarges or shrinks the display of text displayed in input fields. Doesnot affect the size of printed text. Please see �Printing Your Power Structure File� inChapter 6, �Printing,� for details on printer fonts.

Buttons 11-17 will be �grayed out� unless you�ve got a block of text selected.

(3) Save. Saves the current Structure document under its current name.

(4) Save As… Saves the current Structure document after you name or rename it.

(5) Print. Brings up the main Print menu. For more on this topic, see �Printing YourPower Structure File� later in the manual.

(6) Close. Closes the current document, prompting you to save it if necessary.

(7) Quick Note. Pulls up the Quick Note window.

(8) Search for Text. Produces an input field into which you type text you want to locatein the current document.

(9) Spell Check. Checks the spelling of specified text.

(10) Thesaurus. Produces other word-choice options for the selected word.

14

Chapter 44� Structure VViews

here are two major aspects to creating a powerful story breakdown. The first is to�see� the story from a variety of perspectives, including an overall one. And the sec-ond is to be able to manipulate all parts of the story freely so you can control how

they develop both separately and interactively.

Power Structure provides nine major tools, called Structure Views, to accomplish thesegoals. Don�t let the term �view� throw you. Structure Views are much more than just waysto look at your work. They�re a set of integrated tools that invite you to reach in and edit,shuffle and rework your ideas to your heart�s content. The information you generate ineach View moves along with you into other Views�for example, information you create inPlot Points View is also available in 3 Act View, and is fully editable from either View.

Structure Views can be accessed in three ways: through the main menu bar, via keyboardshortcuts, or by clicking on the relevant view tab just below the main menu bar. If you�vealready studied Chapter 7, �Power Structure Quick Start,� much of what you�re about toread will be familiar if not downright repetitive. But other parts will be new, so we suggestyou examine all the information carefully.

Also, let us reiterate the Principle That Can�t Possibly Be Overstressed: the Structure Viewoptions are exactly that: options. Use them to stimulate your creativity�or to help youorganize what you�ve already created�or don�t use them at all. It�s up to you.

The following is an overview of what each Structure View is and what it does. If the actu-al technique for using a View�s options requires detailed instructions, you�ll be directed toChapter 5, �Other Features and Options,� to get the extra info.

T

You can ACCESSACCESS Power Structure’sViews in three ways.

QuickKeys

LayoutView TabMain

menu

A NNote AAbout PPrinting

Because Structure Views offer such varied information, their printing options often differa great deal from one another as well. For that reason, specific printing instructions foreach View are included in its section of this chapter. Printing guidelines relevant to all theViews are as follows (see Chapter 6, �Printing,� for more general printing information):

There are three ways to access the Print menu:

1. click on File, Print Reports; or

2. click on the Print icon; or

3. press Ctrl+P.

◆ If a printing option checkbox has a �green light� on it, that option is selected.Initially, everything will be selected. Click a button to deselect the option. Each timeyou exit a Print menu, the current settings will be saved as the defaults until youchange them again.

15

Chapter 4�Structure Views

Examining PPower SStructure VViews

The View categories, shown on the View tab bar above, are described in detail below.

1. Story/Theme. This is where you�re asked to define the very broadest big picture viewof your story. What�s it about? What does it mean? What deep ideas, if any, are youtrying to express? Having these topics written down and easily accessible helps keepyou from wandering too far afield.

2. Characters. Here�s where you develop, or at least keep track of, the characters thatwill appear in your story. This category offers a number of nested options for explor-ing in as much detail as you wish who your characters are, where they come from,what their goals are, and what they represent to the story as a whole.

3. 3 Act Structure. This is the classic �beginning, middle and end� framework used inmost fiction. Put simply, you set up your story in Act I, build the conflict and con-frontation in Act II, and resolve the story in Act III. To describe it another way, �Inthe first act you get your characters up a tree; in the second act you throw rocks atthem, and in the third act you get them back down.�

This View offers nested options for describing what a particular Act is to accomplish,which characters are to be in it, and how the characters are affected and/or affect theevents in the Act. You can also use this View to develop your story �plot arc��setup,

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

NOTE: If your screen width isless than 1024 pixels, you’llneed to use the scroll buttonsat either end of the tab bar toaccess all the Views

The VIEWVIEW Category Tabs

confrontation, resolution�and for creating or selecting which Plot Points are to beincluded in the Act. For more on Plot Points, see below.

4. Chapters. This View provides nested options for developing the exact purpose ofeach chapter and its characters, and for creating or selecting the Plot Points that com-pose each chapter.

5. Plot Points. For our purposes, a Plot Point (or Scene, or whatever term you�re cur-rently using) is the minimum self-contained subdivision of your story�the funda-mental building block from which everything else is constructed. This View providesnested options for describing the central issue in each Plot Point its relationship toand impact on the entire story, the Characters involved, the story stage of the PlotPoint using The Hero�s Journey paradigm (or any other methodology you might pre-fer or create for yourself), and the ticking clock�the degree of story tension you wishto establish by the end of the Plot Point.

6. Gestalt View. This option creates a full-screen display that shows all the Acts,Chapters and Plot Points you�ve created and/or organized so far, and their relation-ships to one another. You can add or rearrange Plot Points and Chapters here. Youcan also drag the borders of each window to change its size for ease of viewing.

7. Conflict Overview. This unique option features a graphical display of all your PlotPoints and the tension level you�ve associated with each one, organized in a flow chartformat that tracks the development, from beginning to end, of each Conflict in thestory. This enables you to see at a glance how the drama ebbs and flows, and whetherthere are dead spots, or chaotic places where too many Conflicts peak at the sametime.

To illustrate, the following three tem-plates use different terms to refer tothe same two View categories:

Novel Screenplay (S&S) Mythic 12Plot Point Scene Journey StepsChapter Sequence Scenes

Each View’s options are the same,regardless of what terms are beingused.

Remember, all the View terms can bechanged to suit your needs. You canchange them individually by usingEdit Terminology, or you can load acomplete set of specialized terms byselecting the appropriate templatefrom the Templates menu.

16


8. Full Screen WP. Opens a full-screen word processor where you can change a PlotPoint�s description, text, add new Plot Points or delete the Plot Point entirely. ThisView gives you the freedom to write in a screen uncluttered by a lot of options.

9. Index Card View. For decades, many writers (particularly screenwriters) have usedindex cards�real ones made of paper�as a convenient means of brainstorming andorganizing story ideas. The principle is simple: jot every plot idea that occurs to youdown on a 3 X 5 card. When you�ve got enough cards, start organizing them. You can�cluster� them (for example, in related subplots) or simply lay them out in a line asthey might progress through a story.

The advantage of the cards is two-fold: 1) because you can easily add, remove andrearrange cards as your story concept evolves, you won�t feel reluctant to experimentwith ideas; and 2) you can organize the cards in a visual layout that helps you literal-ly see the structure of your story at a glance. Many writers even tape their cards to thewall so they can look at the entire story at once.

For years software programs have replicated the index card idea, allowing you to breakyour story down into �digital cards� which you can then manipulate inside your com-puter. Power Structure�s Index Cards View does this and much, much more. We pro-vide numerous ways in which your story information can be not only viewed andreshuffled as index cards, but also categorized, compared, analyzed, edited andprinted.

For details, please see �Using Index Cards� in Chapter 5, �More Features andOptions.�

Examining Power Structure Views (cont’d)

Building aa SStructure DDocument FFrom tthe GGround UUp

The following sections discuss the basic procedures for creating a Structure documentusing every single option available in Power Structure. This is just so you can see how allthe bells and whistles work, but, as we mentioned in the first chapter, you by no means haveto use all of them. We just want you to know what they are....

Overview

As we said earlier, the basic purpose of story development/outlining is to plan, or at leastfocus better on, the overall structure and flow of a story before you start to write it. Properstory planning helps you spot pitfalls, avoid sidetracks, and build a stronger, more coher-ent story�all before typing a single word of the story itself. Story planning also helps youorganize all the pieces of your story for ease of retrieval, and makes your writing more effi-cient because you can keep yourself from writing into blind alleys. The idea is that if youknow more or less where you�re going, you�ll get there faster.

To top things off, a well-constructed story development document can make the storyitself better�because you�ll know, in advance, how the various parts need to fit together,freeing you to create each passage as effectively as possible.

But again, there is no single way to pursue story development, and no correct amount ofdetail to include in the resulting document. Your Structure document should be considereda guidebook, not a map. It should be flexible and easy to alter as the story progresses.Power Structure is open to all of that.

17


STORY/THEME VIEW

Even if you intend to create the most vague, broad, pliable plan possible, this is the placeto start. What is your story really about? What are you trying to accomplish? What are theunderlying ideas or lessons (if any) that you wish to convey?

To help prod your thinking, Power Structure provides a drop-down list of items fromwhich to choose. As always, you can fill in text for any or all of them�or for none, if that�syour preference. You can also create additional items, rename existing items, or deleteitems entirely (for more on changing default information, please see �EditingTerminology� in Chapter 5, �More Features and Options�).

The STSTORORY/THEMEY/THEME View

Type text into this box afterchoosing an item from the list

Click here to delete anitem from the list withouthaving to go to the “EditTerminology” menu.

The default list:

Backstory. What happened before your story began? What events led up to those you�regoing to tell about? This information helps give your plot the feel of having a foundation,and also helps prevent you from making the kind of continuity errors that can result fromnot being sure what came before.

Pitch. A pitch is exactly what the name implies: something thrown hard and fast and onlyonce. The term comes from the film industry, where often a writer has only minutes (ifthat) to interest a studio in his or her script idea. A pitch is not an outline or even a synop-sis; it�s a dramatic encapsulation of your story intended to be delivered live and in person.The purpose of a pitch is to get the batter to swing�to make the producer, director orother movie mogul eager to know more, and hopefully read the whole script. Also, keepthis in mind even if you�re not a screenwriter: It�s been said that if you can�t describe yourstory in a sentence, you don�t know what it is.

Premise. The premise is the keystone in the arch of your story. What�s the story about atits most fundamental level? Again, it helps to be clear about this as you�re working.

Synopsis. A synopsis might be viewed as an expanded pitch. Write it the way you�d answerthis question: So, what�s your story about? Typically, a synopsis tells the story from begin-ning to end, hitting the high points, skipping or consolidating subplots or minor charac-ters, in as exciting a manner as possible. While a synopsis is usually included as part of amanuscript submission package, it�s also a very useful tool while the work is in process.Why? Because in the case of a novel, script or other relatively long project, losing track ofthe basic story line is surprisingly easy to do.

STSTORORY/THEME Y/THEME default list

18


Theme. The theme of your story is what it�s really about, apart from the plot and charac-ters. Maybe the theme is as simple as �crime doesn�t pay�; maybe it�s about the complexi-ties and hazards of interracial conflict. Regardless, if you write your theme down, you havea better chance of not losing track of it while you struggle with the nitty-gritty of story-telling.

Printing Story /Theme Reports

When you access the Print menu from the Story/Theme menu, you�ll automatically betaken to the Story/Theme Information print options. In the left box is a list of the variousStory/Theme subdivisions; simply check the ones you want to print, or click on the Selectall items button, then click on Print. There are no additional printing options for yourchoices in this View.

Story/Theme View (cont’d)

The STSTORORY/THEMEY/THEME print menu

CHARACTERS VIEW

It�s been said that all fiction can be divided into two broad categories: character-driven andplot-driven. That�s an oversimplification, but since all fiction is about events that occur topeople (or other sentient beings�animals, aliens, some politicians), even the most plot-driven yarn has to take characters into consideration.

The Characters View (see next page) displays a nested hierarchy of options for detailingaspects of your characters� backgrounds, personalities, goals, obstacles, story needs andpurposes, and so forth. The screen consists of two main windows. On the left is the list ofcharacter names and their sub-options. When you select one of these names or options,further windows and input fields appear on the right side of the screen.

Incidentally, not all characters are created equal�some are more important than others,and need to be segregated so their information can be more easily located and accessed. Asyou can see on the left side of the screen, Power Structure delineates three primary cate-gories of characters: Major, Subplot, and Other. You can add as many characters as youwish to any of the categories by double-clicking on the New... button. And you can changea Character�s importance level simply by dragging the item from one category to the next.

19


The CHARACTERSCHARACTERS View. See next page for number legend

14

2

Type details for each motivation/history item into this box

8

5

3

Delete category from list

6

7

9Add newcategoryto list

Move Charactersfrom one categoryto another by simplydragging the item

Double-click toadd a Characterto this category

1. Major Character. This item includes those personalities who matter most: yourhero (protagonist) and villain (antagonist), their best friends, cronies and the like.

2. Subplot Character. These characters are most relevant to the secondary aspects ofyour story.

3. Other Character. These are the most incidental characters, like the unknown guywho always beamed down to a planet at the beginning of each episode of the originalStar Trek�and promptly got killed.

When you click on an existing Character item or create a new Character item in any cate-gory, a selection of input fields appears on the right side of the screen. Here is where youfill in the most basic information about the character: name (4), sex (5), age (6), level ofeducation (7), and marital status (8) (the latter two options include handy drop-down listsof the most common choices).

The next option (9) is a drop-down list of information you might want to develop aboutwhat motivates the character. Note that categories can be added, revised or deleted fromthis list. You can also change the basic categories for all new stories by using theTerminology option on the Edit menu.

Above all, remember that the purpose of these options is not to make you mechanically fillout lists; it�s to spur your thinking about your characters! The options are:

Biggest Failure to Date. This is, after all, something we all think about from time to time,and can sometimes be the single defining occurrence of our lives.

Biggest Success to Date. Like many options, this one depends on your personal inter-pretation of the character�s motivations.

20


Biggest Trauma to Date. A trauma may or may not be self-inflicted and therefore mayor may not be the same as the �biggest failure to date.�

Character’s Backstory. Here�s where you sketch in the character�s biography, particu-larly the events that led him or her to the current situation.

Character’s Role (or Reason for Being) in this story. This is where you define howthe character�s background, personality, etc., make him or her crucial to the story.

Childhood Dreams. Again, even if this information is never revealed directly in the story,it�s something you might want to work out for yourself; it can certainly enrich the charac-ter in ways that aren�t obvious.

Current Dreams. To reveal how the Character�s hopes and fears have evolved since he orshe was a child.

After clicking on one of these items, fill in the relevant information in the input field.

Next to each Character�s name in the left-hand column is a plus sign. Click on it, and a listof Character traits drops down. Click on one of those, and input fields related to that traitappear on the right side of the screen. Move from input field to input field by pressing Tabor clicking on the field you want with your mouse.

The traits include:

Characters View (cont’d)

The CHARACTER MOTIVCHARACTER MOTIVAATIONTIONdrop-down list

Physical CCharacteristics

Distinguishing Physical Attributes. Again, this can be problematic depending upon thetype of story you�re writing. In the case of novels or short stories, you can be as explicit asyou like. But if you�re writing for the stage or screen, physical appearance is usually leftpretty vague unless there�s some specific feature, like a scar or a mechanical arm, that�s cru-cial to the story.

How would an observer describe him or her? In other words, how does the character�come across� to the outside world?

How would he or she describe him- or herself? When compared to how others see himor her, this shows any flaws or inaccuracies in the character�s self-image.

The PHYSICALPHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICSCHARACTERISTICSmenu

21


Desires & Goals

What does this character want? Input fields include:

What are his/her Desires and Goals? This is a central question about any significantcharacter, because it determines so much of what he or she does (for good or ill).

How does having these Desires & Goals affect both the Character and the Story?In other words, what makes them more than just internal quirks?


The DESIRES & GOALSDESIRES & GOALS menu

Strengths & Virtues

What are the character�s most redeeming traits? Input fields include:

What are his/her Strengths and Virtues? What lies on the plus side of this character�sinternal balance sheet?

How does having these Strengths and Virtues affect both the Character and theStory? Another question to stimulate creative thought. In most stories, coming up with afleshed-out character isn�t enough; ultimately, how a character�s traits affect other charac-ters or the story itself is what matters.

The STRENGTHS & VIRTUESSTRENGTHS & VIRTUES menu

22


Faults & Weaknesses

What are the character�s flaws? Input fields include:

What are his/her Faults and Weaknesses? What qualities of personality work againstthe hero or heroine?

How does having these Faults and Weaknesses affect both the Character and theStory? As with virtues, it�s not the fault itself that matters so much as how that faultaffects the circumstances surrounding the character.


The FFAULAULTS & WEAKNESSESTS & WEAKNESSES menu

Character AArc

How is the character affected by the events in the story? Input fields include:

What will he or she learn in the course of this story? In other words, how will thecharacter�s world view be altered before the end of the story?

How will he or she be changed by having gone through the experiences in thisstory? In the vast majority of fiction, the protagonist undergoes changes as the story pro-gresses. That�s what you want to think about here.

The Character Arc also allows you to define and describe the character�s progressionthroughout each Act. Click on the plus sign next to the Character Arc category, then clickon any of the Three Act headings that appear, and the following input fields materialize inthe right-hand column:

Goal at Beginning of Act. To show �where the character is coming from� as the storybegins.

Goal at End of Act. To show how the character�s goal has changed�or not.

In this Act, how do they change and what do they learn? It�s always dangerous togeneralize about what fiction �must� or �must not� consist of, but in the vast majority ofcases, if a major character undergoes no changes at all, there�s probably no story; there�scertainly little in the way of drama.

How is their Jeopardy increased in this Act? Generally, a character gets into deeperand deeper water from which they must escape before the final page, curtain or end credit.

The CHARACTER CHARACTER ARCARC menu

23


Printing Character IInformation RReports

When you access the Print menu from the Character menu, you�ll automatically be takento the Character information print options. In the left box is a list of all your Characters.Check the box next to any or all of them in order to print their information, or click onthe �Select all items� button, then choose specific reports to print by selecting buttons inthe right-side window.

Note that even though this is the Characters print menu, among its options is one to printout a list of all the Plot Points/Scenes in which the selected Characters appear, including asmuch or as little Plot Point detail as you desire.

You might wonder, Isn�t that redundant? If I want to print Plot Point data, why not justdo it from the Plot Point print menu? Well, you can and probably should, when the timecomes. But this option gives you the chance to print and analyze Plot Point informationfrom the perspective of a Character. That might make all the difference to you.


The Character Information PRINTPRINTMENUMENU

3 ACT STRUCTURE VIEW

As we mentioned in Chapter One, the 3 act structure is the classic way to design a story;in fact, most stories tend to fall roughly into this structure regardless of intent.

In its most general form, a three-act story consists of a section where characters and thebasic themes and plot are introduced, followed by a longer �development� section, build-ing up to the climax.

In the event you�re deliberately avoiding using such a structure but would like to takeadvantage of some of Power Structure�s Act sub-sections, simply use Act One for yourentire story.

Again, this menu (see next page) has a two-part design: general categories on the left, spe-cific input fields and drop-down lists on the right.

HISTHISTORICALORICAL NOTE NOTE

What’s the difference between a “3Act Structure” and a 5 or 7-act TV orstage play structure?

The basic 3 Act structure originatedwith Aristotle, who declared it to be afundamental storytelling structure. TVand stage play “acts” lie on “top” ofthis fundamental three act structurein the same way that chapters in anovel do. Though the word “Act” isused in both cases, they mean verydifferent things.

AN EVEN MORE HISTAN EVEN MORE HISTORICALORICALNOTENOTE

The length of a stage play act origi-nally corresponded to the maximumlength of time the candles used tolight early theaters would burn. It wasnecessary to get patrons out of thetheater occasionally so the candlescould be changed...and popcorn sold,of course.

24


The 3 3 ACT STRUCTURE VIEWACT STRUCTURE VIEW. See next page for numbers legend.

Subcategoriessuch asChapters andCharacters willalready containinformation youcreated in theirrespectiveViews.

But you can editand add items inthis view, too!

1

2

There are two immediate input fields requesting information about the Act:

1. General Act Information. To remind you about what this Act is supposed to con-tain or represent.

2. What has to be accomplished to get us to the Act break? Think about the gen-eral goal of the Act. This field consists of a list of events, exposition, scenes, or any-thing else that must occur before the end of the Act. Although the lists can be editedfor content from this view, they can�t be checked off as �completed� here; to do that,you must go to a specific Plot Point and check it off. The checkmark will then appearin this view.

Now, we move on to the subcategories under each Act, and the options available for eachof them.

Characters

Click on the plus sign next to this category, and you�ll see the now-familiar list of threebasic character types. Click on the plus sign next to one of those, and you�ll get a list ofappropriate characters. Click on a particular character�s name, and to the right, editableboxes will appear. These input fields will look familiar if you�ve already accessed theCharacter menu and filled in those options; as if often the case, Power Structure makes thesame information available from multiple locations, so you don�t have to keep jumpingfrom menu to menu to access or edit the data.

Plot AArc

NOTE: Right-clicking on a checked-off “Has to be Accomplished” itemwill provide the option to go direct-ly to the relevant Plot Point.

25


The second major category under each Act is the Plot Arc. The primary input fields for thePlot Arc are:

What is the Act’s opening hook? In writing, a �hook� is exactly what the term implies�a device to latch onto the reader and keep him or her from getting loose from the story.Hooks can be obvious and dramatic�a murder in the opening sentence�or subtle, per-haps an exquisite description. That�s up to you.

What is the overall Act conflict? As a rule, each Act introduces its own major, over-arching conflict, which is either resolved by the end of the Act or metamorphoses intosomething that propels us forward.

What is the Act break, and how does it move the conflict into the next phase,thrusting us into the next Act or final climax? Exactly how does the Act end, and whyis it the best place?

Ticking CClock

By default, this category (not shown) contains only one input field question: What is theAct’s overall Ticking Clock? Think about it....

3 Act Structure View (cont’d)The PLOT PLOT ARCARC menu

Everyone needs a CLIMAXCLIMAX checklist

26


The CClimax

What Plot Point do you want this Act to end on? Click the button next to your choice.

Plot PPoints

Displays a list of all Plot Points assigned to this Act, along with the nested options for eachPoint. Again, these options replicate those found in another menu�in this case, the PlotPoints menu. For more on that, read �Plot Points� later in this chapter.

Printing Act IInformation RReports

When you access the Print menu from the 3 Act menu, you�ll automatically be taken to theAct Information print options. In the left box are your three Act headings. Check any orall of them in order to print their information, or click on the �Select all items� button, thenchoose specific reports from the right-side window. As you can see, you can even chooseto print reports from subcategories like �Plot Points,� which can also be printed from aseparate menu.

3 Act Structure View (cont’d)

ACT INFORMAACT INFORMATIONTION print menu

CHAPTERS VIEW

The Chapters View menu is pretty straightforward. It contains a list of all the Chaptersyou�ve created so far (irrespective of what Act they�re in). Each Chapter item contains anested list of all Plot Points currently assigned to that Chapter, and each Plot Point

contains its own submenu ofcategories, as always.

You can create or delete newChapters from here, and re-arrange existing Chapters.Similarly, Plot Points can bemoved around within a partic-ular subcategory list, or fromone Chapter to another.

You can also give each Chap-ter an actual title or headingby right-clicking on the itemin the left-hand window, thenclicking on Edit and typingwhatever you want into theinput field that appears.

The CHAPTERSCHAPTERS View

Plot Points canalso be draggedfrom place toplace, or Chapterto Chapter

1

2

3

Chapters (andtheir contents)can be rearrangedby dragging theheadings up anddown in the list.They’ll renumberautomatically

4

27


When you click on an item in the left-hand column, the following input fields appear onthe right:

1. What is the Chapter’s opening hook? Here is where you can contemplate the bestway to grab your reader and get him or her involved in the Chapter.

2. How does the Chapter move the story forward? This is something lots of writ-ers fail to consider in advance, often resulting in flat, vague or counterproductiveresults.

3. What “Has to Happen Events” are completed? Here you can view a list of �musthappens� to keep you on track as you work through the chapter. Again, you can editthe text here, but not actually check items off; that has to be done from a Plot Pointfield.

4. What is the Chapter’s ending Hook? Many writers prefer to end each Chapterwith a hook so strong that no reader can possibly keep from moving on to the nextchapter. Here�s where you can come up with that terrific end to your Chapter.

Printing Chapter Reports

When you access the Print menu from the Chapters menu, you�ll automatically be taken tothe Chapter Information print options. In the left box is a list of all your Chapter head-ings. Check any or all of them in order to print their information, or click on the �Selectall items� button, then choose specific reports from the right-side window. As you can see,you can even choose to print reports from subcategories like �Plot Points,� which can alsobe printed from a separate menu.

Chapters View (cont’d)

CHAPTER INFORMACHAPTER INFORMATION TION print menu

PLOT POINTS VIEW

Like we said earlier, Plot Points are the smallest self-contained subdivisions of the story;they have no particular structure or direction of their own. However, link them together inproper sequence, and you�ve got something dynamic: what we call Conflicts (for more onConflicts, see the next section).

When you open the Plot Point View (next page), you�ll be presented with a list of all exist-ing Plot Points in the document, regardless of Act or Chapter divisions. You can addPoints here, or delete them, or rearrange them by dragging a Point from one location toanother on the list. If you click on a Plot Point in the left-hand column, the text describ-

28


The PLOT POINTPLOT POINT View

1

As always, “hierar-chies” of items inthe left-hand columnare identified byplus signs

Check off anyitems that arecompleted inthis Plot Point

2

Selecting the“Movement” tabprovides addi-tional options toconsider

3

5

4

ing that Plot Point will be displayed in boxes on the right (1). In order to see the Point incontext, you can choose to view the text of up to five consecutive Points at once by click-ing the buttons labeled 1 Card, 2 Cards, etc. at the top of the right side of the screen. Asixth button, labeled Movement (2), provides three additional input fields:

(3) Plot Point Detail. Displays existing Plot Point text, if any, or you can enter it here.

(4) How does this move the story forward? Contemplating this question could keepyou from throwing some occurrence in just because you like it, even though itdoesn�t really accomplish much.

(5) What “Has to happen” events are completed? Includes the checklist you creat-ed under the Chapter menu (assuming you used that option, of course). Click on anyitem�s CheckBox to indicate that that item was polished off in the current Plot Point.

Click on the plus sign next to any Plot Point in the left-hand column to drop down its listof subcategories. Click on any of those, and relevant input fields and drop-down menusappear on the right side of the screen (see next page for image):

Plot Points View (cont’d)

You will see the “What ‘Has toHappen Events’ are completed?”checklist (5) ONLY if a) you’vealready defined at least one “Hasto Happen Events” in either Act orChapters View, b) some of thoseEvents have not yet been resolved,AND c) the Movement button hasbeen pressed.

29


The CConflict

As we stated in Chapter 1, if the Plot Point is the smallest fragment of story, the Conflictis the smallest fragment of drama. In Power Structure, a Conflict depicts the birth, growthand resolution of a particular dramatic element�a sort of mini-plot. For example, in TheLand of Nod the main character, Jeff Dittimore, begins to have particularly vivid dreams,and then waking hallucinations, about his childhood friends. At the same time, he�s deal-ing with career pressures and his failures as a husband and father. Although all of these fac-tors and more intertwine to act on him, at the same time each remains a separate entity withits own beginning, middle and end. Power Structure helps you to not only define and iden-tify these individual threads, but weave them into the larger tapestry of your story to theirbest effect.

Again, keep in mind that it�s unusual (to say the least) to have all your Conflicts lined upin a row; far more often several Conflicts run concurrently, affecting one another withoutnecessarily combining. For example, in The Land of Nod the first two Plot Points are �Theboys play a game� and �Jeff awakens and reflects on his childhood.� Although these Pointsfollow one another chronologically and both center around the same character, in this caseeach Point also introduces a separate Conflict.

So , how ddo yyou ccreate aand mmanipulate CConflicts iin PPowerStructure?

When you�re in the Plot Point View, click on the plus sign next to a Plot Point and you�llsee a number of options below the Plot Point item. The first one is �The Conflict.� Clickon that, and three tabs appear at the top of the right-hand window. These bring up the cat-egories for Conflicts displayed on the following pages.


Selecting CONFLICTSCONFLICTS in PlotPoint View

Click on thetwo facesyelling ateach other,of course

Introduction

This is the tab you choose whenintroducing a brand-new Conflict.From the first two drop-down lists,select the following names:

(1) First Character in Conflict(2) Second Character in Conflict as well as an input field for...

(3) Description of ConflictGive these things some thought,because what you type here will beused as the descriptive header of theConflict in all other Views. Thismakes you really clarify in yourmind what each Conflict is about.

At the bottom of the window is afourth option:

(4) Conflict Color. From thispalette you select a color to repre-sent this Conflict on the ConflictMap (more on that later).

Conflict INTRODUCTIONINTRODUCTION

3

21

4

30


Heightening

Select this tab when you�re in a Plot Point thatheightens or otherwise changes the dynamicof an existing Conflict. The options are:

(1) Which Existing Conflict is Height-ened? Simply scroll to the correct choicefrom the list of unresolved Conflicts.

(2) How is it Heightened? Type in a descrip-tion of how this Plot Point heightens theConflict.

(3) Plot Point tension setting. Here�s whereyou choose a tension level for the Plot Point.The setting will be reflected on the graph inConflict Overview. You might be thinking,�Well, I want all my Plot Points to peg theexcitement meter!� And who can blame you?But that�s rarely the way it works, particularlyin long fiction, because variations in tensionactually contribute to the overall buildup oftension. So what we�re talking about here isestimating the relative tension levels of variousPlot Points. Conflict Overview will immedi-ately reveal places where your story suffersfrom too many coinciding low spots or anoverindulgence of adrenaline.

Conflict HEIGHTENINGHEIGHTENING

1

2

3

The buttons in this row canbe used to “jump” youthrough all the Plot Pointsin this Conflict

Resolution

Select this tab when you�re in the Plot Pointthat brings the Conflict to its conclusion.This time you have only two options:

(1) Which Existing Conflict is Resolved?Simply scroll to the correct choice from thelist of unresolved Conflicts.

(2) How is it Resolved? Type in a descrip-tion of how this Plot Point resolves theConflict.

There is no tension level setting here becausethe Conflict is now resolved, finished, done�and therefore, by definition, withouttension. �Although a resolution mightsimultaneously trigger off a new Conflict,such as �Timmy wants revenge on Jeff forabandoning him.�

1

2

Conflict RESOLUTIONRESOLUTION

31


Story SStage

This category brings up input fields and drop-down lists containing the following options.If you�re wondering where we came up with these items, you�ve obviously never read TheHero With a Thousand Faces, by mythologist Joseph Campbell, or The Writer�s Journey byChristopher Vogler, or Myth and the Movies, by Stuart Voytilla. Although you might wantto check those out for more details, here�s a synopsis.

1. This Plot Point represents the following Story Stage: By default, this drop-downlist includes the following categories:

Ordinary World: In which we meet the hero and form a bond of recognition.

Call to Adventure: Where the hero is challenged to undertake a quest or solve aproblem.

Refusal of Call: Where the hero hesitates or expresses fear.

Meeting with the Mentor: Where the hero contacts a source of experience orwisdom.

Crossing the Threshold: Where the hero finally commits to the adventure andenters the �Special World.�

Tests, Allies & Enemies: Situations and characters that help the hero discoverwhat�s special about the Special World.

Approach to the Inmost Cave: Where the hero prepares for a central battle orconfrontation.

Ordeal: The central crisis of the story for the hero.

Plot Points View - The Conflict (cont’d)

STSTORORYY STSTAGEAGE options

1

2

3

Reward: The moment in which the hero is �reborn� in some sense and enjoys thebenefits of surviving the Ordeal.

Road Back: Where the hero leaves (or is chased out of) the Special World.

Resurrection: A climactic test that purifies, redeems and transforms the hero onthe threshold of home.

Return with Elixir: Where the hero finally returns home and shares what he orshe has gained on the quest, benefitting friends, family, community, and the world.

If you find guidelines like these helpful, use them. If you prefer your own guidelines, sub-stitute them by clicking on the Terminology menu, then selecting Edit Terminology. If youdon�t care at all, ignore this list entirely.

2. In this Plot Point, what is ????’s Role? Again, we have a drop-down list based onCampbell�s analysis of universal myth, referring in this case to the first Character youdefined as being part of this Conflict. There�s a similar box for the second participat-ing Character. The choices are:

Hero: �To serve and sacrifice.�Mentor: �To guide.�Shadow: �To destroy.�Herald: �To warn and challenge.�Threshold Guardian: �To test.�Trickster: �To disrupt.�Shapeshifter: �To question and deceive.�

Again, any item on the list can be modified, or renamed to suit your own style, or ignoredcompletely.

32


3. How is ??? Affected by this Conflict? This input field gives you the opportuni-ty to think about how the Conflict affects this Character. Again, there is a matchingbox for the second Character.

Characters IInvolved

When you select this option, you�ll be presented with a checklist of all existing Characters;click the CheckBox next to the name of any Character who�s going to appear in the PlotPoint.

Plot Points View - The Conflict (cont’d)

The CHARACTERS INVOLCHARACTERS INVOLVEDVEDchecklist

The names of the twoCharacters theConflict is betweenwill be marked in red

Check the boxnext to anyCharacter whowill appear inthe Plot Point

Ticking CClock

This category brings up two input fields:

How does this heighten the Act’s ticking clock? Asks you to consider how theConflict escalates the overall buildup (the �ticking clock�) of the current Act.

Tension Level at the end of this Plot Point. This option features a �gauge� you can setto the tension level you intend this Plot Point to attain. Unlike the tension level you set onthe �Heightening� tab in the Conflict options, this setting does not affect the Conflict Mapin Conflict Overview. The information is, however, printed out as part of the Plot Pointreport.

The TICKING CLOCK TICKING CLOCK option

Drag the slider toset a tension levelfor the Plot Point

33


Printing Plot PPoints

When you access Print from the Plot Points menu, you�ll automatically be taken to the PlotPoint View print options. In the left box is a list of all your Plot Point headings, in chrono-logical order and without any Act/Chapter/Scene subdivisions. Check any or all of themin order to print their information, or click on the �Select all items� button, then choosespecific reports from the list on the right side of the screen.


PLOT POINTSPLOT POINTS print menu

GESTALT VIEW

The Gestalt View menu (image on next page) presents you with a screen divided (bydefault) into four columns, each of which contains information you�ve already created. Thedifference is that in this View, everything is presented in a more inclusive context so youimmediately see how things fit together, then move, edit or delete text or specific itemswith ease.

1. Act. Editable text boxes containing your description of what happens in each Act.

2. Chapters in Act. A list of your Chapter numbers. You can add, delete, edit, ordrag�n� drop Chapters to change their arrangement.

3. Plot Points in Chapter. A list of the Plot Points in any selected Chapter. You canadd, delete, edit, or drag �n� drop Plot Points to change their arrangement.

4. Plot Point Detail. An editable text box containing the text of the currently-selectedPlot Point.

RIGHTRIGHT-CLICKING-CLICKING on an item inGestalt View generates a pop-upmenu that allows you to cut, copy,edit or move the item

34


The GESTGESTALALT VIEWT VIEW lets you see everything at a glance—and move things, too. See previous page for number legend.

One way tohide or displaycolumns is byclicking onView, SetupGestalt View.

Adjust columnwidths by drag-ging verticalspacers withyour mouse

You can hideor displaycolumns byclicking here

4321

CONFLICT OVERVIEW

This View brings you to a unique, graphical display of your Structure document that showsat a glance how the Conflicts you�ve defined interact throughout the story (see next pagefor example). If you�ve defined Acts and Chapters, those are displayed as vertical �mark-ers� from left to right.

But the major players in Conflict Overview are the Conflicts you already defined in thePlot Point menu. Each Conflict displays on the Conflict Map as a jagged line delineatingthe lifespan of the Conflict, from its introduction to its resolution. Individual Conflicts canbe identified by the color of their lines, assigned to them under the �Introduces� tab ofeach conflict�s first Plot Point. The Plot Points themselves are represented by colored bul-lets (the color is determined by the category to which the Plot Point has been assigned; see�Index Cards� for more information). If you place the mouse pointer over a bullet, the rel-evant caption and text will display in the �Description of Plot Point #?� boxes at the bot-tom of the window.

Most important, though, is this: Each Plot Point is given a vertical orientation on the Map,representing that Point�s tension level. This enables you to see at a glance how your story�flows� from one Point to another. Is the drama building the way you want from Point toPoint, Chapter to Chapter and Act to Act, or are there weak spots where a number of low-value Points converge? Are there overly-energetic spots where too many things come to ahead at once? Does a Conflict lie dormant for too long, only to be resolved suddenly?

Remember, in Power Structure a“Conflict” is defined as “the mini-mum storytelling unit that includesits own beginning, middle and end.”

35


CONFLICT OVERCONFLICT OVERVIEWVIEW gives you a graphical look at your entire story structure. See next page for number legend.

This window displays thegraphed lines for each ofyour story’s Conflicts

When you assign aPlot Point to a colorcategory, the coloris applied to thebullet here as wellas in other Views

1

7

6

5432

9

8

You can’t adjust thetension level ofIntroduction andResolution Points!

These numbersrepresent theactual order ofthe Plot Points

If you haven�t already defined a tension level for a particular Plot Point, or want to changea Point�s level, simply drag its bullet along the vertical axis to the desired position.

In addition to the graph itself, you have the following option buttons:

(1) All Conflicts. Makes the chart display all Conflict lines and Plot Points.

(2) Current Conflict. If you click on a Plot Point and choose this option, all conflictlines except the one containing the selected Plot Point temporarily disappear.

(3) Unresolved Only. Sets the display so that the only conflict lines that remain visibleon the chart are those that have not yet been resolved.

(4) Hot Tracking. Ordinarily, when you move your pointer arrow from one part of thechart to another, nothing happens unless you click or right-click on a Plot Point.Single-clicking calls up boxes containing all the text relating to that Plot Point (moreon this below). Right-clicking calls up a menu of options (more on that below, too).

However, with Hot Tracking selected, moving the cursor over any Plot Point willinstantly call up the text boxes for that Point, no clicking required.

(5) Drag Tension Level. If you want to drag a Plot Point bullet up or down to adjust itstension level, you�ll need to click on this button first. Otherwise, it�s too easy to movea button unintentionally. Which creates an entirely different kind of tension that we�dprefer to avoid.

(6) Reorder Plot Points. Enables you to drag Plot Points horizontally across the graph,changing their order within the Conflict.

RIGHTRIGHT-CLICKING-CLICKING a BULLETBULLET on theConflict map produces an pop-up boxlike this one.

Right-Clicking a graphed LINELINE on theConflict Map produces a pop-up boxlike this one.

36


Text BBoxes

There are three text boxes in the Conflict Overview window, all of which display editabletext options when you click on a given Plot Point with your mouse. The input fieldsinclude:

(7) Active Conflict. Displays the text, if any, that you used to describe the Conflict ofwhich the currently-selected Plot Point is a part. If you scroll through the list of theseConflict descriptions, the selected Conflict line on the chart will change accordingly.

(8) The Conflict is (Introduced, Heightened, Resolved) in the following manner.Displays the text, if any, that describes how the currently-selected Plot Point is intro-duced, heightened, or resolved. If you scroll through the list of �heightened� scenedescriptions, the currently-selected Plot Point will change accordingly.

(9) Description of Plot Point #?. Contains an input field displaying the heading of thecurrently-selected Plot Point, as well as a larger input field containing the Plot Point�sdescription.

Mouse OOptions

Double-Click. If you double-click on any Plot Point or Conflict line, a list will pop upoffering choices of colors for that Conflict line. Click on the color you want, and the cur-rently-selected Conflict line will convert.

Right-Click. If you right-click on a Plot Point, the following list of options will appear:

◆ Heighten the Conflict in this Plot Point.◆ Resolve the Conflict in this Plot Point.

Conflict Overview (cont’d)

◆ Introduce a new Plot Point.◆ Delete this Plot Point completely.

The menu also offers options to:

◆ Show All Conflicts◆ Show Unresolved Conflicts◆ Show Unresolved Conflicts only

Clicking on your choice will eliminate irrelevant conflict lines, making it easier for you totrack specific kinds of conflicts, if you wish.

Printing from CConflict OOverview

When you access the Print menu from the Conflict Overview menu, you�ll automaticallybe taken to the Conflicts print options. In the left box is a list of all your Conflict head-ings. Check any or all of them in order to print their information, or click on the �Selectall items� button, then choose specific reports from the right side of the screen

NOTE: The Conflict Map itself does not print. Why not? Because without the dynam-ic text explaining what the charted information means, all you�d end up with is a prettygraph.

FULL SCREEN WP

This menu calls up a full-screen window (3) containing the text describing a Plot Point youselect from a drop-down list (4). It also includes options that allow you to create a new PlotPoint (1), change the name of the currently-selected Plot Point (2), or delete (5).

CONFLICTSCONFLICTS print options

37


INDEX CARDS VIEW

Here�s another amazingly versatile feature you�ll wonder how you ever lived without.There�s a long tradition of writers using index cards�blank 5 X 7 inch cards�to help themoutline their stories (especially scripts). Basically, the writer simply jotted any plot idea thatcame to mind down on a card, one idea (which is to say, one Plot Point) per card. Later,

The FULLFULL SCREEN WORD PROCESSINGSCREEN WORD PROCESSING Window

34

1 2

5NOTE: You can also scrollthrough all existing Plot Points byusing your up and down arrows

when enough cards had accumulated, the writer could literally shuffle them around, work-ing out the best dramatic arrangement without having to do any tedious cutting-and-past-ing. Eventually the entire story would be organized from beginning to end. Only thenwould the writing begin.

Power Structure�s Index Card mode (see next page for image) allows for the same flexibil-ity, plus some. Let�s see how.

Anywhere from one to sixty Power Structure �index cards� can be displayed on-screen atany one time, simply by adjusting the numbers in the �Rows� (1) and �Cards Across� (2)drop-down lists, and/or adjusting how much information displays in each card (4). You canalso assign Plot Points to various categories of your own devising, in order to see how dif-ferent kinds of Points interact over the course of the story. For example, you might wantto see how the scary parts of The Land of Nod play out relative to the domestic disputes,job problems and other issues facing Jeff Dittimore. Just assign one row of cards to �love,�another to �horror,� another to �internal,� and so forth�and then drag the Plot Pointcards into the relevant rows. You can see at a glance what kind of Plot Point it is by whichrow it�s in.

That�s still not all. You can assign each row a color to make it all the easier to recognize aPlot Point�s assigned category�not only in Index Card View but in any view where PlotPoints appear! Also, you can create an Index Card View where the Plot Points are all onthe top row, and the main Characters involved in the Point are displayed on lower rows (3).

38


STSTANDARD INDEX CARDSANDARD INDEX CARDS view with categories defined. See following pages for number legend.

Clicking thesebuttons lets youlabel differentrows for differentcategories of PlotPoints

Simply drag cardsup or down tochange their cate-gory assignment

41 2 3

Each card is borderedin the color you assignto that category/row(you can’t see the colors here

because, well, this manual is

printed in black and white)

Each card representsone Plot Point

Using IIndex CCards

For a long time, many writers (particularly screen- and stage writers, who are forced toadhere to relatively strict guidelines of length and structure) used 5X7 cardboard indexcards to help them outline their stories. Basically, one simply jotted any plot idea that cameto mind down on a card, one idea (which is to say, one Plot Point or Scene) per card. Whenenough cards had been accumulated, you could literally shuffle them around, working outthe best dramatic arrangement without having to do any tedious cutting-and-pasting.Eventually the entire story would be organized from beginning to end, and the writingcould begin.

Power Structure�s Index Card View (see next page) allows for the same flexibility, plussome. When you access Index Cards, you�ll notice that the cards are not three by five inch-es in size; in fact, you can view anywhere from one to sixty cards on-screen at a time byadjusting the numbers in the (1) �Rows� and (2) �Cards Across� boxes. The default set-ting is three rows by six columns. You can also choose to view either the complete text ofthe cards, the body text (the �details�) alone or, to really save space, the headings alone (4).

When you first access Index Card mode, and assuming you�ve already created some PlotPoints, you�ll see those Points displayed in the first row of boxes. You can edit the text ofany box by double-clicking on it, and you can rearrange the cards� order by dragging themfrom one position to another in the line. But that�s just the beginning. You also have theoption (3) of displaying the names of your main Characters under the Plot Points in whichthey appear, so you can consider and/or apply a �role� to the Character for that Point.

39


Categorizing Index CCards

There�s a vertical component to Index Card View, too, and you can drag cards up and downto different rows. What good does that do? This good: Let�s say you want to see at a glancewhere all your romantic Plot Points appear, or all your scary Plot Points, or all your argu-ments. Power Structure allows you to label different rows as different categories, then dragIndex Cards into the appropriate row, all without affecting the cards� horizontal order. Ontop of that, you can assign each row a color to make recognizing the category that mucheasier�especially because your color choices will show up in other views as well!

Here�s how to set up categories and colors:

1. Move your cursor to the vertical box at the far left end of the first row and right-click.An Edit box appears, labeled Select Category for Color.

2. Type in a label for the row�for example, �Scary� or �Love� or �Internal�; whatevermake sense to you. Hit Enter.

3. From the menu that appears, select a color for that category/row.

NOTE: Whatever color you choose will (by default) display as an outline around eachbox in the row, and also as a box adjacent to every Plot Point of that category whenyou use your Plot Point and Chapter menus. Not only that, but the bullet for eachPlot Point on the Conflict Map will also become the chosen color�and you can evenprint your index cards (assuming you�ve got a color printer) with the relevant colorborders!

Using Index Cards - Catagorizing Cards (cont’d)

Continue moving down the left-side column, labeling and assigning colors to as many rowsas you wish. Then simply drag your Index Cards into the appropriate row. As we saidbefore, their horizontal relationships with one another will remain unchanged.

“Mix wwith CCharacters”

As you can see, a row of buttons across the top of the Index Cards View allows you todecide how much information is displayed in each box: all the text of each Scene, the head-ings only, or the detailed text only. But there�s still more:

Note the drop-down list that defaults to the setting Plot Points ONLY. Click on the arrow,and you�ll see a second option: Mix with Characters. Click on that.

Immediately, all your Plot Points are shifted up to the top row (see image on next page).The remaining rows are labeled with the names of your Characters, and individual boxeswill display the role (if any) the Character was assigned in that particular Plot Point, as wellas any text you typed into the How is ??? affected by the Conflict? input field.

These Character rows are ordered according to your definition of the Characters� impor-tance, and in addition are automatically assigned to a �Major� (light blue) or �Minor� (lightgreen) group depending on how you defined the Character. If you have enough Characterson the list, you can scroll down by using the scroll bar on the right side of the screen. Notethat the top row of boxes (the one with your Plot Points in it) remains constantly in view;only the Character rows scroll.

When you switch the Character display on, you can view the role each Character plays ina given Plot Point, or create a role for them if one doesn�t exist. To do so, double-click onthe relevant box. A pop-up box appears, offering two options:

40


Index Cards view with CHARACTER NAMESCHARACTER NAMES

Each card in thePlot Points row isbordered in thecolor you assignto its category

Each CharacterName row isassigned a colordesignating“Major” or“Subplot” status

Clicking a Charactername tab pops up a listof existing characters.Then...

If the Character wasassigned a “role” inthe Plot Point, it’sdisplayed here...click on the

name you wantassigned tothat row

Select Character’s Role. This produces a drop-down list of the now-familiar Characterroles. Choose the one you want, or leave it blank.

Main input field. Here�s where you type in details concerning how the Character willreact to the events of the Plot Point.

Inserting , Deleting aand EEditing IIndex CCards

As you look at your Plot Points in Index Cards mode, you might discover places whereyou�d like to insert a new Point, make changes to an existing one, or delete one entirely. Asusual, you can do any of these things without having to change to some other View.

Inserting Cards

1. Right-click on the card you want the new one to go in front of. The Index Card editbox will pop up. Type in the short and/or long text for the Point.

2. Click Apply or press Enter. A new row containing the card is inserted.

Editing Cards

1. Double-click on the card you want to edit. The Index Card edit box will pop up, dis-playing the text for the selected Plot Point.

2. Make your changes, then click Apply or press Enter.

Deleting Cards

1. Right-click on the card you want delete. The Index Card edit box will pop up. SelectDelete This Card.

2. Answer �Yes� to the warning prompt.

The INDEX CARD EDITINDEX CARD EDIT pop-up menu

41


Printing Index CCard RReports

When you access the Print menu from the Index Cards menu, you�ll automatically be takento the Index Cards print options. In the left box is a list of all your Index Card headings.Check the box next to any or all of them in order to print their information, or click onthe �Select all items� button, then choose specific reports from the right-side list.

As you can see, these options include the ability to print the related Character cards if youwish, as well as to choose to print only certain categories of cards. You can also choose howmany cards to print on a page (pages are automatically laid out in horizontal or �landscape�orientation), regardless of how many cards are displayed on-screen.

The following two options might require additional explanation:

Always print cards in true positions. If you look back at the graphic of the Index CardView, you�ll notice that if you printed only the �Boys in conflict� row, you�d end up withlots of blank spaces where cards have been shifted into a different row. With this optionchecked, your printed document will include the blank cards. Uncheck this option, andyour printed document will not include any blank cards.

Print the card text justified. This means that the text within each card will print withfull left-to-right justification.

Using Index Cards (cont’d)

The INDEX CARDSINDEX CARDS print menu

42

Chapter 55—Other FFeatures aand OOptions

s we�ve said repeatedly, Power Structure is a very flexible program. Rather than forc-ing you to adhere to any particular methodology or layout, we let you choose thesethings for yourself, and mold the program to fit. This chapter covers in detail many

of these options, as well as features only touched upon in earlier chapters.

Customizing Terminology

Terminology vvs . Templates

�Terminology� refers to the words or labels assigned to certain functions or parts of a doc-ument in Power Structure. Different format types have different terminology lists. Forexample, a �Chapter� in the Novel format might be a �Scene� in the Screenplay format, andso on.

A �Template� is a collection of settings that you can load into any new or current docu-ment. Templates contain not only terminology lists, but also default Structure items (like5 Acts in a 5 Act Play) for a particular story format, either pre-defined or one that you cre-ate and name yourself.

There are nine standard templates, and you can create as many additional templates as youwish.

A

Editing Terminology

EDIT, TERMINOLOGY

This option brings up a collection of menus that includes virtually every term used inPower Structure. To edit an existing term, simply double-click on it in the list and makeyour changes. To delete a term or add one (these options are available for every categoryexcept �General�), click on the appropriate button. You�ll also have the option to �UseCurrent Terminology for all new stories.� If you check this box, any changes you make tothe lists will become your new default settings for future Structure documents.

The menus are:

General. Includes the most basic, or root, Power Structure categories. To repeat: Becausethis list is so basic and fundamental, you can change the existing terminology, but notdelete or add items.

Story Stage. By default, the terminology on this list conforms to the story stagesdescribed in Christopher Vogler�s The Writer�s Journey. If you�ve got something else inmind, go ahead and change, add or delete terms as desired.

Character Role. Again, the defaults employ terms from The Writer�s Journey.

General Topics. This menu has two separate lists, Character History Topics andStory/Theme Topics. Each list can be edited independently. These lists are used in theCharacter View (as discussed on page 39) and the Story/Theme View (page 35).

EDIT TERMINOLOGYEDIT TERMINOLOGY menus

43

Chapter 5�Other Features and Options

Saving Templates

Once you�ve modified or created a Structure document with a specific set of terminologylists that you intend to use again, you can save those settings for future retrieval. Simplyclick on Templates, then Save Structure Template. Another menu appears, offeringyou the same list of default templates you saw when you started a new file. If you selectone of these items, its default settings will be replaced with the settings you created.Alternatively, you can click on the User Defined option, and give the template a uniquename (the file will automatically be given the extension .trm, for �terminology�).

There�s also a Program Default option on the menu. If selected, this option sets the cur-rent file�s template to tbe program�s default settings.

Loading Templates

To retrieve and load a template into a new document, simply click on Templates, LoadStructure Template, and select a file from the list displayed. Double-click to load it into thecurrent document.

Editing Terminology (cont’d)The SASAVE STRUCTURE TEMPLAVE STRUCTURE TEMPLATETEmenu

Save yourownuniquetemplateby click-ing here

The LOAD STRUCTURE TEMPLALOAD STRUCTURE TEMPLATETEMenu

Power AAccess

(VIEW, POWER ACCESS)

Power Access takes story development to a new level by enabling you to access yourStructure information without ever leaving your Windows-compatible word processingprogram. No more toggling through documents on your computer, or flipping through thepages of a notebook to track down some crucial bit of information. It�s waiting for the clickof a mouse button or the touch of a couple of keys.

Here�s how it works: First, Power Structure and your word processor (or any otherWindows-based program, for that matter) must both be running. To launch Power Accessfrom within Power Structure, simply click on View, Power Access. Alternatively, you canlaunch it while you�re in your word processor by holding down the Windows key on yourkeyboard and pressing the letter �A.� Either way, the top margin of your main program�swindow will shift down a couple of inches, making room for the special Power Accessmenu bar to appear.

The Power Access MENU BARMENU BAR

44


POWER POWER ACCESSACCESS at work with a word processing program. See next page for number legend.

Power Access Menu

1 2

3

4

Word Processor Window

Once Power Access is launched, simply click on the tab of the category you wish toview (1), then choose the subcategory from the drop-down list (2) and click on the itemyou want. An �item detail� window (3) will pop up, offering more tabs and options forbringing up the exact information you�re looking for. Close the Item Detail box by click-ing on the X button in the upper-right corner (4). Any changes you made will be saved.

45


Untangling Conflicts

(TOOLS, CHECK ALL CONFLICTS FOR “TANGLING”)

No matter how idiosyncratic your approach to story development might be, certain logicalrules always apply�for example, a Conflict can�t end before it begins. But as you know,Conflicts are composed of Plot Points, one of which acts as the Conflict�s Introduction,and another as the Conflict�s Resolution. That�s perfect when the Conflict is first devised;however, when you begin editing your document you might want to rearrange certain PlotPoints without regard to the role they were originally assigned. If you get into a situationlike the one described above, where what was once a Conflict�s Introduction has beenmoved to the end of the Conflict, well, you�re obviously going to end up with strangeresults in some of the document views. We refer to these logical glitches as �tangles.�

Power Structure offers two methods for straightening tangles out. The first methodappears automatically when you try to move a relevant Plot Point from one location toanother in many of the Views. Depending on the nature of the Plot Point, you might get awarning pop-up window like the one displayed at left. As you can see, you have threeoptions.

(1) Ignore. If you choose this option, Power Structure will go ahead and move the PlotPoint to its new location even though it makes no logical sense. You can change thenature of the Plot Point later.

(2) Undo move. Returns the errant Plot Point to its original location.(3) Go to Plot Point. Opens the Plot Point�s editing window so you can change the

nature of the Point to a logical one for the current Conflict. For example, if a PlotPoint was once a Conflict Introduction and got moved into the middle of a differentConflict, you can change its designation to a �heightening� of the new Conflict.

The TTANGLE WANGLE WARNINGARNING helps youdeal with mixed-up Conflicts

1 2 3

Now, suppose you create and edit an entire Structure document and never once received apop-up warning about tangles. Are you home free? Maybe not, because there are just somany different ways to shuffle Plot Points around in Power Structure. To be absolutelycertain no tangles exist, click on Tools, Check all Conflicts for “Tangling.” Power Structurewill scan your entire Plan for tangles, and if it finds any, produce a pop-up menu contain-ing a relevant warning. If you click OK, you�ll be taken to that Plot Point�s editing win-dow, where you can make the necessary adjustments.

46


Using TTitle PPage PPublisher

(FILE, CREATE TITLE PAGE)

Power Structure offers a WYSIWYG interface for creating title pages for your Structuredocuments�or for the manuscript itself, if you wish. This interface (see next page) is semi-graphical, in that you create text boxes which you then drag around and align on-screen.The reason for this interface is that ordinary word processors become awkward when youtry to compose and situate dissimilar blocks of text�for example, a left-justified blockcontaining address and telephone information to go in the upper right-hand corner, anoth-er left-justified block to go in the upper right-hand corner, a centered block containing thetitle in a certain font, then the byline, also centered, and then perhaps agent information inyet another box in the lower right-hand corner. Power Structure�s Title Page Publisherenables you to mix and match these elements to your heart�s content.

As you can see, the display page in Title Page Publisher is marked with punch holes (whichare used for screenplays and stage plays, but not for novels) and an optional non-printinggrid that you can use to roughly position text boxes. To create the boxes themselves, sim-ply point the cursor more or less where you want the box to appear, then double-click. Atext editing window (1) will open. Here�s where you type in the text you want to appear inthat particular box, along with whatever formatting (alignment, font type, style and size,etc.) you want associated with it. When you click OK, a box containing the text appears onthe WYSIWYG screen (2). Drag it with the mouse to position it.

The TITLE PTITLE PAGE PUBLISHERAGE PUBLISHER Window

1Double-clicking any-where on the page popsup a text editing box

2After entering text intothe edit box, click OKto put it on the page

These optionsare used to aligntext boxes withone another--nottext lines withina box!

Tabs “toggle”betweenhorizontal andvertical align-ment options

47


Using Title Page Publisher (cont’d)

Repeat this process for your other blocks of text. If you want to align multiple textblocks�the title and byline, for example�with one another precisely, first position onebox where you want it to go, then hold down your Shift key and click on any other boxesyou want aligned with it. Now click on the appropriate options from the right side of thescreen (note that there are tabs for both horizontal and vertical alignment), and the boxeswill line up accordingly.

When you�re all done, click OK. The title page will be stored as part of this particularStructure file. You can also save a title page as a separate document for loading later, so youwon�t have to recreate the whole layout, but instead can simply edit existing text to reflecta new document. Just click on the Save button and type in a name for the title page, thenclick OK. To load an existing title page into a new document, open the new document, thenclick on File, Create Title Page, and Load. Select the title page from the list.

Search aand RReplace

(SEARCH, SEARCH AND REPLACE)

When you want to find a given word in your Structure document, or replace a word, this iswhere you start. The interface is pretty much the same as for most Windows programs,except that you can specify which sections of the document you wish to search (or choose�Anywhere� to search them all).

The image at left shows the Search & Replace window, which is identical to the Search win-dow except for the addition of the �Replace Text� field and the options below:

(1) Match Case. Click this button if you want to ensure that the new word matches thecase of the word being replaced.

(2) Whole Words ONLY. This option ensures that Power Structure doesn�t replace partof a word with the new word. For example, if you�re putting in the word �tiger� for�cat� and do not choose this option, then the word �catamaran� would become�tigeramaran.�

(3) Replace w/o Prompt. When selected, means that Power Structure will simply scanyour document and replace all instances of the desired word without stopping eachtime to ask if it�s okay to do so. Otherwise, it politely enquires of every instance, soyou can tell it what to do.

The SEARCH & REPLACESEARCH & REPLACE Window

1

2

3

48


The QUICK NOTEQUICK NOTE Window

1

Click thisicon...

...to create oredit a Noteheading

Quick NNote PPad

(TOOLS, QUICK NOTE PAD)

This is Power Structure�s answer to yellow stickies. If you have an idea or question butdon�t want to jump out of whatever work you�re currently involved in to jot it down,simply call up Quick Note Pad and type it in. You can always find it again later.

To launch , click on Tools, , or use the Quick Key combination Ctrl+Q. The box at left willpop up on your screen. If you�re creating a new note, click on the Note icon and type your�reference text� into the input field that appears. Reference text is a short label that willallow you to recognize this Note easily when it appears in a list of other Notes. Press Enter,and the reference text appears in the left-hand side of the Quick Note window (1). You canthen type details text into the larger right-hand side of the window (2). Close the Notepadby clicking on the �Close� icon or the X button in the upper right-hand corner; your notewill automatically be saved and listed the next time you open QNP.

Printing from QQuick NNote PPad

When you access the Print menu from Quick Note Pad (not shown), you�ll automaticallybe taken to the Quick Notes print options. In the left box is a list of all your existing Noteheadings. Check the box next to any or all of them in order to print their information, orclick on the �Select all items� button. There is one option in the right-side window:�Include text of notes.� Select that if you want to print the full text of the note, and notjust its heading.

Name BBank

TOOLS, NAME BANK

Here�s yet another feature to make your story creation efforts easier and more creative.Name Bank is just what it sounds like�a compendium of first and family names for bothmen and women. But Name Bank is a lot better name source than the phone book, andmore fun to use, too. Here�s why:

◆ Choose from lists of men�s, women�s and family names from various cultures.

◆ If you have a vague memory of a name but can�t recall the whole thing, just type thefirst few letters into the �Find Name� box, and the list will automatically scroll clos-er and closer to the name you�re looking for.

◆ Once you find names you like, drag them into the �Personal Favorites� box, fromwhich they�ll be automatically added to your Personal Lists for future reference.

◆ Paste names directly into your Power Structure document simply by selecting aname, then copying it and pasting it into your document.

NAME BANKNAME BANK puts thousands ofCharacter names at your fingertips

Start typinghere, and thelist will auto-matically scrollto the closestmatch

Drag yourfavoritenames herefor easy futurereference

49


Pitching with PPower SStructure

As described earlier, a �pitch� refers specifically to a live, in-person presentation about ascreenplay that the writer makes to one or more movie industry people. The fundamentalpurpose of the pitch is to cram a wedge of Chapters View in a door that swings shut veryquickly. The pitch must therefore be very exciting, clear and concise�and flexible, becauseit�s made in person. This means that if you get the feeling you�re losing your audience, youmight have to quickly tighten your presentation; if they look confused, you might want toexpand on it. All on the spot.

Like any live speech, a pitch works best when the presenter�you�doesn�t just sit theredoggedly reading from his or her notes. The pitch should come across as spontaneous, con-fident, vivid. Which means that your notes should be easy to follow at a glance, and organ-ized in such a way that the most important information is the most readily accessible, incase you don�t have the opportunity to elaborate.

Power Structure handles all this beautifully. You can limit yourself to writing a super-briefpitch using the relevant sections of Power Structure, or you can print out a more detaileddocument and pitch using that. If you choose the latter course, you can use the primaryheadings as �triggers� to remind you of your story progression as you pitch, and glance atmore detailed information only when necessary.

As always, Power Structure is available to act as a prod and a crutch to your fevered imag-ination.

Print out just enough information fora compelling PITCH PITCH

Updating Power SStructure

Every time you install Power Structure, you�ll be given the chance to automatically updatethe program (assuming you have Internet access, that is). But what about updates inbetween installations?

As it happens, a handy program called �Webgrab� is already listed in your Power Structureprogram group. Webgrab examines your current Power Structure files, determines whichare up to date and which aren�t, and presents you with a list of needed files. You can dese-lect any that you don�t want to replace, or leave the list as-is and click OK. Assumingyou�re logged onto the Internet, Webgrab will automatically download the selected updat-ed files from our web site and install them for you. It�s as simple as that.

The WEBGRAB INTERNETWEBGRAB INTERNETUPDAUPDATERTER will automatically find outwhat new files you need, and updatethem for you!

50

51

A sample ACT/CHAPTER PACT/CHAPTER PAGEAGEprinted in Power Structure

Chapter 66� Printing

lthough Power Structure can, of course, be run at the same time as your wordprocessing program, and Power Access makes your Structure information even morereadily available, the time will likely come when you want a hard copy of your docu-

ment. Or you might be preparing a pitch or synopsis presentation which you want onpaper. In other words, it�s time to print stuff out.

Not surprisingly, Power Structure offers numerous printing options. Because of this,detailed instructions on printing particular Structure information has already been provid-ed throughout this manual in the relevant sections. What follows is the generic informationabout printing in Power Structure.

Accessing tthe PPrint MMenu

There are several methods for accessing the main Print menu (pictured on next page):

Option One: Click on File, Print Reports.

Option Two: Click on the Print icon on the button bar.

Option Three: Press Ctrl+P.

A

A typical PRINT MENUPRINT MENU Page

Select specificitems to printfrom this list

Select particularcategories to printfrom this list

Click on a viewto access itsoptions page

A “green light”indicates anoption is selected

This sectionis the samefor ALL printmenus

Click to switchoff ALL category“green lights”

Click to selectALL items inabove list

Lets you switchto a printerother than yourWindows defaultprinter

52

The PRINT OPTIONSPRINT OPTIONS menu. See following pages for number legend.

2

10

6

11

12

1

14

15

9

3

13

8

75

Note that changes madeto fonts here do not affectthe DISPLAY of text inPower Structure, but onlyprinted pages!

4

Print MMenu LLayout

The main Print menu contains several pages of options, for the most part corresponding tothe different Structure document Views. You�ll notice that the print options for whateverView you were in when you decided to print will automatically be in the forefront,although you can select another View�s options simply by clicking on its page header.

The exception to this rule is the last page, which is the main Options menu. We�ll deal withthat one separately. For now, here�s the scoop on how the majority of the Print pages arelaid out and work:

Each Print menu page consists of two halves. The half on the left contains the printableitems for the currently-selected View; simply click on the CheckBox next to any item youwant to print, or click the button labeled �Select all items� to choose them all.

The half on the right contains a list of all the printable categories within a selected View.By default, all available categories are selected the first time you print items from that View;to deselect a particular category, click on its green-lit button. To deselect them all, click onthe button labeled �Clear all selected.� The settings you choose on a given print job will besaved as your defaults for the next print job.

OPTIONS PAGE

The Print Options page (see next page for image) contains options that apply to allStructure Views and categories you print out.

Chapter 6�Printing

53

P a g e MM a r g i n s(1) Power Structure lets you choose from four widths, ranging from 1/4 inch to a full

inch, for your left and bottom margins. This lets you make allowances for binder ringsif you wish, and also for the notoriously variable amount of white space differentprinters need at the bottom of a page. The top and right margins are fixed.

Categories

Provides options defining how much information prints for the selected category, whatfont is used, and other things. Options include the ability to:

(2) Print the Category headings (such as “Plot Points” or “Quick Notes”).

(3) Print “Not specified” for that Category’s text.

(4) Not print that specific instance of the Category

To illustrate: Let�s say that while you were creating a certain character in Character View,you didn�t bother filling out her �Physical Characteristics� category. But as a reminder toyourself, you want the printed document to indicate where that information would nor-mally have been placed.

The solution is simple: before printing, select both a) �Print Category headings,� and b)�Print �Not Specified� for that Category�s text� from this menu.

The printed-out result for the Character in question will look something like this:

Physical Characteristics

Not Specified

Footer TText

(5) Is where you type in whatever you�d like to have print on the bottom of each page.Also includes:

(6) A handy button for inserting the copyright (©) symbol;

(7) Inserts the file name in the footer.

Other OOptions

At the bottom of the Print menu are various options for setting general printing prefer-ences. They include:

(8) How much white space should print between lines of text;(9) The option to use the current font and spacing settings for all future print jobs;(10) Whether or not to print text �justified�; i.e., aligned on both the left and right mar-

gins.(11) Whether or not to print a box around the text on each page; (12) Whether or not to allow text to be �orphaned� (i.e., a single line from the beginning

of a paragraph being left alone on a page, all sad and abandoned-looking); (13) Whether or not to place numerals in front of each Plot Point, designating its position

in the story and on the Conflict Overview graph;

(14) Font options.

Once you�ve made your choices in the various menus, click either �Print� or...


54


Print Menu - Options Page (cont’d)

15) “Print Certain Pages Only.” This option enables you to choose a range of pages,rather than all the pages in the selected views and categories.

At first, printing �certain pages only� might seem like a Catch-22 situation. After all,no page numbers appear in Power Structure itself (because you can print Views in anyorder you prefer), so how can you possibly know what pages you need to print untilyou�ve printed the pages, right? Well, yes. But that�s okay, because this option isdesigned for two situations in which you�ll want to reprint only part of a job: 1)You�ve already printed a portion of the document and only need to print out the pagesyou�ve since changed; or 2) your printer mangled a couple of pages of a job and youneed to reprint those. Either way, the existing hard-copy will indicate which pagenumbers to reprint.

Selecting aand UUnselecting PPrint OOptions

If an option button has a �green light� on it, that option is selected. Initially, every optionon the page will be selected. Click a button to deselect its option. Each time you exit theOption page of the Print menu, the current settings will be saved as the new defaults.

55

Select your preference to start a NEWNEWPower Structure file

NOTE: If you’re not familiar withthe term “Plot Point,” or anyother term you run across inthis chapter, please consult theindex

Now—Without FFurther AAdo ...

Click on File, New, and choose Novel Format. Then�

Save IIt

That�s right. Before you do anything else, click on File, Save, name the document �Jack andJill� and click Save. Now, if you accidentally step on your power strip switch and shut offyour computer, you won�t lose everything. In fact, if you�re smart�and even thoughPower Structure does create automatic backup files�you�ll periodically do a manual saveas you work. It�s simply a good work habit.

Now that that�s taken care of...

Choices , Choices

Yep; you�re immediately faced with a decision. If you�re an extremely systematic thinker,you might want to begin your Jack and Jill document by deciding how many Chapters itwill contain, and then filling in the Plot Point details for each one. Or perhaps you�re moreof a �brainstormer� who prefers to first jot down all your plot ideas�regardless of theireventual order or category�and then organize them at your leisure. Or you might be thekind of writer who needs to know at least some details about your characters before youcan figure out what they�re going to do, in which case you�ll want to start with theCharacters options.

Power Structure allows you to assemble your story�s pieces in whatever order you choose.But for the purposes of this exercise we�ll follow the same sequence as Power Structure�sView tabs, which is a pretty common order of development for any story.

NOTE: This chapter is intended tohelp you create a Structure docu-ment with a minimum of fuss, sowe won’t be explaining everythingin minute detail here. That’s whatthe rest of the manual is for!

Chapter 77—Power SStructure QQuick SStart

kay, so you�re impatient to create your first Power Structure document. You�ve gotthe program installed�what�s next?

Ordinarily, your first step would be to consider what medium your story is intended tocome out in: print, stage or screen. However, for the sake of this demonstration we�ll makethe choice for you: we�re going to develop a story for a novel. Not only that, but to keepyou focused on learning to use Power Structure�s tools, we�ll supply the story as well: It�sa little ditty called Jack and Jill.

If you�re not a novelist (or Mother Goose), don�t worry; these tools and options, some-times under different names, apply identically to stories written for other media.

Follow AAlong

This chapter will lead you through your lessons in as direct and linear a fashion as possible.We understand that there are numerous ways to approach any given aspect of your story,and our primary goal is to give you the freedom to use them�but for now, we suggest youfollow us carefully. Select the menus and items we suggest, and fill in text as we direct.Trust us, this will be a big help later, when we start using Power Structure�s advanced toolsfor viewing and manipulating this information.

Having said all that, let us add that we won�t make you fill out every single field we comeacross. For example, our first exercise will be to put in Story/Theme information. There arefive default categories to examine, but we�ll work with only two, which is enough to showyou how this particular View works, and how to use it.

O

56

By the way, keep in mind that because the various Views interact with one another, theorder you use them in can affect the options that are available at any given time. For exam-ple, if you create your Plot Points before you develop your Characters, the Who is thisConflict between? question in the Plot Point View will, for obvious reasons, be unanswer-able at that moment.

This TTime—Really With NNo FFurther AAdo ...

Let�s proceed to create our first Power Structure document. Like we said, we�ll begin withthe heart of the program, its nine Views.

STRUCTURE VIEWSTRUCTURE VIEW tabs are a quick way to access your View menus.

NOTE: If your screenwidth is less than 1024pixels, you’ll need to usethe scroll buttons ateither end of the tab bar to access all the Views

Chapter 7�Power Structure Quick Start

The STSTORORY/THEMEY/THEME View

Adjust the slider bar to changethe size of display text

Click here to deletean item from the list

Type text into this boxafter choosing an itemfrom the list

Drop-down listof choices

Story //Theme VView

57

STORY / THEME VIEW

This View (see previous page) is where you can define the very broadest, big picture viewof your story. What�s it about? What does it mean? What deep ideas, if any, are you tryingto express?

To AAccess SStory /Theme VView:

◆ On your main menu bar, click View, then Story/Theme View; or◆ Press Ctrl+1; or◆ Click Story/Theme on the View tab bar.

To prod your thinking, Power Structure provides a drop-down list containing five differ-ent ways to approach these Big Questions. You can respond to all, some or none of them,or you can create and answer your own questions if you prefer. To respond to the items�

Method:

1. Click on the down-arrow button of the Category drop-down list.

NOTE: Again, to save you from gratuitous typing, for this demonstration we�ll dealwith only a couple of the options on the list.

2. Click on the Premise item.

3. Type the following into the main input field:

A woman, following the man she loves, falls to her tragic death.


You can ACCESSACCESS Power Structure’sViews in three ways.

QuickKeys

StructureView TabMain

menu

Now we want to type in a Theme. Simply click on the drop-down list again, and this timeselect Theme. Then type:

It�s better to live a short, full life than a long one spent avoiding pain.

To go back to Premise or any other category on the list, simply click on it; any text you�vealready written will be saved automatically.

STORY / THEME VIEW Customizing

If you wish to add, edit or delete any of the categories on the drop-down list, you have twooptions. The first one is handled from within Story/Theme View itself, as follows:

Method:

1. While in Story/Theme View, Click the Create New Category button. In the editingbox that appears, type:

Concept

2. Click OK.

Click on the drop-down list again. Concept is now on the list. But we�re not satisfied withit, so�

Method:

1. Click Concept on the list.

2. Click the Change Category Name button.

3. Type “High Concept” in as the category name and click OK.

NOTE: You can write asmuch text as you like inthe main input fields: aword, a sentence, theentire story.

58

Check the drop-down list again. Do we really need this new item? Nah; let�s get rid of it.To do so, simply�

Method:

1. Select High Concept from the list.

2. Click on the big X button to the right of the drop-down list. Answer Yes to theprompt.

Check the drop-down list once more. High Concept is gone.

The second way to edit this list is a bit more involved, because it lets you change the textused in virtually all the drop-down lists, as well as many other terms, all from a singlesource. Although it�s covered in detail in Chapter 5, �Other Features and Options,� let�sget some practice using it right now�

Terminology TTime OOut

If you know you�re going to be modifying a lot of your Terminology lists, you can do itmost efficiently from the Edit Terminology menu. For the purposes of this demonstrationwe�re only changing one item, but you�ll get the point. Proceed as follows:

Method:

1. Click Edit, Terminology.

2. On the menu that appears, click General Topics. You�ll see buttons for adding anddeleting items, but in this case we�re going to do some editing. So�

3. In the Story/Theme Topics window, double-click Synopsis.


EDIT TERMINOLOGYEDIT TERMINOLOGY, GeneralOptions menu

Double-click an item to pop upthe Edit box

4. An edit box appears. Type in:

Treatment

5. Click OK.

The term Treatment now replaces Synopsis on the drop-down list.

Congratulations, you�ve just created the first couple of pieces of your Power Structure doc-ument. Now we suggest you do a manual save to preserve your work. To repeat, we obvi-ously know there�s an automatic backup, but that�s not always going to save your very lat-est changes in the event of an emergency. So, to do the manual save�

Save OOptions

Methods:

◆ Click File, Save�; or◆ Press Ctrl+S.; or◆ Click the Save icon.

59


The CHARACTERSCHARACTERS View. See following pages for number legend.

4

Type details abouteach “motivation”category into thisbox

9

5

3

Delete categoryfrom list

7

8

6Move Charactersfrom one cate-gory to anotherby simply drag-ging the item

10

1

2

Add new categoryto list

Characters VView

60

CHARACTERS VIEW

Characters are, of course, the people, entities or other living things that act and are actedupon in your story. Whether you want to develop your Characters down to the last nuanceor sketch them out just enough to immediately kill them in battle, this is the View to do itin.

To AAccess CCharacters VView:

◆ On your main menu bar, click View, then Characters View; or◆ Press Ctrl+2; or◆ Click Characters on the View tab bar.

When you open the Character View, your main window (see previous page) splits into twoparts. This is a very common Power Structure layout, so it helps to get acquainted with it.On the left side of the screen, as displayed in the graphic at left, are the three main cate-gories for this item. These are:

Major Character (1). This category includes those personalities who matter most: yourhero (the protagonist or viewpoint Character) and villain (the antagonist or obstacle char-acter), their best friends, cronies and the like.

Subplot Character (2). These Characters are most relevant to the secondary aspects ofyour story.

Other Character (3). These are the most incidental Characters, like the unknown guywho always beamed down to a planet at the beginning of each episode of the original StarTrek�and was promptly killed.


Main CHARACTER CHARACTER categories

Each item has a plus sign next to it, which indicates that subcategories nest within. This iswhat we�re looking for, so�

Method:

1. Click on the plus sign (which then becomes a minus) next to Major Character.

2. Three subcategories appear:

◆ Antagonist◆ Protagonist◆ New

Note that each of these items has its own plussign, and therefore additional subcategories.For now, click directly on the Hero item. Avariety of options appear on the right side ofthe screen.

Incidentally, regarding these options, we can�t repeatit often enough: You do not need to fill everythingout. For the sake of practice we�ll be thorough now,but needn�t be in the future if it�s your nature tokeep things sketchy. The options exist as much to stimulate your creative processes as tohelp you organize your thoughts, and the input fields are available so you can work outdetails if you so desire�and when you so desire. You�re free to add, delete or modify infor-mation whenever you wish, or to simply leave boxes blank if that suits you.

MAJOR CHARACTERMAJOR CHARACTER subcategories

NOTE: A plus sign nextto an item indicates thatsubcategories are nestedwithin. Simply click theplus sign to access them.

NOTE: Although by default weuse the terms "Protagonist"and "Antagonist" for our heroand his or her opposite, remem-ber that you can change theseterms to whatever you like. Forexample, if you’re writing aromantic comedy and don’thave an “antagonist” in theclassic sense of a “bad guy,”you might prefer a less aggres-sive term. Feel free!

61

Let�s continue developing our Hero.

3. Name (4). Here�s where you type in�well�the Hero�s name. If this were an origi-nal story and you were uncertain what name to use, you could type in a temporarychoice and replace it later, or, better, access Name Bank to construct the perfectmoniker (for more on Name Bank, see Chapter 5, �Other Features and Options�). Inthis case, our Hero�s name is well-known:

Jill

Type that in and press Enter. �Jill� now replaces Hero in all lists where the Hero�s nameappears. Now let�s move on to the next option, which is�

4. Sex (5). �Yes� is not a choice. Select:

Female

5. Age (6). In a novel, you can be as precise here as you like. If you�re writing for stageor screen, remember that ultimately, someone else is almost certain to decide whatactor plays the part. Screenwriters are constantly finding their fifty year-old heroinebeing played by the teenaged bimbo of the year. Of course, if you want to describe Jillin detail for your own internal reasons, that�s just fine. Here, we�ll use�

Mid 30�s

6. Education (7). If this makes a difference, use it!

Advanced degree

7. Profession (8). What a person does for a living usually says a lot about them.

Social Worker


Characters View - Details (cont’d)

8. Marital status (9). This matters a lot to poor Jill.

Divorced

The next drop-down list (10), which is untitled but could be called �Motivations,� con-sists, by default, of seven headings designed to make you think hard about the events orattitudes that helped shape the Jill�s personality and outlook on life. As before, for pur-poses of this illustration, we�ll only fill out a couple of items:

Method:

1. Click on Biggest Failure to Date. Type in:

Her previous marriage to Dick. When he left her to have fun with Jane, she losteverything, even her dog Spot. Because she felt so helpless herself, she becamea social worker to help others.

2. Click on 1and type in:

Getting this placement in the foothills of the Peruvian Andes.

62

CHARACTERS VIEW Modifications

The Motivations drop-down list can be modified if you�d prefer to ask different questions.Again, you can use the Edit Terminology menu, or do the job from the Character Viewitself. Let�s practice the latter.

Method:

1. Click on the Add/Edit icon to the left of the drop-down list.

2. Select Add from the options that appear.

3. Type “Ugliest Fantasy” in the input field and click OK. The new item is added to thedrop-down list.

That�s it! Now we�ll move on through our other Characters categories.


Use the ADD/EDIT CAADD/EDIT CATEGORTEGORYY pop-up to change your Motivations list

CHARACTERS VIEW Physical CCharacteristics

It�s time to describe what Jill looks like, and how that might affect her behavior.

Method:

1. Back on the left-hand side of the screen, click the plus sign next to Jill�s name. Moresubcategories appear.

2. Click Physical Characteristics. A new set of drop-down lists and input fields appearson the right.

3. Click in the Distinguishing Physical Attributes input field. Again, describing a char-acter�s looks can be problematic depending upon the type of story you�re writing. Inthe case of novels or short stories, you can be as explicit here as you like. But if you�rewriting for the stage or screen, physical appearance is usually left pretty vague unlessthere�s some specific feature, like a scar or a mechanical arm, that�s crucial to the story.In our case, Jill has�

Stunningly blue eyes.

4. How would an observer describe him or her? In other words, how does Jill �comeacross� to the outside world?

Quite attractive although she hides it well under big glasses and a tight bun.

5. How would he or she describe him- or herself? When compared to how others see Jill,this shows any flaws or inaccuracies in her own self-image.

Plain Jane. Unlike the one that stole her husband.

The full list of MAJORMAJORCHARACTERCHARACTER subcategory items

63

CHARACTERS VIEW Desires & Goals

What does Jill want�or at least think she wants?

Method:

1. On the left side of the screen, click on the category Desires & Goals; then start fill-ing out the options on the right side:

2. What are his/her Desires and Goals? This is often a central question about anysignificant Character, because it determines so much of what he or she does (for goodor ill).

To make the world a better place; to right all the wrongs -- and to work so hardthat she can forget about Dick and her abandonment.

3. How does having these Desires & Goals affect both the Character and theStory? In other words, what makes them more than just internal quirks?

She has run away from the world to forget and it has brought her here to thefoothills of the Peruvian Andes.


The DESIRES & GOALS DESIRES & GOALS menu

CHARACTERS VIEW Strengths & Virtues

What qualities of character make Jill an admirable person?

Method:

1. Click the next item on the left side of the screen: Strengths & Virtues.

2. What are his/her Strengths and Virtues? What lies on the plus side of Jill�s internalbalance sheet?

Extremely bright and hard working; a go-getter who won�t take no for ananswer.

3. How does having these Strengths and Virtues affect both the Character andthe Story? Another question to stimulate creative thought. In most stories, comingup with a fleshed-out Character isn�t enough; ultimately, how a Character�s traitsaffect other Characters or the story itself is what matters.

She�s not afraid of the difficulties of the climb�she�s sure that hard work canaccomplish anything.

The STRENGTHS & VIRTUESSTRENGTHS & VIRTUES menu

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CHARACTERS VIEW Faults & Weaknesses

What internal qualities stand the way of Jill�s success and fulfillment?

Method:

1. Click on the next item on the left side of the screen, Faults & Weaknesses.

2. What are his/her Faults and Weaknesses? What qualities of personality workagainst Jill?

Being abandoned has broken her spirit and left her extremely vulnerable. Tocompensate, she�s built a wall around herself that won�t let anyone in.

3. How does having these Faults and Weaknesses affect both the Character andthe Story? As with virtues, it�s not the fault itself that matters so much as how thatfault affects the circumstances surrounding Jill.

It is her unavailability that makes her attractive to Jack, as he believes he canpretty much seduce any woman.


The FFAULAULTS & WEAKNESSES TS & WEAKNESSES menu

CHARACTERS VIEW Character AArc

In this case, the Character Arc defines how Jill changes during the course of the story.

Method:

The two main questions to answer are:

1. What will he or she learn in the course of this story? In other words, how willJill�s world view be altered before the end of the story?

That if you don�t risk anything, you�ll never gain anything.

2. How will he or she be changed by having gone through the experiences in thisstory? In the vast majority of fiction, the Hero undergoes changes as the story pro-gresses. That�s what you want to think about here.

She�ll have recovered her love of life; and died happy.

As you can see, the Character Arc subcategory has a plus sign next to it, indicating stillother options within. Click the plus sign and the items Act One, Act Two, and Act Threeappear. Clicking on any of these subcategories produces the following input options:

1. Goal at Beginning of Act. To show where Jill is �coming from� as the story begins.

To work hard and improve the lives of the Peruvian foothill folk.

2. Goal at End of Act. To show how Jill�s goal has changed�or not.

To get Jack out of town.

The CHARACTER CHARACTER ARC ARC menu

65

3. In this Act, how do they change and what do they learn? It�s always dangerousto generalize about what fiction �must� or �must not� consist of, but in the vastmajority of cases, if a major Character undergoes no changes at all, there�s probablyno story; there�s certainly little in the way of drama.

She is hiding from the world; not participating in it. And when Jack comes totown and starts disrupting things, she has to take an active role to get rid of him.

4. How is their Jeopardy increased in this Act? Generally, a Character gets intodeeper and deeper water from which they must escape before the final page, curtainor end credit.

Her repressed attraction to Jack is the beginning of the end for her.

Well, that�s it, we�ve developed one complete Character. But most stories have two or moreCharacters in them, so�

Next IIn LLine , Please…

Let�s get Jack whipped into shape. Move your mouse to the left side of the screen, click onObstacle Character and start filling in the same options you used with Jill:

1. Name: Jack

2. Sex: Male

3. Age: Mid-thirties

4. Profession: Professional dowser (you know, those folks who find water with aforked stick).



5. Education: High School

6. Marital Status: Single (and intending to stay that way)

7. Motivation: This time around, we�ll fill out only one item on the list:

Character’s Role (or Reason for being in this Story):

He is the devil-may-care rogue who helps Jill find joy in life, but who ultimatelyleads her to her doom.

Physical

1. Distinguishing Physical Attributes:

Exceptionally strong, though not in a weight lifter kind of way.

2. How would an observer describe him? Handsome in a rough kind of way. Could use a shave.

3. How would he describe himself? Indiana Jones.

Desires & Goals

1. What are his desires & goals? To find that big one--to do a dowsing that no one has ever done before.

2. How does having these desires & goals affect both the Character and thestory? It�s what ultimately leads him--and Jill--to their doom in the Andes.

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Strengths & Virtues

1. What are his strengths & virtues? Honesty and caring for others, though he tries to hide these virtues under arough, devil-may-care exterior.

2. How does having these strengths & virtues affect both the Character and thestory?It�s what attracts Jill to him and what makes him such a successful leader.

Faults & Weaknesses

1. What are his faults & weaknesses? Idealistic, a bit of a dreamer, doesn�t consider the practicality of things.

2. How does having these faults & weaknesses affect both the Character and thestory? Jill is intrigued by his qualities as a dreamer and the spontaneity that it pro-duces.

And his impracticality is what ultimately leads them to their deaths.

That�s it for Jack; we won�t bother creating a Character Arc for him. But we still have onecategory left to explore on the left-hand side of the screen, and that is New…



This is how to create a brand-new Character within the currently-selected category (in thiscase, Major). Simply:

Method:

1. Double-click the “New” item. An input field pops up into which you type the chosenname. Let�s use:

The villagers

2. Click Apply or press Enter and �The villagers� appears on the left-hand side of thescreen, along with its own set of subcategories. Which we don�t need to go throughagain, because by now you�re an expert. Right? Time to move on!

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The 3 3 ACT STRUCTUREACT STRUCTURE View. See following pages for numbers legend.

1

2

Because youalready createdCharacter informa-tion, you’ll find itavailable here, too.

You can also edit,delete and additems to theCharacter subcate-gory from thisView.

3 ACT STRUCTURE VIEW

This is the classic �beginning, middle and end� framework used (overtly or otherwise) inmost fiction. To define it another way, �In the first act you get your characters up a tree;in the second act you throw rocks at them, and in the third act you get them back down.�

To AAccess 33 AAct SStructure VView:

◆ On your main menu bar, click View, then Three Act View; or◆ Press Ctrl+3; or◆ Click 3 Act Structure on the View tab bar.

Method:

1. Click Act One, and two input fields will appear on the right side of the screen.. Thefirst, General Act Information (1) is where you create a basic synopsis of the mainevents that are to occur during this Act.

Jack and Jill meet in the Andean foothills.

The next box on the right is: What has to be accomplished to get us to the ActBreak? (2). As you develop your Act, you�re going to have ideas you want todevelop, information that must be conveyed, and miscellaneous other tasks that mustbe taken care of in the current Act. This option gives you a place to jot these itemsdown, so they�ll always be visible in Views where the information is important.Furthermore, you�ll be able to tell if the item has been dealt with already because if ithas, it will be checked off.

3 AAct SStructure VView

68

2. Initially, this field is blank except for the option New Item… Double-click that and...

3. a Create/Edit box (3) opens. Type in:

Introduce Jill�s backstory�why she�s hiding in the Andes.

4. Click OK.

5. Back in the What has to be accomplished… box, double-click New Item�; this timetype in:

Setup initial dislike between Jack & Jill.

6. Click OK.

7. Repeat steps 1-3, only this time type in:

Have Jill discover Jack�s true (virtuous) motives.

8. Click OK.

You�ll notice that every item you add to this input field has a CheckBox next to it. Rightnow, none of the items is checked, and if you try to check one you�ll get a warning boxtelling you you can�t do it from this View. Go ahead. Give it a shot.

What does this mean?

Think of the What has to be accomplished? field as a shopping list. If you need to go gro-cery shopping for a lot of food, you�d probably start by looking in your pantry and fridgeto see what needs to be on your list. But you�d never check items off the list before youwent to the store, right? What would be the point? No, you�d take your list to the store



with you, and check items off it after you placed them in your basket, so you�d know you�dtaken care of it.

The same principle applies here. You can�t cross items off your �has to happen� list from 3Act View because this View is designed for working with broad issues, not details. Toresolve items on your list, you must first go to Plot Point View, create the necessary PlotPoints, and write the text for them. Then, while still in that View, you check the item offthe list, which is also displayed there. After that, the item will appear checked off in allother Views that include the list.

69

3 ACT STRUCTURE VIEW Mouse OOptions Right-Click OOptions

Speaking of �Has to be accomplished� events�once something�s on the list, you can editit by simply double-clicking on it (the text, not the checkbox!) and typing in the new text.If you�d prefer to move the Event to a different Act entirely, or go to the Plot Point wherea checked-off item occurs, just right-click the item to get the appropriate menu of choices.

In addition to the two main left-screen items listed above, the 3 Act Structure View offersseveral subcategories to examine. So let�s do that.


You can edit the “WHA“WHAT HAS TT HAS TO BEO BEACCOMPLISHED?”ACCOMPLISHED?” list from 3 ActView, but you can’t add to it here

3 ACT STRUCTURE VIEW Characters

Method:

1. Click on the plus sign next to Characters to drop down a subset of the Charactersyou�ve already created (plus the option to Add New� ones if you want).

2. Click on the plus sign to drop down a list of subcategories under Characters.

3. Click on the plus sign next to Major Character, and your existing list of Charactersfor that category, including Jack and Jill, will appear.

4. Click �Jill,� and four input fields will appear on the right: Goal at Beginning of Act,Goal at End of Act, How does she change and what does she learn?, and How is herjeopardy increased in this Act? As you can see, these boxes are relevant to the 3 ActView, and contain the text you already created for them. You can edit them by sim-ply clicking on the appropriate field and starting to write; your changes will be auto-matically carried back over to the Character View.

Relevant information onCHARACTERSCHARACTERS is also displayed (andeditable) in the 3 Act Structure menu

70

3 ACT STRUCTURE VIEW Plot AArc

Here�s where you describe the overall shape and function of each Act. To do so�

Method:

1. Click on Plot Arc on the left side of the screen. Several input fields appear on theright:

2. What is the Act’s opening “Hook”? A �hook� is a device that immediately snagsthe reader and pulls him or her into the story. It can be a plot device, a piece ofsuperlative writing, or the introduction of a remarkable Character�just so long as itcompels the reader or viewer to continue.

Jill is happily working in a quiet village in the Andean foothills, safe from theworld, when a loud, American dowser (Jack) shows up and disrupts it all.

3. What is the overall Act Conflict? Like other divisions of the story, each Act nor-mally has its own beginning, middle and end, and a main conflict that drives it. Here�swhere you can figure out what the latter might be.

Jack trying to get Jill in bed, and Jill trying to get rid of him.

4. What is the Act break, and how does it move this Conflict forward? Here�swhere you determine what event brings the Act to a conclusion, and why that�s anappropriate place to shift into the next Act.

Jill discovers that Jack is wanting to go up into the Andes to save a village dyingof drought--and she realizes he really is a good guy.


The PLOT PLOT ARCARC menu

3 ACT STRUCTURE VIEW Ticking CClock

The �Ticking Clock� is that aspect of the plot that gives the reader the sense that things aremoving toward some inevitable conclusion, and that the characters can�t just take a vaca-tion in the middle of the story.

Method:

1. Simply select Ticking Clock on the left side of the screen, then type in a descriptionof your Ticking Clock on the right side:

Will Jill discover that Jack�s really a good guy before the drought kills everyonein the village?

The TICKING CLOCK TICKING CLOCK item

71

3 ACT STRUCTURE VIEW Ticking CClock Climax

What is the �inevitable conclusion� defined as the Ticking Clock? Which Plot Point is it,and what exactly does it accomplish? Let�s find out.

Method:

1. Click on the Climax item on the left side of the screen. Two input fields appear onthe right.

2. The first field contains a list of the Plot Points found in this Act�or it would, if therewere any Plot Points in this Act. Like we said before, no matter what order you cre-ate your Structure document in, some options will be unavailable until after you�veworked in all the Views. We�ll take care of that in a second.

Anyway, once you�ve got some Plot Points to work with, you simply click theRadioButton next to the one you want to be the Act�s climax.

3. The second input field, Climax Description, is where the �detail text� from the PlotPoint you selected will appear. You can edit it from here as well, of course. But we�reback to the little problem mentioned above: no Plot Points to work with. Whatevershall we do?

The CLIMAX input fields look prettysad with no Plot Points to go in them

A MMomentary DDiversion

What else? Let�s create some Plot Points.

Plot Points are such a fundamental aspect of any story that Power Structure offers oppor-tunities to write and/or edit them not only in their own View, but from most other Viewsas well�including this one. Although Plot Points can contain a considerable amount ofinformation (especially in the �detail text� section), for the moment we�ll just dash a fewoff so we can see how they work in the Act Climax.

Method:

1. On the left side of the 3 Act View screen, click the plus sign next to Plot Points.

2. Double-click New…

3. Type in a Plot Point, or to be specific, the �Short� text which will serve as a header forthe complete Plot Point. In this case, type:

Jill in Andean Village

4. Click Create or press Enter.

5. Now repeat steps 1-4 five more times, adding the following Plot Points:

◆ Jack arrives.◆ Jack undermines Jill�s authority.◆ Jill tries to force Jack to leave.◆ Party.◆ Jack announces that he�s going to leave tomorrow.

Create a PLOT POINT PLOT POINT from almostany View

72

Back tto tthe CClimax

Okay, we did it. Now click on The Climax again. This time you�ll see the Plot Points wecreated listed both in the left-hand column and in the top box on the right side of thescreen, where each is marked by a round RadioButton. To define the climactic Plot Pointof this Act, simply:

Method:

1. Click on the appropriate RadioButton�in this case:

Party.

2. Type a detailed description of the Climax into the box below:

It�s the annual village party and despite her initial reluctance, Jack gets Jill tostart talking about what brought her to Peru from Philly.

And there you have it. We�ve now laid out Act I of our epic tale of altitude sickness andH2O.



The CLIMAX input fields with PlotPoint information in them

CHAPTERSCHAPTERS View. See following pages for numbers legend.

1

2

3

4

Chapters (and theircontents) can be re-arranged by draggingthe headings up anddown in the list.They’ll renumberautomatically

Plot Points can bedragged from oneposition to another,including intodifferent Chapters

Double-click toadd a new Chapter

Chapters VView

73

CHAPTERS VIEW

As anyone who�s ever read a book knows, Chapters are subdivisions of the story. In a filmor TV show, Scenes serve the same purpose. They can be pretty arbitrary in terms of lengthand content, but generally writers try to make the story flow from Chapter to Chapter (orScene to Scene) in such a way that the reader can�t bear to put the book down, or the view-er run off for popcorn. That�s what this View (see previous page) helps you do.

To AAccess CChapters VView:

◆ On your main menu bar, click View, then Chapters View; or◆ Press Ctrl+4; or◆ Click on �Chapters� on the View tab bar.

In Power Structure, a Chapter (see previous page) is basically a group of consecutive PlotPoints. This View helps you develop the Chapter into a coherent whole, as follows:

Method:

1. First, note that the item Chapter One on the left side of the screen can be edited sothat it says something specific�for example, �Jack Climbs the Hill.� To do this, youhave two options:

i. Right-click on Chapter One and select Edit from the pop-up list; or

ii. Left-click on the item and press F2.

Either way, you now simply:

iii. Type in the text you prefer.


Go ahead, play with it. If you don�t like the results, just press the Esc key on your keyboardto return to the default. If you put in something you want to keep, press Enter.

2. On the right side of the screen, click in the input field What is the Chapter’s openingHook? (1) A �hook� is something that draws the reader or viewer helplessly into thestory. In this case, it�s:

Jack�s arrival and his and Jill�s immediate conflict.

3. Click in the next input field, How does this Chapter move the story forward? (2), andwrite:

It introduces the characters, sets up Jill�s backstory and introduces the possibilityof her healing.

4. The next input field is What Has to Happen in this Chapter? (3) As in 3 Act View,you�re allowed to add and edit items here, but not check them off. That has to be donefrom a Plot Point field. While we�re here, let�s go ahead and insert some items, as fol-lows:

5. Double-click on New Item.

6. When the Create/Edit “Has to Happen” Item box appears, type in:

Introduce the possibility of Jill healing.

7. Click in the next input field, What is the Chapter’s ending Hook? (4) Like the open-ing hook, this is a chance to ensure that the reader/view can�t resist moving on to thenext step in the story.

Jack announces he�s going to stay for a week.

74

CHAPTERS VIEW Add CChapters

Adding additional Chapters to the list is simple enough:

Method:

1. Double-click on the New Chapter item ( ) on the left side of thescreen. A new Chapter item appears on the list.

CHAPTERS VIEW Add PPlot PPoints Plot PPoints

Because Chapters are composed of Plot Points, it only makes sense that you�d have theoption to add Plot Points directly from this View. Again, the method is simple:

Method:

1. Click on the plus sign next to Chapter on the left side of the screen. The item NewPlot Point drops down.

2. Double-click on New Plot Point. An input box will appear; type in the �short� textyou want to appear on the left side of the screen under the current Chapter item.

3. Click Create or press Enter.

When you create a Plot Point in this View, all its subcategories will also appear. For moreon Plot Points, please move on to the next section.


PLOT POINT PLOT POINT View. See following pages for number legend.

1

As always,“hierarchies” ofitems in the left-hand columnare identified byplus signs

2

3

5

4Check off anyitems that arecompleted inthis Plot Point.

Selecting the“Movement” tabprovides addi-tional options toconsider

Plot PPoint VView

75

PLOT POINT VIEW

Plot Point View is where you jot down all the little plot ideas you think up. In the earlystages of developing a story you needn�t concern yourself much about placing the Pointsin any particular order, far less developing them in detail�just write them down. They canalways be expanded, edited and arranged later.

To AAccess PPlot PPoint VView

◆ On your main menu bar, click View, then Plot Point View; or◆ Press Ctrl+5; or◆ Click Plot Points on the View tab bar.

Because we�ve already created a cluster of Plot Points, those will be listed on the left sideof the screen. Now�s the time to work with them in a bit more detail.

Method:

1. As you know, our first Plot Point is:

Jill in Andean village.

Click on it.

2. In the right-hand window appear several input fields. Above them are buttons (1)that allow you to display anywhere from a single Plot Point up to five, as well as abutton (2) labeled Movement, which is currently selected. You�re presented withthree input fields:


PPARENTHETICALARENTHETICAL NOTES NOTES in “Has toHappen” fields have a special meaning

Indicates in what Viewand category the itemwas originally created

A) Plot Point Detail

Introduce Jill in a village at the foothills of the Andes, helping out the locals butnot getting �involved.�

B) How does this move the story forward?

It reveals Jill�s commitment to her work, but also her commitment to emotionalself-preservation.

C) What “Has to Happen” events are completed?

Here�s a list of items you created as What has to happen... events while you were in3 Act and/or Chapters View. Go ahead and check a couple of them off by clicking onthe box or double-clicking on the item itself. They�ll then be marked as �completed�in other Views.

3. Click in the selected Plot Point Detail input field and type in the details of this PlotPoint; to wit:

Introduce Jill in a village at the foothills of the Andes, helping out the locals butnot getting �involved.�

4. While we�re at it, let�s add Detail text to the rest of our existing Plot Points. Click oneach �Short text� item on the left side of the screen in turn, then add its Detail text asfollows:

76


NOTE: When viewing multiple PlotPoints, remember that the white boxis the “active” or editable Point

Short: Jack arrives.

Detail: Jill�s quiet village is disrupted by blaring Rock �n� Roll when Jack arrives in his Range Rover, the radio going full blast. She takes an immediate dislike to his devil-may-care ways and resents how the village children immediately love him.

Short: Jack undermines Jill�s authority.

Detail: Jill finds the village kids drinking water straight from a well, rather than boiling it first as Jill had instructed. They tell her Jack said it was okay.

Short: Jill tries to force Jack to leave.

Detail: Jill tries to get the villagers to refuse to sell Jack food so he�ll have to leave, but they are amused by him and want to set the two of them up together instead.

Short: Party.

Detail: It�s the annual village party and despite her initial reluctance, Jack gets Jill to start talking about what brought her to Peru from Philly.

Short: Jack announces that he�s going to leave tomorrow.

Detail: To everyone�s dismay--including Jill�s--Jack says he�s going to leave the village to fend for itself.

There are two more input fields under the Movement tab, but for the moment we�llignore them.

Plot Point View (cont’d)

PLOT POINT PLOT POINT subcategories

5. Just so you can see what happens, try clicking on the other buttons across the top ofthe right-side screen. The window there will display anywhere from one to five box�sworth of consecutive Plot Points. This can be handy when you need to check thestory�s �flow� from one Plot Point to the next.

6. On the left side of the screen, click on �Jill in Andean Village� again. As before, onthe right side appears the Movement tab and its input fields. We�ve already workedwith Plot Point Detail, so let�s move on.

7. The How does this move the story forward? field helps prevent you from coming upwith Plot Points that don�t really accomplish much. Click in it and type:

It reveals Jill�s commitment to her work, but also her commitment to emotionalself-preservation.

8. Move on to What “has to happen” events are completed? Yes, this is one of theViews where you can check off �has to happen� events that you created in 3 Act orChapters View, and have since been resolved in a Plot Point! The technique is sim-ple: Click on the CheckBox.

9. Meanwhile, back in the left-hand window, click on the plus sign next to your first PlotPoint. Several subcategories appear. Click on The Conflict.

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PLOT POINT VIEW The CConflict

As we�ve defined them, Conflicts are the smallest dramatic units of the story. You canthink of them as mini-stories in and of themselves, since each has its own beginning, mid-dle and end. When you weave enough Conflicts together, you�ve got a complete story.

Conflicts are, in turn, composed of Plot Points, one of which �introduces� the Conflict;another of which �resolves� it; while in between are as many �heightening� Plot Points asnecessary. Plot Points can be moved from one Conflict to another at any time and frommany different Views, including this one.

Since we�ve already created a group of Plot Points, let�s go ahead and create a Conflict ortwo, to see how it�s done and how Power Structure uses the information.

Method:

1. Click on the plus sign next to the first Plot Point on the left side of the screen, �Jillin Andean Village�. From the list of categories that drops down, click on TheConflict. Several options and input fields appear on the right side of the screen. You�llalso notice three tabs above them: Introduction, Heightening and Resolution.

2. Click Introduction. This assigns the Plot Point �Jill in Andean Village� the role ofstarting a brand-new Conflict.

3. Now you have a question to consider: Who is this conflict between? Each drop-downlist (1, 2)contains the names of all the Characters you�ve already created. In this case,because we�re talking about an inner struggle Jill�s having, select her name from bothlists:

Jill


Selecting CONFLICTSCONFLICTS in PlotPoint View

Click on the two faces yellingat each other, of course

4. Below, in the box labeled What is the actual Conflict that’s introduced? (3), type:

A battle between the part of Jill that just wants to hide in a corner and be safe;and the part of her that wants more out of life...

At the bottom of the right side of the screen you�ll find a horizontal bar of colored bandslabeled Color for this Conflict on the Conflict Map (4). The �Conflict Map� is a graphicaldisplay of Conflicts produced on the Conflict Overview window, which we�ll get to short-ly. You can either click on a color or just use the one the program has already set for you.

Conflict INTRODUCTIONINTRODUCTION

3

Once you’ve added several PlotPoints to your Conflict, you can usethese buttons to navigate easilyfrom Plot Point to Plot Point.

4

21

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PLOT POINT VIEW The CConflict Story SStage

Now, on to the next subcategory in the left-hand window, Story Stage. The options you�llfind here are based on the work of mythologist Joseph Campbell as interpreted by storydevelopment executive Christopher Vogler in his book The Hero�s Journey.

Method:

1. Click on Story Stage. Several input fields appearon the right.

2. Click on the button to open the drop-down listlabeled The Plot Point represents the followingStory Stage and select:

Ordinary World.

3. Drop down the list under the label What is Jill’s Role in this Conflict? and select:

Hero.

4. Click in the input field beneath the question How is Jill affected by the Conflict? andtype:

She thinks she�s defeating her inner pain, but she�s actually only hiding it.

5. Drop down the list under What is Jack’s Role in this Conflict? and select:

Shadow.

6. Click in the input field beneath the question How is Jack affected by the Conflict?and type:

He has no idea what he�s getting into.


STSTORORYY STSTAGE AGE options

NOTE: Items on the StoryStage drop-down lists can beedited in Edit, Terminology

7. Back on the left side of the screen, click on Characters Involved.

8. On the right appears a checklist of every Character you�ve created so far. Check offthose who are going to appear in this Plot Point (the Characters who have beenassigned the lead roles in the Point will already be checked off, and their names col-ored RED).

9. Back on the left, click Ticking Clock.

The CHARACTERS INVOLCHARACTERS INVOLVEDVED list

NOTE: Items on the StoryStage drop-down lists can beedited in Edit, TerminologyCheck the box next

to any Characterwho you intend tohave appear in thisPlot Point

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PLOT POINT VIEW The CConflict Ticking CClock

Method:

1. On the right appear a couple of options. The first, How does this heighten the Act’sTicking Clock?, is followed by a reminder of what the current Act�s Ticking Clock is:in this case, �Will Jill discover that Jack’s a good guy before drought kills everyonein the village?� Click in the input field and type the answer to the first question:

Jack and Jill get off to a very bad start.

2. At the bottom of the right side of the screen is a �gauge� labeled Tension level at theend of this Plot Point. Beneath that is a slider bar. Drag the bar from left to right andthe dial will register an increasing tension level (incremented in percentage pointsbetween 0 and 100).

You might think this an odd option�after all, surely every Plot Point should end withthe meter maxed-out, right? Not really. Before long, a sustained scream becomesexhausting rather than exciting, which is why most stories ebb and flow to manipu-late the emotions of the reader or audience in a certain direction. These settingsshould, therefore, be weighed relative to one another. Where do you want the storyto hit �scream� levels, and where should it drop down to a whisper?

In this case, drag the dial to 30 or 40 percent. You can always change the setting later,either here or from Conflict Overview.

Okay, we�ve just created the first stage of a Conflict, its Introduction. But a completeConflict is comprised of three parts and at least three Plot Points, the second of which isHeightening.


The TICKING CLOCKTICKING CLOCK gauge

Drag the slider toset a tension levelfor the Plot Point

But wait�as is often the case, the next Plot Point on our list isn�t even part of the Conflictwe just defined. In fact, it introduces an entirely new Conflict. No problem. We have twooptions: 1) skip to the next Plot Point that is part of this Conflict, and define it as such;or 2) set up a new Conflict with the next Plot Point in line before moving ahead. To avoidconfusing you by jumping around in the Plot Point list, we�ll go with Option 2.

Method:

Repeat the procedure you used with the first Plot Point, with only textual differences:

1. Click the plus sign next to the second Plot Point, Jack arrives, on the left side of thescreen.

2. From the list of categories that drops down, click The Conflict.

3. On the right side, click the Introduction tab�because, remember, we�re launching anew Conflict with this Plot Point.

4. This time, answer Who is this Conflict between? with these names:

Jill and Jack.

5. In the box labeled What is the actual Conflict that’s introduced?, type:

Jack disrupts Jill�s quiet village.

6. Again, you can select a color from the bar at the bottom, or just go with the default.

7. Click on Story Stage on the left side of the screen. Several input fields appear on theright.

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PLOT POINT VIEW The CConflict Heightening CConflict

Our next Plot Point, �Jack undermines Jill’s authority�, happens to be part of one of thetwo Conflicts we just created, but does not resolve the Conflict�therefore it�s got to be aHeightening Plot Point. Here�s how to define it as such (we�ll only put in enough infor-mation to illustrate what you need to do).

The procedure begins roughly the same as it did with your Introduces Plot Point:

Method:

1. Click the plus sign next to the third Plot Point, �Jack undermines Jill’sauthority�, on the left side of the screen.

2. From the list of categories that drops down, select The Conflict. 3. This time, on the right side, click the Heightening tab. You�re presented with two

new input fields.

4. The top one, Which existing Conflict is Heightened? consists of a scrollable listof any unresolved Conflicts you�ve already defined. In this case, there are two ofthem. Scroll the list until Jack disrupts Jill’s quiet village appears in the window;that�s all you have to do to select it.

5. The next question is How is it Heightened? Type in:

Jack undermines Jill�s authority -- he�s now not only annoying, but actively dis-ruptive.

6. Set the Tension Level at 60 or 70.

That�s all we�ll do with this Plot Point. Now on to the next one, �Jill tries to force Jack toLeave.�


Conflict HEIGHTENINGHEIGHTENING

PLOT POINT VIEW The CConflict HHeightening CConflict More HHeightening

This is another Heightening Plot Point, and here�s the short list of responses for the inputfields:

1. Plot Point short description:

Jill tries to force Jack to leave.

2. Conflict being Heightened:

Jack disrupts Jill�s quiet village.

3. How is it heightened?

Jill tries unsuccessfully to force him to leave.

4. Set the tension level to whatever you want.

PLOT POINT VIEW The CConflict Heightening CConflict Still MMore HHeightening

1. Plot Point short description:

Party

2. How is it Heightened?

To her dismay, Jill finds herself being attracted to Jack!

3. Again, set the tension level to suit yourself.

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PLOT POINT VIEW The CConflict Resolution

We�re ready to wrap up one of our Conflicts. How?

Method:

1. Start out in the usual way, by clicking on the plus sign next to the relevant PlotPoint�in this case, �Jack announces that he’s going to leave tomorrow.�

2. Click on The Conflict.

3. On the right side of the screen, click the Resolution tab.

4. Under Which Conflict is Resolved?, scroll to find Jack disrupts Jill’s quiet village.

5. Under Exactly how is this Conflict resolved? type:

Jack is going to leave.

Congratulations, you�ve just created your first complete Conflict. What does that mean,exactly? You�ll see shortly. But first, let�s check out another unique View.


Conflict RESOLUTIONRESOLUTION

Because thisparticular PlotPoint resolves aConflict, these“go to” buttonsare not available

GESTGESTALALT VIEWT VIEW. See following pages for number legend.

One way tohide or displaycolumns is byclicking onView, SetupGestalt View

4321

Right-clickingitems in thiscolumn popsup an edit box

Right-clickingitems in this

column pops upan edit box

Adjust columnwidths by drag-ging verticalspacers withyour mouse

You can hideor displaycolumns byclicking here

Gestalt VView

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GESTALT VIEW

If you�re unfamiliar with the word, �Gestalt� refers to �a configuration or pattern of ele-ments so unified as a whole that it cannot be described merely as a sum of its parts.� InPower Structure, the Gestalt View (see previous page) enables you to see, at a glance, howthe various parts of your story fit together, and allows you to manipulate those parts witha few twitches of the mouse.

To AAccess GGestalt VView:

◆ On your main menu bar, click View, then Gestalt View; or◆ Press Ctrl+6; or◆ Click Gestalt on the View tab bar.

Gestalt View can be set up to display anywhere from one column of information to four:Act, Chapter, Plot Point and Plot Point Detail. There are two methods of determining howmany columns will display:

Method 11 :

1. Click on the View menu, then on Setup Gestalt View. A secondary menu pops out.

2. Unselect any column of information you don�t want by clicking on it with yourmouse. Reverse the process to switch a column back on.

Method 22:

1. Note the little �X� boxes to the right of each column. Click on them to close thatcolumn.


Switching GESTGESTALALT VIEW T VIEW items onand off

2. If you close them all and want them back, click on the double-arrow button (>>) untilthe columns have been restored.

One purpose of Gestalt View is to enable you to see at a glance how the major elements ofyour story flow from one to another and relate to each other. When you initially open it,the columns and boxes will already contain any Act, Chapter, Plot Point Short Text andPlot Point Detail Text you�ve created. All items can be edited and, with the exception ofAct Information, dragged up or down within their respective columns.

You have three major options to choose from�Editing, Moving and Creating; we�lldemonstrate them here to a limited extent:

GESTALT VIEW Editing Editing AAct aand PPlot PPoint DDetail TText

Method:

This method works for both Act and Plot Point Detail columns:

1. Click the cursor in the text box for Act I. Delete the words �Andean Foothills� andin their place type:

Foothills of the Andes

Your changes are automatically accepted�not just in Gestalt View, but everywhere Actinformation appears.

The same technique works for Plot Point Detail, so we won�t demonstrate it here.

83

GESTALT VIEW Editing Editing CChapters aand PPlot PPoint SShort TText

These techniques work for both Chapters and Plot Points, so we�ll demonstrate with onlyChapters:

Methods:

◆ Right-click Chapter One and select Edit from the pop-up menu. You can now typeanything you want, but to avoid making a mess of what we�ve already got, just clickthe cursor in some other box or press ESC to deselect Chapter One.

◆ Left-click Chapter One, then press F2. Same options.

◆ Double-Click Chapter One, and a pop-up box asks if you want to Go to selected PlotPoint in Chapters View?. Answering �Yes� does exactly what you�re asked; in thatlocation you will, of course, have access to all the editing options you need. Give it atry, then come on back to Gestalt View.

GESTALT VIEW Editing Deleting CChapters aand PPlot PPoint SShort TText

To Delete Chapters and Plot Points...

Method 11 :To delete a Chapter or Plot Point (this is for demonstration purposes only, so please don�tactually go through with it!�cancel the command instead):

1. Click on Chapter One or a Plot Point item.

2. Press Del on your keyboard.3. Answer �Yes� to the prompt (except not now, during our demonstration). Answering

�No� brings you back to the main Gestalt window.

Method 22:

1. Right-click on the Chapter or Plot Point item, then:

2. Select Delete from the pop-up list.

GESTALT VIEW Editing Moving CChapters aand PPlot PPoints

As your story develops, you might decide you�d prefer to move a certain Chapter or PlotPoint forward or back, either within the current Act or into a different Act entirely. InGestalt View, both are easy to do.

Method 11 :

1. This technique is for moving individual Chapter items. With your mouse, click onChapter One and �drag� it down into the Chapter Two box. The entire Chapter andall its contents will transfer, and the Chapters you left behind will renumber them-selves automatically.

For now, though, please drag Chapter One back up where it belongs.

Method 22:

1. Right-click on Chapter One.

2. From the list of options, select Move. A secondary menu gives you two options:Preceding to Previous Act and Following to Next Act. If one is grayed out, that�sbecause there�s no �previous� or �next� Act to move things to. Anyway, make yourchoice�but be warned! Power Structure will move not only the selected Chapter/


84

Plot Point, but all Chapters/Plot Points either above or beneath it, depending upon whichoption you choose.

Obviously, if you move things that you didn�t intend to move, you can always just movethem back.

GESTALT VIEW Editing Creating NNew CChapters aand PPlot PPoints

There are three ways to create either new Chapters or new Plot Points from Gestalt View:

Methods:

◆ Double-click the New Chapter/Plot Point icon.◆ Right-click the New Chapter/Plot Point icon and choose Create New...◆ Press Ctrl+N.

Note: These options create items named Chapter # (where �#� is the correctly incre-mented number for a new Chapter in that Act) and Plot Point. If you want to changethe text, you�ll need to edit it (see the preceding sections on editing).

The Plot Point CREACREATE / EDIT /TE / EDIT /DELETE DELETE pop-up

CONFLICT OVERCONFLICT OVERVIEWVIEW gives you a graphical look at your entire story structure. See following pages for number legend.

When youassign a PlotPoint to a colorcategory, thecolor is appliedto the bullethere as well asin other Views

1

7

6432

9

8

Introduction and ResolutionPlot Points are the onlyones whose Tension Levelis not adjustable

The Conflict Mapdisplays thegraphed lines foreach of yourstory’s Conflicts

5

These numbersrepresent theactual order ofthe Plot Points


Conflict OOverview

85

CONFLICT OVERVIEW

To AAccess CConflict OOverview:

◆ On your main menu bar, click View, then Conflict Overview; or◆ Press Ctrl+6; or◆ Click on Conflict Overview on the View tab bar.

Conflict Overview (see previous page) is one of the most powerful Views in PowerStructure, providing a unique perspective on how your Conflicts develop and interact withone another over the course of the story, and giving you plenty of tools for changing thingsif you so desire. As you�ll see, the information currently found here was all developed byyou in the Conflict part of Plot Points View.

The graph part of this View�the Conflict Map�has a horizontal and a vertical axis, likeall graphs. The horizontal axis represents the Plot Points as they progress from the begin-ning to the end of the story. The vertical axis represents the tension level you assigned toeach Plot Point.

The Conflicts themselves are each represented by a graphed line that which begins at a zerotension level as it�s introduced, rises and falls from one �heightening� Plot Point to anoth-er, then drops back to zero as it is resolved. The color of the line comes from theHeightening section of the Plot Point Conflict menu.

The illustration on the previous page shows how the Conflict Map of our Structure docu-ment looks so far. As you can see, two Conflicts are displayed. One is not resolved, whilethe other has a beginning, middle and end.


Merely seeing how these Conflicts interact with one another should be useful to you as awriter, but Power Structure doesn�t stop there. Let�s explore a few of our options in thisView.

CONFLICT OVERVIEW Playing WWith tthe MMap

There are lots of ways to manipulate the information displayed on the Conflict Map. Fornow, we�ll deal with those readily accessible by right-clicking on different items on theMap. You�re free to follow each of these options to their conclusions if you wish, althoughthat will mean losing a lot of information you�ll need to recreate. At any rate, we�ll take agood look at each of them. Starting with:

CONFLICT OVERVIEW Playing WWith tthe MMap Plot PPoints

Method:

1. Right-click on the third Plot Point bullet. A pop-up menu appears, offering two edit-ing options and three display options (we�ll cover the display options later, so ignorethem for now). The editing options are:

A. Remove Heightening of Plot Point. For now, don�t select this option because ifyou do, the selected Plot Point will vanish off the Map (although not from Plot PointView).

B. Delete this Plot Point completely. Again, don�t try it, because if you do, the PlotPoint and all its subcategories and information will be deleted from the documententirely.

The PLOT POINT “BULLET”PLOT POINT “BULLET” editingpop-up box

86

CONFLICT OVERVIEW Playing WWith tthe MMap Conflict LLines

Method:

1. Right-click on any Conflict Line (that is, one of the colored lines between bullets). Apop-up box appears, offering four editing and three display options (again, more onthe latter later). The editing options actually available (not grayed out) will vary some-what depending on which segment of the Conflict line you selected, but the entire listis:

A. Heighten the Conflict in this Plot Point.B. Introduce a new Plot Point. Clicking this will shift the bullets of the current

Conflict line segment to the right and place a new Introduction Plot Point at the pointwhere you were when you made the selection.

C. Resolve the Conflict in this Plot Point. Clicking this will convert the Plot Pointimmediately following the place where you double-clicked into a Resolution for theConflict.

D. Delete this Plot Point completely. This refers to the Plot Point preceding the spotwhere you double-clicked. Introduction and Resolution Plot Points can�t be deletedfrom here.

The CONFLICT LINECONFLICT LINE edit pop-up box

CONFLICT OVERVIEW Playing WWith tthe MMap Display OOptions

If you develop a long or complex story, the Conflict Map might display more informationthan you can comfortably assimilate at a glance. Not a problem; Power Structure lets youtemporarily �hide� various Conflicts so you can concentrate only on those that interestyou.

Method:

1. Just above the Conflict Map is a row of buttons, the first of which is All Conflicts (1).It should be selected, indicating that the Map is displaying every Plot Point andConflict that currently exists in this document.

2. Click on the second Plot Point on the Map.

3. Click on the Current Conflict (2) button. One of the two Conflict lines will disap-pear, leaving only the line that includes the second Plot Point.

4. Click on Unresolved Only (3), and the current Conflict line will vanish, to be replacedby the incomplete line. If we had more than one unresolved Conflict in this story,they would all be displayed right now, too.


87

CONFLICT OVERVIEW Playing WWith tthe MMap Other OOptions

Conflict Overview gives you more options than just viewing Conflicts and editing text.You can perform major editorial changes from here.

Method:

1. Just above the Conflict Map and to the right are three buttons: Hot Tracking (4),Drag Tension Level (5) and Reorder Plot Points (6). Click on the first one, HotTracking.

2. Move your cursor from bullet to bullet on the Conflict Map. Previously, you had toactually click on a bullet to bring up its text boxes; now, that information appears themoment the cursor passes over a bullet.

3. Click on Drag Tension Level. This �unlocks� your Heightening Plot Points so theycan be dragged up and down, changing their Tension Levels dynamically. Practice iton any Heightening Plot Point on the Map.

4. Click on Reorder Plot Points. This enables you to drag Plot Points horizontallyacross the Conflict Map, moving them to different locations within the currentConflict. But there are logical limitations as to what Plot Point can be moved where.For example, try to drag the third Plot Point, Jack undermines Jill’s authority, to thefar left side of the Map. A warning prompt will let you know that you can�t move aHeightening Plot Point in front of the Plot Point that Introduces the same Conflict.Which only makes sense.


NOTE: Introduction andResolution Plot Points havea tension level of “zero”that cannot be changed; awarning prompt will tell youso if you try.

If you�re determined to move the Plot Point up there, you�ll first need to go to the PlotPoint View for that particular Point and either redefine its Conflict role or assign it toanother Conflict entirely. Here�s how:

CONFLICT OVERVIEW Playing WWith tthe MMap Reassign aa PPlot PPoint’s RRole

Method:

1. Double-click on Plot Point 3�s bullet. A pop-up menu asks if you�d like to be taken tothat Plot Point in Plot Point View.

2. Answer Yes, and off you go to Plot Point View, specifically �Jack undermines Jill’sauthority.�

3. Click on the plus sign, then on The Conflict.

4. On the right side of the screen, the appropriate �type� tab (in this case, Heightening)will already be selected, with �Jack disrupts Jill’s quiet village� displayed in theWhich existing Conflict is Heightened? box. Scroll the list up to Does Not HeightenAny Conflict.

5. Click on the Introduction tab. Don�t bother typing anything into the input field.

6. Click on Conflict Overview. The third Plot Point is now sitting there all by itself, dis-connected from any existing Conflicts. How sad. But since we�re almost done withConflict Overview, we�ll just leave the poor guy right where he is.

CONFLICT OVERVIEW Playing WWith tthe MMap Text EEditing

All the text boxes can be edited. Changes made to the text will be reflected in any otherView where that item appears.

NOTE: The Plot Point numberscorrespond to the numbers onthe Conflict Map.

88

Method:

(1) Each Plot Point is marked on the Map by a �bullet.� Click on the first one, and thesurrounding text boxes will display the text for �Jill in Andean Village.�

(2) Click your cursor in the text box labeled This Conflict is HEIGHTENED in the fol-lowing manner. The text currently reads �To her dismay, Jill finds herself beingattracted to Jack!� Delete the word �dismay� and type in �horror.�


Conflict Overview (cont’d)

Full Screen WP. See following pages for number legend.

(3) You can writeas much here asyou want or need

1 2

(4) The drop-down listlets you navigate PlotPoints at a click

Full SScreen WWP VView

89

FULL SCREEN WP VIEW

To AAccess FFull SScreen WWP VView:

◆ On your main menu bar, click View, then Full Screen WP; or◆ Press Ctrl+8; or◆ Click on Full Screen WP on the View tab bar.

This View features a full-screen editable display of whatever text is currently selected any-where in your Power Structure document, or the item you choose from its drop-down list.Full Screen WP lets you work on a larger, �uncluttered� screen than is otherwise available.

There�s really no �method� to this�just click your cursor in the main window and startediting or typing. However, take note of these options:

1. Create New Plot Point. Click this button to pop up the Create New Plot Point(Short Text) window. Type in your short text, then click Create or hit Enter, and typethe long text into the main WP window.

2. Change Plot Point Name. This also pops up the Short Text window, with the dif-ference that it already contains the short text of the current Plot Point.

3. Right-clicking in the main input field pops up a menu from which you can select acategory/color for this Plot Point. At the moment, no options are available becausewe haven�t created any yet (more on this in the Index Cards section).

4. The drop-down list contains all your existing Plot Points; click on any of them tobring it forward for editing.


NOTE: Pressing the up anddown arrow keys will walkyou through all existingPlot Points

INDEX CARDSINDEX CARDS View. See following pages for numbers legend.

A

B

3 6

9

21

8

74 5

Index CCards VView

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INDEX CARDS VIEW

Here�s another amazingly versatile feature you�ll wonder how you ever lived without.There�s a long tradition of writers using index cards�blank 5 X 7 inch pieces of card-stock�to help them outline their stories (especially scripts). Basically, the writer simplyjotted any plot idea that came to mind down on a card, one idea (which is to say, one PlotPoint or Scene) per card. Later, when enough cards had accumulated, the writer could lit-erally shuffle them around, working out the best dramatic arrangement without having todo any tedious cutting-and-pasting. Eventually the entire story would be organized frombeginning to end. Only then would the writing begin.

Power Structure�s Index Card mode allows for the same flexibility, plus some. Let�s seehow.

To AAccess IIndex CCards VView:

◆ On your main menu bar, click View, then Index Cards View; or◆ Press Ctrl+9; or◆ Click on Index Cards on the View tab bar.

INDEX CARDS VIEW Screen LLayout

Beneath the View tabs is a row of drop-down lists and buttons (1-6) that allow you tochange the number of cards that display on-screen, as well as the type of text that displayswithin each card. Beneath that is a header (7) indicating what Chapter the cards are in, andbeneath that the numbers (8) assigned to each individual Plot Point. Finally we come to theindex cards themselves (9).


The default screen displays three rows of six cards each. A total of ten rows are available.Each card is capable of displaying the Short and Long Text of a single Plot Point. Thecards/Plot Points are arranged chronologically from left to right. There�s basically no limitto the number of cards/Plot Points you can add to a row. Scroll bars on the right and bot-tom margins of the screen allow you to move up or sideways through the cards.

At the moment only the top row of cards contains any text, so you might be wondering, Ifall the Plot Points are in the top row and you have to scroll to see any that run off thescreen, then what are the lower rows for? We�ll get to that in a minute. But first, let�s seehow to control the display of cards and their information.

INDEX CARDS VIEW Viewing IIndex CCards

Power Structure enables you to view anywhere from one to sixty cards on-screen at a time.Obviously, the more cards you have showing, the less text can be seen in each card�s �win-dow��but don�t worry, you can easily access whatever information you need. Here�s how.

Method:

There are three drop-down lists on the screen just beneath the View tabs. Each one affectshow much information you see on the cards, but in a different way.

1. Click on the first drop-down list, Rows (1), which currently displays the number 3.Select 2 from the list, and the screen will arrange itself accordingly.

2. Click on the next drop-down list, Cards Across (2), which by default displays thenumber 6. Select a 4; again, the screen rearranges itself.

The next box displays the heading Plot Points Only (3). For the moment we�ll leave thatone alone.

You can view from one to 60 PLOTPLOTPOINTSPOINTS at a time, depending on howmuch text you want displayed

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Your screen now contains fewer cards than it did before, so each card that contains a PlotPoint can show more text. That�s fine for some purposes, but if your immediate goal is tosee more cards with less information (for example, if you need to shuffle the cards), sim-ply change the number of rows and columns to suit yourself.

But there�s more. To the right of the drop-down lists are three buttons labeled Headings& Details (4), Headings Only (5) and Details Only (6). If you haven�t figured it out yet,Headings refers to the Short Text of the Plot Points, which is displayed in underline at thetop of each card; and Details refers to the Detail Text, which displays farther down in thecard.

Method:

1. Click on any of the three buttons to determine which type of text displays in thecards.

2. To view (and/or edit) all the text in a card, regardless of how much or little is dis-played in Index Card View, simply double-click on the card.

Viewing Index Cards (cont’d)

Selecting SWITCH VIEWS

“toggles” you from RegularIndex Card View to IndexCards Plus Names View

INDEX CARDS VIEW Adding aand DDeleting IIndex CCards

Remember, these cards represent Plot Points. Any changes you make here, includingadding or removing cards, will be reflected in any View that contains Plot Points (which isbasically all of them except Story/Theme and Characters).

Method:

1. Right-click on a card, and a pop-up list appears. To remove a card, select Delete thisCard. A warning prompt will remind you that you�re going to also be removing thatPlot Point and all references to it from everywhere in the document. For now, cancelthe command so as not to remove the card.

2. Right-click on the card again. Your second option is to Insert New Card. If you selectthis, a Plot Point input field will appear. Type in whatever Short and Long text youdesire and click Create or press Enter, and the new card will be inserted before theone you right-clicked on.

If you want to insert a blank index card (and the empty column to go with it), sim-ply do the above but press Create or Enter without typing in any text. Blank cards canbe useful as �markers� in the early stages of story development when you want tomake it clear to yourself that there�s a lot of storytelling to do between two widely-separated plot ideas you�ve already decided to include.

There�s a third option on the pop-up menu you get when you right-click a Plot Point:Switch Views. We�ll get to that one in a moment.


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INDEX CARDS VIEW Rearranging IIndex CCards

Obviously, one of the main reasons to use index cards while developing your story is theease with which they can be shuffled from one position to another. In Power Structure, thesame function is simple:

Method:

1. Put your mouse pointer on the first card in the row, �Jill in the Andean village,� andhold down the mouse button. Now �drag� the card to the right a card or two andrelease the button. The cards will reshuffle, placing �Jill in Andean village� in frontof the card your pointer was on when you released the button.

2. For the sake of continuity, go ahead and drag the card back where it was originally.

It�s also possible to drag cards vertically, from one row to another. Later, we�ll explain whyyou�d want to do such a thing.

INDEX CARDS VIEW Text EEditing iin IIndex CCards VView

As usual, Power Structure gives you the freedom to change your mind at any time aboutwhat you�ve written or how you�ve organized your story, and to rework your documentfrom almost any View. In the case of Index Cards View, you can easily change the textwithin any given card. Here�s how:

Method:

1. Double-click on the card you want to edit. An Edit box pops up; type in your changesto the Short Text, Detail Text, or both. Click Apply or press Return, and the changesare made.


The Index Cards TEXT EDITINGTEXT EDITINGpop-up box

INDEX CARDS VIEW Categorizing CCards

Here�s where Power Structure adds a whole new dimension to using Index Cards. As youknow by now, stories can be analyzed from numerous different perspectives�how themain plot flows, how the characters change, how the subplots develop, etc. But there�sanother useful perspective as well: how are various �themes� handled throughout the story?For example, Jack and Jill is not just a story about hiking in the Andes. It�s a love story, ananthropological case story of an indigenous mountain culture, an adventure, a characterstudy, a cautionary environmental tale. Which of these aspects do you want to emphasize?When and how do you do so?

This is where the empty rows of cards come in. What we�re going to do is assign some ofthem to �categories� which represent themes found in Jack and Jill, then move relevantPlot Points into those categories. Then it will be easy to see how your themes work as partof the entire story.

INDEX CARDS VIEW Categorizing CCards Setting uup CCategories

Method:

1. On the far left side of every row of index cards is a narrow vertical box. Double-clickon the one in the first row. When you do, you�ll get an Edit pop-up box labeled SelectCategory for Color. Type in the name for the first category�in this case, �Exposition�, and click OK or press Enter.

ASSIGNASSIGN categories to your indexcards

Category names display in theVERTICALVERTICAL BARS BARS at the beginningof each row of cards

NOTE: You canleave any or allrows unassigned tocategories. There’sno law about it.

93

2. A palette of color options automatically appears. Click on the box of the color youwant to represent this category. In this case, click on one of the shades of yellow.

3. Click OK or press Enter. �Exposition� now appears in the vertical box, and there�s ayellow outline around the entire row of (currently blank) cards to help make it clear,at a glance, what category those cards belong in.

4. Move down to the second row and double-click its vertical box. This time, type in thecategory �Heart�.

5. Choose one of the pink colors off the chart and click OK or press Enter. Now there�sa pink-outlined row of cards labeled �Heart.�

6. Following the above steps, create a category called �Plot� and assign it light blue.

INDEX CARDS VIEW Categorizing CCards Assigning CCards tto CCategories

Now it�s time to assign cards to their appropriate categories. This is, of course, a judgmentcall�one writer might consider a particular Plot Point to represent �internal struggle,�while another writer might think it�s more like �Politics.� And of course you can alwaysadd, delete or modify categories later, not to mention shift cards from one category toanother whenever you wish.

With all that in mind, the technique for categorizing cards remains the same:

Method:

1. Because the first Plot Point/Card, �Jill in Andean Village�, happens to already be inthe correct category, we�ll skip it. Click on the second Plot Point/card, �JackArrives�, hold down the mouse button, and drag the card straight down into the thirdrow, �Plot.� Release the mouse button.


The COLORCOLOR palette

INDEX CARDINDEX CARD VIEW VIEW with cards moved into various CACATEGORIESTEGORIES

NOTE: if you drag a cardhorizontally from one columnto another, all subsequentcards automatically shift onecolumn to accommodate it

If you want,you cancreateemptycolumns as“markers”for futurePlot Points.

Index Card View�Setting up Categories (cont’d)

94

As you can see, the rest of the cards remain where they are�in other words, the firstrow now has a gap where this Plot Point used to be. That�s because assigning cards tocategories doesn�t affect the horizontal flow of the story at all; this is strictly to helpyou keep track of your story themes as they move along.

2. Drag Plot Point 3 to Plot.

3. Drag Plot Point 4 to Plot as well.

4. Drag Plot Point 5 to Exposition.

5. Drag Plot Point 6 to Heart.

You get the idea. Now all our cards belong to various categories marching along throughthe story.


Index Cards View - Assigning Cards to Categories (cont’d)

INDEX CARDS VIEW Categorizing CCards The BBroad VView

Having these categories clearly visible in Index Card View is extremely useful, but the ben-efit doesn�t stop there. The colors you selected for each category will also appear (if youwant them to) in almost every View that features Plot Points, so you�re always aware ofwhat category they represent. Check it out.

1. Click on Plot Point 3, then click on the Normal WP View tab. Notice that the entireWP input field is outlined in light blue, which we know represents �Plot.�

2. Click on Conflict Overview. Notice that your Plot Point bullets on the ConflictMap have now been assigned category colors.

3. Click on Plot Points View. Each Point is now marked with a colored box. This willbe true in the Plot Points sections of Chapter, Gestalt and 3 Act Views as well.

INDEX CARDS VIEW Categorizing CCards “Mix WWith CCharacters”

We�re still not finished. There�s another way in which Index Cards View can help you ana-lyze your story�by including Character information in the View, as seen below.

Method:

1. Remember the Plot Points ONLY drop-down list up at the top of the window?Click on the button, then choose Mix with Characters from the list.

Here�s what happens: all your Plot Points shift back up to the first row (without los-ing their respective outline colors), and the remaining rows become devoted to vari-ous Characters from your document. Wherever a Character row intersects with a PlotPoint column, the card at that locus will display the Character�s Role and Impact forthe Point.

95


Click here to select “PlotPoints ONLY” or “Mix withCharacters” mode

When “Mix withCharacters” is selected,all Plot Points shift intothe first row

The remaining rowscontain Characternames and info,ranked by order ofimportance

INDEX CARD VIEWINDEX CARD VIEW with CHARACTER NAMESCHARACTER NAMES included

If a Character is not involved in a certain Plot Point, the card at that locus will be com-pletely blank. If a Character is involved in the Plot Point but you never defined his orher Role or Impact for it, the card will display the word Unspecified.

Which Characters get displayed, and why? Basically, Power Structure examines yourCharacter information and displays everyone you defined as either a Major or SubplotCharacter, in descending order of importance. Major Characters� rows are given lightblue outlines; Subplot Characters� rows are given green outlines. (In this case we don�thave any Minor Characters defined, so all the boxes are light blue.)

2. If you want to rearrange the order of the Characters so the names you consider mostimportant are at the top of the list, you have two options:

A) Scroll down the list until you see the name you want, then click on it (in its verti-cal box), hold the mouse button down and drag the row to its new location.

B) Right-click or double-click on any Character�s vertical box. A pop-up list willappear, displaying the names of every Character currently in the list. Simply click onthe name you want moved to the current location, and all the other names will shiftdown to accommodate it.

The CHARACTER NAMECHARACTER NAME pop-up listmakes it easy to move Charactersaround in Index Cards View

96

INDEX CARDS VIEW Categorizing CCards Editing CCharacters

If you decide to give a Character a role in a given Plot Point, or want to more thoroughlydefine his or her existing role in the Point, both are easy to do from this View.

Method:

1. Double-click on the third card in Jack�s row, then choose:

Unspecified.

2. The Character input box appears. Select a Role from the drop-down list:

Shapeshifter.

3. Now type in as much detail concerning the Character�s Impact on this Plot Point asyou want into the input field:

He takes advantage of the villagers� trust and Jill�s social ineptitude.

4. Click Apply or press Enter on your keyboard to return to the document.

And that�s it. Congratulations, you�ve just created your first Power Structure document.For more information on any of the matters we covered, or to find out how to print all orpart of your document, please consult the relevant chapters in this User�s Guide.

The End

FADE OUT

Finis


From Index Card View you can assignCharacters ROLES ROLES for the Plot Pointsthey’re in

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