convore.json/groups/dramatica/benchmarks/messages.json

[{"user_id": 13650, "stars": [], "topic_id": 11315, "date_created": 1299517084.4766901, "message": "Perhaps thinking can be dangerous to my health. Recently another topic mentioned \u201cbenchmarks\u201d which started me thinking. \n\nOne of my bad habits is to research. I started with Armando's book where there are THREE entries for \u201cbenchmark\u201d in the index.\n\nThe first one point at terminology changes- Benchmark was originally \u201cstipulation\u201d. Luckily the only entry for \u201cstipulation\u201d in the index was the same page where it showed the change to benchmark.\n\nNext was an entry that pointed at an entry discussing \u201cstory points\u201d and we are shown choices (one is benchmark) without a lot of discussion of benchmark per se.\n\nThe final entry was simply the definition in the Dramatica Terminology and I quote: \u201cthe indicator of the depth of the throughline's difficulty.\u201d \n\nSo far I'm not enlightened so much as a bit confused. \n\nSo I next perused \u201cDramatica, A New Theory of Story\u201d and started with   the vocabulary and here there was a bit more than what Armando had quoted. So I'll quote:\n     the indicator of the depth of a throughline's difficulties- The Benchmark is a measuring stick which is used to judge progress in whichever throughline it is operating in. In Overall Story, it is used to used to see how close the Overall Story characters think they are to solving their problem. It describes where they apply their efforts and thus is where they look to see how it is coming along.\u201d\n\nNext- I bring up the who book and search for benchmark:\nPage 122:\nAt the Type level, each of the four throughlines has one additional appreciation. It is\ncalled a Benchmark, because it is a measure of the growth of each throughline. The\nBenchmark provides a category in which the progress of each throughline can be\ncharted. For example, an Overall Story Benchmark of Obtaining might be seen in the\ncharacters gathering cash receipts in their efforts to afford tuition. In the Main Character\nThroughline, a Benchmark of Obtaining might be the unused concert tickets on a shy\nman's bed stand from all the times he bought them but then was too afraid to ask someone\nout to the show.\n\nNext page 300:\nImpact Character's Benchmark -- [Type] -- The\nstandard against which the Impact Character's\nconcern is measured -- The way of telling how\nmuch the Impact Character is dealing with the\nissues at stake for him in the story is by\nchoosing an item in the story and using it as a\nmeasuring stick. This can be subtle or obvious,\nillustrated perhaps by the number of\nempty beer cans next to an alcoholic's bed, the\nseverity of a facial tick, or the amount of perfume a character puts on. However it is illustrated, it needs to be there to give both the audience and the Impact Character some way of judging how deep his concern is and how far along in the story he is.\n\n\nP 306 the Main Character's Benchmark\nP 312 the Overall Story's Benchmark\np 325 the Subjective Story Benchmark\n\n\nAnd as Porky Pig says- \u201cThat's all Folks.\u201d\n\nSo does that mean that \u201cBenchmarks aren't that big a deal? If they aren't then why have them in MC,OS, and SS? Why did Armando allude to them if they aren't important?\n\nIf they are important what are they in various stories?  I'll suggest the old \u201cwar horses\u201d Wizard of Oz, Star Wars, Jaws. If my search didn't go grossly awry they are not in the text that discusses these three.\n\nI'm currently looking at Maltese Falcon (the novel) (again) and trying to find benchmarks in this but I guess I need to get a better grasps on what the heck to look for since they haven't hit me over the head with a 2*4 and screamed \u201chere we are, you simpleton.\u201d\n\nThanks.", "group_id": 2515, "id": 288836}, {"user_id": 7664, "stars": [], "topic_id": 11315, "date_created": 1299534915.4163041, "message": "FWIW, I think that at times I have blended the purpose of the benchmark with that of the Forewarning.", "group_id": 2515, "id": 291820}]