As a recent birthday present, I received a gift of some
kind of 'writers software'.  It's called: 'Dramatica-Writer's 
Dream Kit', For novelists, Playwrights, Screenwriters, and
Fiction Writers of All Kinds.
        Now I'm just a simple country boy who likes spinning a few
yarns for my own amusement.  So this little chunk of heaven appears,
on the surface, to be a very useful tool in developing stories and
such.  However, upon closer examination, it's one complicated piece
of software.
        It includes: 
        A Detailed Query System - that allows one to answer a whole 
series of questions that cover the overall plot or logical side of 
the story and tracks the emotional growth of the characters.
        The Story Engine - allows the writer to easily change various
elements of the story to see instantly what the impact of such a 
change might have on the story, character, plot, and theme.
        A Build Character Section - to assign motivations for all the
characters in the story and see how each character relates to each
other.
        Story Comparisons - to check your current story against various
classic stories to compare structural elements (I imagine).
        Reporting System - to list out a convenient outline of your
story complete with all the above bits for use while writing.

        Frankly, I'm lost.  It tries to help with already filled out
story lines for such classics as: Star Wars, ST-TNG, The Glass Menagerie,
Hamlet, The Great Gatsby, etc. so I can see examples of how it works.
But I'm still trying to grasp just how to fit my stories into all this.
I hate to just shove it into a drawer, unused, because someone spent
a lot (read: A LOT) of money on it, but it's really got me buffaloed.
After a lot of reading (the manual is the size of a good college
English primer), and some fiddling around with trying to fit the
'Ranma 1/2' story into its formulas, I'm still not sure it's going
to be much help.  (I'm fairly sure Takahashi didn't start this way.)
        Anyhow, the whole thing strikes me as quite mechanical and
totally contrary to the way stories get written.  I'm sure I'm wrong
because the 'Writer's Digest' rates the thing as Excellent and CNN
Furure Watch can't say enough nice things about it.
        I donno, I'll keep knocking around with it in hopes I finally
figure out the combination.  I'll let you all know how it works out.
        If nothing else, I might prevent someone else from blowing
a wad of cash on something worthless.  Then again, as the back cover
claims, it might "...help the Stephen Spielbergs of tomorrow work
their way through writers block."  (Somehow I just can't see ole
Steve building his characters using a 'Hollywood Squares' type of
relationship tool.)

        - Greg
        (The damn book is enough to scare off *any* writer.)