Using Dramatica · Platform guidance
Should I begin in Story Guide, Storyform Builder, or Narrova?
Platform guidance ·
Based on the linked 2026 explanations. Controls and workflows may change; consult the current documentation for steps.
The short answer
Begin with the tool that fits your next question: develop story material in Story Guide, explore structural choices in Storyform Builder, or work through the broader process with Narrova.
The tools can support different moments in the same project. In the linked August 2026 explanation, Story Guide and Narrova keep separate conversation histories, while a shared Story Context helps Narrova recover earlier ideas. Consult the current Context documentation when connecting your work. Older tutorials may show controls that have since changed.
An imagined example
Choose the next question
If you only know that two estranged siblings must travel together, Story Guide can help develop that material. If you are weighing their structural perspectives, Storyform Builder can help explore connected choices. If you want to discuss how an existing Storyform could become scenes, Narrova can support that work.
Try it in your story
Name what you need to discover next: story material, structural choices, or how to tell the story.
Where this answer comes from
An editorial synthesis of these discussions. The example above was written for this answer.
- New User Questions
August 29–September 2, 2026.
- Building Storyforms: a complete walkthrough
Jim Hull, September 18, 2026.
- Narrova — How to connect storyform to story?
July 26, 2026.
A note on older terminology
Older discussions may say Overall Story for Objective Story, Obstacle or Impact Character for Influence Character, and Subjective Story for Relationship Story. Source titles retain their original wording. Historical software instructions describe the tools of their time.