Plot structure

Plot Structure

Overview

Plan and manage story arcs, plot points, foreshadowing, and narrative timeline. Each arc is a markdown file in plot/arcs/ with a chronological timeline maintained in plot/timeline.md. The plot index tracks all arcs, their status, and theme coverage.

Prerequisites

A story project must already exist (created via the story-init skill). Verify by checking for story.md in the project root.

Choosing a Story Structure

1. Read story.md for genre and themes
2. Consult references/structure-models.md for available structures
3. Recommend a structure based on genre (default to three-act if unclear)
4. Update plot/_index.md frontmatter structure field
5. Populate the story structure section with the beat sheet
6. When CLI access is available, run story validate .

Creating an Arc

1. Read story.md for themes
2. Read plot/_index.md for existing arcs
3. Read characters/_index.md to understand available characters
4. Ask for:
   • Arc name
   • Type (main, subplot, character, thematic)
   • Which characters are involved
   • Which themes it serves
   • Which MICE threads the arc carries (optional mice-threads: frontmatter, e.g. [event, character]; see references/mice-quotient.md)
5. Build the arc through conversation: setup, escalations, climax, resolution
6. Write the file using references/arc-template.md (or scaffold it with story add arc "{Name}" --type main --character {id} --theme {theme}, then fill in the sections)
7. Save to plot/arcs/{arc-name-kebab}.md
8. Update plot/_index.md arcs table
9. Update theme tracking in plot/_index.md
10. If characters are referenced, verify they exist in characters/
11. When CLI access is available, run story reindex ., story links ., and story validate .

Managing Plot Points

Plot points live within arc files in the "Plot Points" table. When adding a plot point:

1. Read the relevant arc file
2. Add the plot point to the table with chapter reference (if known)
3. Add the event to plot/timeline.md in chronological order
4. If the plot point involves foreshadowing, add it to the arc's foreshadowing table
5. If the plot point creates a reader promise or mystery, create or update a record in continuity/promises/ or continuity/questions/
6. When CLI access is available, run story reindex ., story links ., and story validate .

Timeline Management

The timeline at plot/timeline.md is a chronological master list of all story events across all arcs.

When adding events:

• Insert in chronological order
• Keep entries concise (one line per event)
• Use the | When | Event | Arc | Chapter | table with these cell formats:
  • When: story-relative time for story events (e.g. Day 1, morning), or how long ago for backstory (e.g. 12 years ago, ~300 years ago)
  • Event: one concise line describing what happened
  • Arc: the arc's display name as written in its file (e.g. The Drowned Witness), or - when the event belongs to no arc
  • Chapter: Ch {N} once the event is written (e.g. Ch 1), or - for backstory and unwritten events

When reviewing the timeline:

• Run story timeline . to see written scenes in story-time order from their date/time fields, with scenes told out of order marked, and compare it with plot/timeline.md
• Check for chronological consistency
• Identify pacing issues (too many events clustered, long gaps)
• Flag arcs that haven't progressed

Foreshadowing Tracking

Each arc tracks its own foreshadowing in the "Foreshadowing" table:

• Planted: What hint or setup is placed
• Payoff: What the payoff will be
• Chapter Planted / Chapter Payoff: Where each occurs
• Status: planned, planted, or paid-off

During chapter writing, flag any planted items that haven't been paid off as reminders.

For durable cross-arc setup/payoff tracking, also maintain continuity/promises/{promise-kebab}.md with status, planted, payoff, arcs, and characters. For mystery or open-continuity tracking, maintain continuity/questions/{question-kebab}.md.

Scaffold chapters and scenes with story add chapter "{Title}" --number {N} --pov {id} --arc {arc-id} and story add scene "{Title}" --chapter chapter-{NN} --scene {M} --pov {id} --location {id}, then write the prose and outline content into the created files.

Cross-Referencing

• Arcs reference characters via frontmatter characters field
• Arcs reference themes via frontmatter themes field
• Plot points reference chapters
• Timeline entries link arcs and chapters
• Theme tracking in plot/_index.md maps themes to arcs and chapters
• Promises and questions reference chapters, arcs, and characters where relevant

CLI Maintenance

Use the Story CLI when it is available. If story is not installed, use bun run story -- from the Story Skills repository checkout or the bundled fallback node ../story-maintenance/scripts/story.js with the same arguments, resolving the path relative to this skill folder. If no CLI is available, perform the registry, backlink, and word-count checks manually.

Reference Files

• references/arc-template.md - Template for arc files with frontmatter and sections
• references/question-template.md - Template for continuity questions and mysteries
• references/promise-template.md - Template for setup/payoff tracking
• references/structure-models.md - Story structure models (three-act, hero's journey, save the cat, kishotenketsu, five-act, Fichtean curve, Harmon's story circle) with beat sheets
• references/mice-quotient.md - MICE threading: milieu/inquiry/character/event threads, start/end rules, and the optional mice-threads: arc frontmatter
• references/short-story-form.md - Short fiction form: one dominant change, single effect, narrow scope
• references/outlining-ladder.md - Premise → beat sheet → step outline → full outline, with exit criteria per rung (cross-links discovery-drafting)