---
name: story-structure
wtfbId: wtfb:story-structure
description: |
  This skill provides three-act screenplay structure with beat placement.
  Covers opening image, inciting incident, midpoint, all is lost, climax,
  and page targets for a 110-page feature screenplay.

  Use when: planning screenplay structure, analyzing narrative arc,
  placing story beats, or validating structural integrity.
---

# Story Structure Skill

## Invocation Triggers
Apply this skill when:
- Planning screenplay structure
- Analyzing narrative arc
- Placing story beats
- Validating structural integrity

## Three-Act Structure

### Overview
```
ACT ONE (Setup)        ≈ 25 pages (25%)
ACT TWO (Confrontation) ≈ 60 pages (50%)
ACT THREE (Resolution)  ≈ 25 pages (25%)
                       ≈ 110 pages total
```

### Act One: Setup (Pages 1-25)
**Goal:** Establish world, character, and conflict.

| Beat | Page | Purpose |
|------|------|---------|
| Opening Image | 1 | Visual thesis, tone, world |
| Theme Stated | 5 | Theme spoken (often missed by protagonist) |
| Set-Up | 1-10 | Ordinary world, status quo |
| Catalyst | 12 | Inciting incident, life disrupted |
| Debate | 12-25 | Protagonist resists call to action |
| Break Into Two | 25 | Commitment to journey, no turning back |

### Act Two: Confrontation (Pages 25-85)
**Goal:** Escalating conflict, character tested.

| Beat | Page | Purpose |
|------|------|---------|
| B Story | 30 | Subplot begins (often carries theme) |
| Fun and Games | 30-55 | Promise of the premise delivered |
| Midpoint | 55 | False victory or false defeat, stakes raise |
| Bad Guys Close In | 55-75 | Obstacles intensify |
| All Is Lost | 75 | Lowest point, seems hopeless |
| Dark Night of the Soul | 75-85 | Reflection before final push |

### Act Three: Resolution (Pages 85-110)
**Goal:** Climax and resolution.

| Beat | Page | Purpose |
|------|------|---------|
| Break Into Three | 85 | Solution found, synthesis of lessons |
| Finale | 85-110 | Final confrontation, stakes resolved |
| Final Image | 110 | Transformation visualized |

## Save the Cat! Beat Sheet

Blake Snyder's 15-beat structure:

```markdown
1. Opening Image (1)
2. Theme Stated (5)
3. Set-Up (1-10)
4. Catalyst (12)
5. Debate (12-25)
6. Break Into Two (25)
7. B Story (30)
8. Fun and Games (30-55)
9. Midpoint (55)
10. Bad Guys Close In (55-75)
11. All Is Lost (75)
12. Dark Night of the Soul (75-85)
13. Break Into Three (85)
14. Finale (85-110)
15. Final Image (110)
```

## The Hero's Journey (12 Stages)

Christopher Vogler's adaptation of Joseph Campbell:

### Act One: Departure
1. **Ordinary World** - Hero's normal life
2. **Call to Adventure** - Problem or challenge appears
3. **Refusal of the Call** - Hero hesitates
4. **Meeting the Mentor** - Guidance received
5. **Crossing the Threshold** - Hero commits to journey

### Act Two: Initiation
6. **Tests, Allies, Enemies** - Hero is tested
7. **Approach to Inmost Cave** - Preparation for ordeal
8. **Ordeal** - Major crisis, death/rebirth
9. **Reward** - Hero gains something

### Act Three: Return
10. **The Road Back** - Return journey begins
11. **Resurrection** - Final test, transformation complete
12. **Return with Elixir** - Hero returns changed

## Sequence Method (8 Sequences)

### Structure
```
ACT ONE
  Sequence 1: Status Quo & Catalyst
  Sequence 2: Debate & Break Into Two

ACT TWO (First Half)
  Sequence 3: Fun and Games A
  Sequence 4: Fun and Games B → Midpoint

ACT TWO (Second Half)
  Sequence 5: Consequences
  Sequence 6: All Is Lost → Dark Night

ACT THREE
  Sequence 7: Break Into Three → Finale A
  Sequence 8: Finale B → Resolution
```

### Sequence Length
- Each sequence: ~12-15 pages
- Each sequence has its own mini-arc
- Sequences end on a turn or revelation

## Genre Considerations

### Action
- Midpoint is often big action set piece
- Faster pacing through Act Two
- Extended finale sequence

### Comedy
- Fun and Games section is critical
- Midpoint often a comic disaster
- Third act reconciliation

### Drama
- More time in Dark Night of the Soul
- Subtler beat placement
- Character-driven turns

### Horror
- Midpoint: Monster fully revealed
- All Is Lost: Final girl alone
- Finale: Confrontation and survival

### Thriller
- Midpoint: Major revelation
- Bad Guys Close In is literal
- Ticking clock in Act Three

## Structural Analysis Template

```markdown
## Structure Analysis: [TITLE]

### Act Breakdown
| Act | Pages | Target | Variance |
|-----|-------|--------|----------|
| One | X-X | 1-25 | [+/-] |
| Two | X-X | 25-85 | [+/-] |
| Three | X-X | 85-110 | [+/-] |

### Beat Placement
| Beat | Target Page | Actual Page | Status |
|------|-------------|-------------|--------|
| Catalyst | 12 | X | [OK/Early/Late] |
| Break Into Two | 25 | X | [OK/Early/Late] |
| Midpoint | 55 | X | [OK/Early/Late] |
| All Is Lost | 75 | X | [OK/Early/Late] |
| Break Into Three | 85 | X | [OK/Early/Late] |

### Assessment
[Analysis of structural strengths and issues]

### Recommendations
1. [Specific adjustment]
2. [Specific adjustment]
```

## Common Structural Issues

### Act One Too Long
- Cut setup scenes
- Enter scenes later
- Combine expository scenes

### Saggy Middle
- Strengthen midpoint
- Add reversals
- Increase obstacles

### Rushed Third Act
- Earn the climax
- Don't skip Dark Night
- Resolution needs breath

## WTFB Three-Act Template

Per "Words To Film By" methodology, use this simplified template for story planning:

### Act One Template
Work out your story using these essential components:

```markdown
OPENING EVENT: ___________________________________
(What first happens that grabs attention?)

BASIC SITUATION: ___________________________________
(What is the protagonist's normal world?)

DISTURBANCE: ___________________________________
(What disrupts the normal world?)

DECISION: ___________________________________
(What choice must the protagonist make?)

DRAMATIC QUESTION: ___________________________________
(The question that will be answered by the climax)
```

### Act Two Template
```markdown
CONFLICTS: ___________________________________
(What opposes the protagonist?)

CRISES: ___________________________________
(What moments of critical decision arise?)

OBSTACLES: ___________________________________
(What stands in the way?)

COMPLICATIONS: ___________________________________
(What makes things worse?)

DARK MOMENT: ___________________________________
(The lowest point before the turn)
```

### Act Three Template
```markdown
ENLIGHTENMENT: ___________________________________
(What does the protagonist finally understand?)

CLIMAX: ___________________________________
(The final confrontation or decision)

CATHARSIS: ___________________________________
(The emotional release and resolution)
```

## WTFB Hero's Journey Template

Alternative structure using the 12-step Hero's Journey:

```markdown
1. THE ORDINARY WORLD: ___________________________________
   (Hero's normal life before the adventure)

2. THE CALL TO ADVENTURE: ___________________________________
   (The problem or challenge that appears)

3. THE RELUCTANT HERO: ___________________________________
   (Hero hesitates or refuses the call)

4. THE WISE OLD MAN: ___________________________________
   (Mentor who provides guidance)

5. INTO THE SPECIAL WORLD: ___________________________________
   (Crossing the threshold into adventure)

6. TEST, ALLIES AND ENEMIES: ___________________________________
   (Hero is tested, meets friends and foes)

7. THE INMOST CAVE: ___________________________________
   (Approach to the most dangerous place)

8. THE SUPREME ORDEAL: ___________________________________
   (Major crisis, facing greatest fear)

9. SEIZING THE SWORD: ___________________________________
   (Hero gains the reward/knowledge)

10. THE ROAD BACK: ___________________________________
    (Return journey begins, often with pursuit)

11. RESURRECTION: ___________________________________
    (Final test, transformation complete)

12. RETURN WITH THE ELIXIR: ___________________________________
    (Hero returns changed, bearing wisdom)
```

## Narrative Types

Per WTFB, identify your story's narrative approach:

| Type | Description | Example |
|------|-------------|---------|
| **Linear** | Beginning to end chronologically | Most traditional films |
| **Non-Linear** | Not chronological | Memento, Pulp Fiction |
| **Multi-Narrative** | Multiple points of view | Crash, Traffic |
| **Dual** | Two perspectives or time periods | The Godfather Part II |
| **Fragmented** | Non-linear sequence | 21 Grams |
| **Metafictive** | Breaking fourth wall | Deadpool, Ferris Bueller |
| **Personal** | Autobiography, biopic | The Pursuit of Happyness |

## Aristotle's Six Components

The foundational elements of drama (per Aristotle):

1. **Plot**: The arrangement of events or incidents
2. **Characters**: Provide motivation, plot, and conflict
3. **Language**: Dialogue (both dramatic and narrative)
4. **Themes**: Thought and ideas behind the story
5. **Rhythm**: Music/mood (the emotional pacing)
6. **Spectacle**: The set, costumes, and special effects

**The Greeks' Essential Truth**: A show or scene must have a beginning, middle, and end.
- Beginning: Protagonist lives a good life but has a great character flaw
- End of Beginning: Reversal of fortune brought on by the flaw
- Middle: Protagonist fights change but recognizes error, changes from ignorance to knowledge (too late)
- End: Catastrophe brings suffering, resulting in soul cleansing (catharsis)

## Validation Checklist
- [ ] Three acts properly proportioned
- [ ] Catalyst by page 12
- [ ] Clear Break Into Two
- [ ] Strong Midpoint
- [ ] All Is Lost moment exists
- [ ] Theme stated and proven
- [ ] Character arc complete
- [ ] Opening/Final images mirror or contrast
- [ ] Narrative type identified
- [ ] WTFB template completed
- [ ] Aristotle's six components addressed