plot-structure

Original：🇺🇸 English

Translated

This skill should be used when the user asks to "create a plot arc", "story structure", "add a plot point", "story timeline", "track foreshadowing", "pacing", "act structure", "story arc", "plot outline", or wants to plan and manage the narrative structure of a story.

2installs

Sourcebs779517/story-skills

Added on2026-03-13

NPX Install

npx skill4agent add bs779517/story-skills plot-structure

SKILL.md Content

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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

Read
```
story.md
```
for genre and themes
Consult
```
references/structure-models.md
```
for available structures
Recommend a structure based on genre (default to three-act if unclear)
Update
```
plot/_index.md
```
frontmatter
```
structure
```
field
Populate the story structure section with the beat sheet

Creating an Arc

Read
```
story.md
```
for themes
Read
```
plot/_index.md
```
for existing arcs
Read
```
characters/_index.md
```
to understand available characters
Ask for:
- Arc name
- Type (main, subplot, character, thematic)
- Which characters are involved
- Which themes it serves
Build the arc through conversation: setup, escalations, climax, resolution
Write the file using
```
references/arc-template.md
```
Save to
```
plot/arcs/{arc-name-kebab}.md
```
Update
```
plot/_index.md
```
arcs table
Update theme tracking in
```
plot/_index.md
```
If characters are referenced, verify they exist in
```
characters/
```

Managing Plot Points

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

Read the relevant arc file
Add the plot point to the table with chapter reference (if known)
Add the event to
```
plot/timeline.md
```
in chronological order
If the plot point involves foreshadowing, add it to the arc's foreshadowing table

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
Link to the relevant arc and chapter
Keep entries concise (one line per event)

When reviewing the timeline:

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:
```
planted
```
or
```
paid-off
```

During chapter writing, flag any

planted

items that haven't been paid off as reminders.

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

Reference Files

references/arc-template.md
- Template for arc files with frontmatter and sections
references/structure-models.md
- Story structure models (three-act, hero's journey, save the cat, kishotenketsu, five-act) with beat sheets