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.

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 5. Build the arc through conversation: setup, escalations, climax, resolution 6. Write the file using references/arc template.md 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 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 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: 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 . 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 but the story maintenance skill is present, use 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 and backlink 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) with beat sheets

plot-structure