story-arc-builder

name	Story Arc Builder
description	Convert a story concept into a full arc architecture with act progression, character trajectories, subplot map, and thematic pressure points. Produces canon/story-arc.md.

Story Arc Builder Skill

Convert a Level 1 story concept into a complete arc architecture at Level 2. Establishes the structural skeleton that all act outlines and downstream work depend on.

Usage

/project:skills:story-arc-builder {concept_file}

Process

Inputs

• Required: concept_file (path to canon/story-concept.md)
• Optional: target_scope (default: "full_story"), act_count (default: 4), character_files (paths to character profiles)

Context Files

Load (required):

• canon/story-concept.md — the L1 concept artifact (FAIL if missing)

Load if present:

• canon/relationships.yaml — entity roster and aliases
• canon/characters/*.md — character profiles
• canon/preferences.md — user style/content preferences
• templates/story-arc.template.md — output structure

Steps

1. Verify canon/story-concept.md exists. If missing, halt and inform the user that L1 must be completed first.
2. Load templates/story-arc.template.md as the output structure.
3. Load the story concept and extract: premise, genre, controlling idea, central dramatic question, stakes, story promise, setting.
4. Load character profiles and relationships if available.
5. Generate the arc by working through each template section:
   • Arc Overview: One-paragraph summary of the full story arc.
   • Act Progression: Break the story into acts (default 4-part: Act 1, Act 2A, Act 2B, Act 3). For each act, define the key beats, dramatic function, and how it advances the central dramatic question.
   • Character Trajectories: For each major character, define their state at the start and end of each act. Show how each character changes across the arc.
   • Subplot Map: Identify subplot threads and their touchpoints per act.
   • Thematic Pressure Points: Identify where the controlling idea is tested, challenged, or reinforced in each act.
   • Open Questions: Surface unresolved design decisions for act outlines to address.
   • Sources: List all canon files consulted.
6. Write the completed artifact to canon/story-arc.md.
7. For each new relationship implied by the arc, output ready-to-run commands:

   python scripts/relationship_query.py add --file canon/relationships.yaml \
     --from [entity] --to [entity] --rel [rel_type] \
     --context "[context]" --established L2/arc \
     --source "canon/story-arc.md"
   

State Update

After successful completion, update .pipeline-state.yaml:

• position.level: L2 → L3
• position.act: remains null (user chooses which act to outline first)

Output Format

The output must conform to templates/story-arc.template.md with all ## sections populated. No placeholder comments (<!-- -->) should remain in the final output.

Quality Checks

• Every ## section from the template is present and populated.
• Arc explicitly references constraints from canon/story-concept.md (controlling idea, CDQ, stakes).
• Character trajectories show meaningful change across acts (not static).
• Each act has a distinct dramatic function (not just "stuff happens").
• Subplot map connects to the main arc (no orphan subplots).
• Thematic pressure points escalate through the arc.
• Open questions are specific and actionable (not vague).
• No forbidden vocabulary (delve, multifaceted, etc.).