sanderson-promise-progress-payoff

name	sanderson-promise-progress-payoff
description	Use when the problem is plot promises, opening pages, middle-book momentum, payoff design, bittersweet calibration, or general story satisfaction. Based on Brandon Sanderson's 2025 plot lectures and plot Q&A.

Sanderson Promise Progress Payoff

Use this skill to diagnose or design story motion through promises, visible progress, and earned payoff.

Source Protocol

• Read references/source-notes.md first.
• Use this as the default plot lens unless the user clearly needs a narrower structural or character tool.

Operating Loop

1. Name the main promises: tone, plot, character, genre, and worldbuilding.
2. Mark where each promise is made.
3. Show the visible progress the reader can point to.
4. Identify what emotional currency the payoff must land in.
5. Check for mismatches between promised pleasure and delivered pleasure.
6. Repair with reseeding, reframing, or redesigning the ending.

Contract

Story or unit:
Main promises:
Where promises are made:
Progress engine:
Current stall or mismatch:
Desired payoff:
What must be seeded earlier:
Recommended repair:

Diagnostic Questions

• What is the reader waiting to see happen?
• What kind of story does the opening teach the reader to expect?
• What concrete progress occurs every few scenes?
• Which promise matters most at the ending?
• Is the ending satisfying in the same emotional register as the setup?

Rules

• Do not solve a progress problem by adding random action.
• Do not solve an ending problem by changing genre at the last second.
• If the story is meant to be tragic or bittersweet, check that the opening and middle prepared the reader for that contract.
• Preserve intentional weirdness if it still honors the story's promises.