NOTES: Story Structure Architect (2005), 54 Situations

1. Supplication

To appeal, request, beg, call, plea, ask, invite, invoke, pray, petition, worship, honor something or someone for help or assistance.

• B: Ask for help
• M: Receives or denied help
• E: Seals their fate

2. Benefaction

Conferring aid of some sort, a charitable gift or deed, an act of goodwill, or a contribution.

• B: Sees trouble, wants to help
• M: If helps, persecutor causes trouble, if not, guilt
• E: responds to persecutor

The Petitioner, Power, & Persecutor Triangle

In both of the above, you need a petitioner (supplicant), power in authority (benefactor), and a persecutor (someone who judges the action). The petitioner has a need/desperation driven by superstition, fear, laziness, or inertia.

3. Deliverance

Delivering or freeing from restraint, captivity, and peril. To rescue someone from bondage or danger. It can be a chilvarous act.

• B: Unfortunate in trouble
• M: Rescuer rushes to help
• E: Rescuer succeeds/fails

4. Sojourn

A temporary residence. To spend a certain length of time with a visitor.

• B: Unfortunate unhappy / Visitor arrives
• M: Unfortunate and Sojourner meet
• E: Sojourner changes lives for better / worst

The Unfortunate, Threatener, & Rescuer/Sojourner Triangle

The unfortunate is imprisoned either physically or internally (unhappiness due to circumstance, past trauma, or whatever). The threatener is the warden. The rescuer/sojourner is the dynamic character who dislodges or loosens the unfortunate from their situation.

5. Vengeance for Crime

Infliction of punishment in return for a wrong committed, retribution with great violence/force to extreme degree.

• B: Victim harmed
• M: Avenger seeks criminal
• E: Avenger wields justice

6. Rehabilitation

Restore someone to a useful place in society through education/therapy

• B: Victim harmed
• M: Rehabilitator seeks criminal
• E: Criminal caught

7. Vengeance for Kin

Vengeance with family. Avenging kinsman, guilty kinsman (criminal), remembrance of victim.

• B: Victim slain or wronged by guilty kin
• M: Hunt
• E: Defeat

8. Apperance of New Kin

Protector brings new member into the fold.

• B: New guy joins
• M: Protector defends new guy
• E: Protector defeats guilty kin

The Victim, Criminal, & Avenger/Rehabilitator/Protector Triangle The victim is a plot point in which the avenger/rehabilitator/protector acts on against the criminial.

9. Flight

Act of running away. To flee, escape, or to make a hasty departure. Guilty? (just). Innocent? (injustice). Whistle blower or rebel? (unjust). Wrong place, wrong time.

• B: Crime occurs where fugitive is present
• M: Fugitive on the run, Punisher follows
• E: Fugitive faces off with punisher

10. Pursuit

Chasing, striving, or activity engaged in regularly.

• B: Goal
• M: Obstacles
• E: Success of failure, journey

11. Disaster

Widespread destruction, catastrophe, or grave misfortune. Four stages: disbelief/shock, fear, anger, acceptance.

• B: Disaster about to happen
• M: Happens
• E: Vanquished or endures

The Victorious Enemy, Messenger, & Fugitive Triangle

The enemy won (or will win). They are on the offensive, stirring shit up, starting a war, or the chase. Or if powerful, doesn’t like when someone rocks their boat. The fugitive’s job is to run, defend, or make a final stand against the disaster. The messenger may be attacked.

12. Miracle

An event that appears unexplainable, spontaneous.

• B: Tragedy or sad circumstances
• M: Miracle (drug cures cancer, shelter, find lost child)
• E: Examine miracle, what happened

13. Falling Prey to Cruelty or Misfortune

Cruelty may be an act or remark. It causes pain, suffering, or infliction of physical or mental distress. Misfortune is unnecessary and unforeseen trouble.

• B: Times are tough
• M: Deals with it
• E: Fails/Succeeds at putting their lives back together

14. Becoming Fortunate

Unexpected good fortune or luck

• B: Tough time, about to fall apart when fortune smiles
• M: Fortune is more than hero bargains for.
• E: Keeps it together

15. Revolt

Attempt to overthrow the authority or state

• B: Tyrant abuses power. Conspirator can’t take it anymore.
• M: Gathers forces. Mystery and secrets abound.
• E: Revolt takes place.

16. Support

Upholds by aid or help - support friend, party, belief.

• B: Supporter finds someone to back. Tyrant is opposing
• M: Supporter has run in with tyrant
• E: Accomplishes or fails

SELF-NOTE: How is this different from benefaction? Feel like some of these are repetitive already.

17. Daring Enterprise

An undertaking, especially of some scope, complication or risk.

• B: Bold leader realizes there’s an object
• M: Overcomes obstacles
• E: Finds object (it’s great, or bittersweet, or the journey was more important)

18. Healing Journey

Restore to health, repair/cure someone/something.

• B: See problem with self, others need healing
• M: Take steps: school, practice, doctor, sabbatical, seminar, mission, book, rainforest.
• E: Healer successful

19. Abduction

Carry off by force or kidnap. Wrong place, wrong time. Or worth money (ransom). Or mental illness. Or revenge.

• B: Kidnapped
• M: Guardian moves in full force to rescue victim
• E: Guardian finds victim and abductor

20. Reunion

Coming together of those who have been separate. Conflicts that may prevent the reunion and need to be overcome: feeling of inadequecy, unable to handle the meeting due to past trauma or misunderstanding, haven’t accomplished enough to feel good, avoiding the past, avoiding memories. Could be old friends, old colleagues, soulmates, siblings separated at birth, beloved teacher.

• B: Partner missing
• M: Looks for them
• E: Finds them

21. Enigma

Action or thing cannot be explained. Baffling: reader can’t believe or figure out what’s going on. Anticipatory: What happened? Solve riddle. Spiritual: inner growth.

• B: Trigger, seeker approaches interrogator.
• M: Seeker obstacles and twists, wrong answers, Interrogator makes it harder.
• E: Seeker solves, interrogator pays up

22. Invention

New device, method, process developed from study and experimentation. Physical - build something. Mental - figure something out. Emotional - relax, let go. Spiritual - define beliefs.

• B: Seemingly insurmountable problem
• M: Invent a solution, naysayers abound
• E: solves problem

23. Obtaining

Acquire or succeed in gaining possession as a result of planning. Selling - someone agrees, ruse, temptation, lure. Negotiation - force, charm, diplomacy. Get funding, stop war, start war, save life.

• B: Solicitor realizes their desired object/objective, adversary refuses
• M: Solicitor meets arbiter
• E: Solicitor gets their way.

24. Letting Go

Give up, abandon, surrender, or release. Dead end job, bad marriage, unhealthy belief system.

• B: Liberator faced with losing something
• M: Only way to be happy is to move on and let go
• E: Lets go and enjoys rewards of decision

25. Enmity of Kinsman

Reciprocal - both hate. Rivals. Non-reciprocal: one hates, other isn’t even aware of it or doesn’t care.

• B: Something happens and turns one against another
• M: Hated tries to resolve or attacks the malevolent
• E: One or both defeated

26. Hero to Kinsmen

Regarded with ardent or adoring respect and devotion

• B: Admirer finds hero
• M: Hero agrees to let admirer stick around or help
• E: Admirer gets in trouble defending hero or emulating hero

27. Competition

Seeking, endeavoring to gain, common strife for common goal, rivalry. Jealous compete for the same goal. Threatened expert vs. novice. Desirous two equal rivals (power, honor, fortune, glory, fame)

• B: Exceptional seems to obtain desired. Adversary finds out.
• M: Adversary carries plan to win it back
• E: Adversary and Exceptional have showdown

28. Concession

To yield, grant, or surrender.

• B: Adversary and sacrificer cross paths
• M: Adversary make objective known, sacrificer reacts
• E: Sacrificer concedes to adversary and feels better for it.

29. Adultery

Voluntary relationship between a married person and a partner other than lawful spouse. Betrayal - can lead to murder. Ostracization, guilt, obsession, blackmail, abandonment.

• B: Adulterers meet. Cheating spouse may not act.
• M: They have affair
• E: Betrayal retaliates. Someone may die.

30. Fidelity

Unfailing fulfilment of one’s duties, obligations, and strict adherence to vows and promises. Faithful refuses to find new love after partner lost (prison, sickness, divorce, away at distant job).

• B: Faithful loses spouse
• M: Forced to face loneliness
• E: Cleans up and move on

NOTE TO SELF: (February 11, 2024). As I type these out, maybe I was wrong to think I need to start with a clear ending in the “play phase”? Or maybe I do… eventually, but I still need a triggering event to come up with the shape of the plot points? As in, yes, it’s important to work on the MECH, POV, and END… but I can’t get the PROG or shift from PLAY to DRAMATIZATION without a STS or DSR (or beginning). In other words, it’s very hard to get to a MID, LOW and CMX without a STS/DSR first.

31. Madness

Quality or condition of being insane and leads to fury, rage, cruel acts without reason (personal or stranger).

• B: Madman snaps and selects victim. Victim is everyday world
• M: Victim tries to escape. Tries to get help
• E: Victim defends self. But can receive outside help at last moment

32. Genius

Mental superiority, uncommon intellectual power, invent, discovers something. Smart/creative/intense guy who wants to fit in.

• B: Discovers something
• M: Tries to get help or hides it.
• E: Helps people or hurts people

33. Imprudence

Being unwise, indiscreet, lacking caution. Gets in trouble through reckless mistake. Fool or rebel. Motives: curiousity (nosy), credulity (gullible), jealous (desire), passion

• B: Motivation to do something
• M: Makes hasty decision
• E: Punished

34. Caution

Careful, tentative, or restrained. Can’t make decision.

• B: Faced with decision
• M: Gathering information, weighs decision
• E: Can’t make decision

35. Crimes of Love

Unlawful, unjust, or senseless act but with passion/jealousy. INVOLUNTARY: disovery you’ve married mother/daughter/sister, sleeping with twin of husband, not knowing someone is married, not knowing age of partner, not knowing real sex of partner, abusing spouse in fit of rage. VOLUNTARY: knew it and keeps doing it, parent & child incest, woman wiht stepson, woman with both father and son, man with sister-in-law, siblings in love, older woman with young man and vice-versa, prostitution, teacher and student, homosexuality in situation where persecution is high, masturbation in strict religious setting

• B: Lover meets beloved and pursues them
• M: The lover meets obstacles but finally gets the beloved and may or may not act
• E: Love and beloved are caught if voluntary, or learn truth if involuntary. In either case, they face consequences.

NOTE TO SELF: This book is showing its age, listing homosexuality as a “sex crime”. But I supposed in certain settings/worlds, it still would be.

36. Sacrifice for Love

Give up something held dear for the sake of something loved

• B: Lover meets beloved and wants to pursue them
• M: Lover helps beloved but stays out of them life: develops self
• E: Beloved pursues lvoer - face obstacles together

37. Slaying of Loved One

Kill violently with intention. RECOGNIZED: duty, vow, oath, blackmail, honor, state loyalty. UNRECOGNIZED: parentage, adoption, multiple marriages

• B: Slayer learns they must slay someone and agrees to it or slayer attempts to slay someone out of hatred
• M: UNRECOGNIZED: disocovers who the victim really is. RECOGNIZED: prepares to kill
• E: Saves victim and faces consequences or kills victim and ends own life.

38. Conviction

Strong persuasion or belief in something. Slayer challenges status quo, orders, vows, oaths.

• B: Challenger is asked to harm a relative or close friend. Torn between following rules and love for family.
• M: Attempts to harm victim but can’t go through with it. Puts himself at jeopardy.
• E: Challenger stands up for what they believe in but winds up sacrificing self.

39. Self-Sacrifice

Noble, generous act. Selfish: passion. Unselfish: ideal or kindred.

• B: Hero placed in position to sacrifice something for object
• M: Decides to make sacrifice, take a chance
• E: Hero faces consequences

40. Self-Preservation

Protect from injury or harm

• B: Hero realizes she needs to make a change in their life. They go inward to heal self
• M: Obstacles test them. Continuously tempted to go back to old ways.
• E: Changed person, available to help others.

41. Discovery of Dishonor

A revelation, disclosure, expose. Maybe child doing drugs, mom is stripper, father is embezzling.

• B: Discoverer gets hint fo guilty one
• M: Discoverer confronts guilty one
• E: Discoverer deals with consequences of guilty one. Guilty one cooperates or not.

42. Discovery of Honor

Integrity, esteem, merit, respect, admiration.

• B: Discoverer learns they were wrong about someone and feels guilty
• M: Tries to make it up
• E: Discoverer tries to be like honored one.

43. Obstacles of Love

Stand in the way or thwart progress. EXTERNAL REASONS: race, class, age, relatives, family feud, promised to another, money, not good enough. INTERNAL REASONS: health, religious vows, distance, previous marriages, titles, temperament, self-esteem, misunderstanding, differing goals, values, jealousy, hate

• B: Lover finds beloved
• M: Lover announce plans and obstacles
• E: conquer or defeated

44. Unconditional Love

To love absolutely, completely and without conditions.

• B: Lover experiences unconditional love and is overwhelmed by it
• M: Lover longs to feel that love again, but problems and pain cause obstacles
• E: Lover returns to his old way or is reborn

NOTE TO SELF: A lot of these BMEs are not really well thought out. Some of the middles are more like the CMX of the story, but then again… I suppose if the ending is the DNM, especially in a short story where it’s the last sentence, and the last chapter in a novel… then the majority of what happens if you simplify it to BME is in the middle where it’s carrying the weight of Acts 2a, 2b and 3. This is a good insight to have here.

45. Conflict w/God

State of disharmony between incompatible or anti-social persons, ideas, or interests. Struggling against a deity, involved with strife with believers, controversy with deity, punished by deity, pride, contempt.

• B: Mortal in conflict with God
• M: Mortal voice conflict, gets in trouble
• E: Mortal resolves conflict, pays price

NOTE TO SELF: I mean… c’mon here. It’s like this isn’t even trying to create a BGM that’s distinct from others. It’s like the author just came up with as many as possible and then didn’t sort the data to essentialize it into useful categories. Just here. There’s 54 of these.

46. Spiritual/Supernatural Occurence

Receiver or Witness - near-death, jolt, inherited, gift

• B: Gifted One receives or witnesses a supernatural event and can’t accept it.
• M: Gifted on struggles
• E: Accepts or masters gift

47: Mistaken Judgement

Wrong or incorrect in opinion, understanding, or perception. Symptoms are jealousy, false suspicion, error, indifference, allowing it to be save friends. INSTIGATED: Third party/traitor spreads falsehood. INCIDENTAL: hear rumor by chance, out of context, hear story - starts comparing to own life. Psychogenic: self-sabotage.

• B: Mistaken one comes to believe victim is guilty
• M: Victime lashes back at the mistaken one and tries to get others on their side
• E: Mistaken one learns truth and recants or denies

48. Intuitive Judgement

Knew without rational process

• B: Intuitive One finds out about an incident and is called to investigate
• M: They examine clues and goes on a hunt for the truth
• E: They find truth and deals with consequences

49. Remorse

Anguish arising from repetence for past misdeeds or bitter regrets. Sin: murder, treachery, treason, lies, destroying someone who didn’t deserve it.

• B: Culprit commits a sin, and knows it’s wrong
• M: Interrogator pesters culprit
• E: The culprit ends things

50. Empathy

Deeply feeling another’s circumstance

• B: Empath asked to do harm but refuses or witnesses harm and wants to stop it.
• M: Empath gets in trouble
• E: Empath wins or loses but stays true to self.

51. Loss of Loved One

Slain/Spectator/Executioner. Saw it, can’t do anything about it. Helped to bring about misfortune. Divined their death. Learned of it after.

• B: Kinsman is slain
• M: Reacts to it
• E: Comes to terms, gets on with life

52. Rescue of Loved One

• B: Kinsman threatened, Rescuer witnesses
• M: Rescuer puts plan together
• E: Rescues the threatened

NOTE TO SELF: Yeah, the author is totally just throwing these up to inflate the numbers at this point.

53. Odd Couple

Forced to work together. Occupation, history, upbringing, education, philosophy, hobbies, morals, goals, aspirations, ways of living, social interactions.

• B: Hero meets Opposite. Hero and opposite clash.
• M: Opposite create obstacles to reaching goal
• E: They manage to work together

54. Fish Out of Water

• B: Hero has to go somewhere they don’t want to go
• M: Goes and feel out of place
• E: Hero gets through event and finds info they need.