# Story Layers Architecture

The WriteStory system constructs fiction across seven simultaneous narrative layers. Think of these as sedimentary strata — each exists independently but they interact, influence, and reinforce each other at every point in the narrative.

## The Seven Layers

### Layer 1: Meaning (Theme)

**What it is:** The philosophical argument the story makes about human nature, society, morality, or existence. Every great story has something to say.

**How it works:**
- The theme is NOT stated explicitly (that's propaganda, not fiction)
- Instead, it emerges from the collision between character flaw and plot pressure
- The character's transformation IS the theme made flesh
- Secondary characters often embody alternative responses to the same thematic question

**Milestones to map:**
- Thematic question introduction (implicit, through character behavior)
- Counter-arguments embodied by antagonist/secondary characters
- Moments where theme crystallizes through action
- Final statement (through resolution, not exposition)

**Storr connection:** The sacred flaw IS the theme inverted. If the theme is "true connection requires vulnerability," the sacred flaw is "vulnerability equals weakness."

---

### Layer 2: Character Change (Sacred Flaw -> Transformation)

**What it is:** The core engine of narrative. Characters begin with a fundamental misbelief about themselves or the world (the sacred flaw) and are forced by events to confront and potentially transform it.

**The Sacred Flaw Engine (from Storr):**
- **External Want (Plot):** What the character consciously pursues
- **Internal Need (Character):** What they actually need but can't see
- **Philosophical Purpose (Theme):** The universal truth their journey illuminates

The sacred flaw creates the gap between want and need. The character pursues the wrong thing for the wrong reason, and the story forces them to see it.

**Milestones to map (per major character):**
- Sacred flaw establishment (shown through behavior, not told)
- Origin wound (what created this flaw — may be revealed gradually)
- Want/Need misalignment moments (character pursues want, gets further from need)
- Pressure escalation (events that make the flaw increasingly untenable)
- Crisis point (maximum pressure — maintain flaw or transform?)
- Transformation moment (or tragic failure to transform)
- New equilibrium (changed character in changed world)

**The "perfectly normal" opening:** Stories often begin by establishing normalcy, then disrupting it. The disruption should target the sacred flaw directly.

---

### Layer 3: Plot (Cause and Effect)

**What it is:** The causal chain of events. Not a sequence of things that happen — a chain where each event causes the next. "The king died and then the queen died" is a chronicle. "The king died and the queen died of grief" is a plot.

**How it works:**
- Every scene must advance at least one layer (preferably 2-3)
- Causality is shown, not told
- The protagonist's choices create consequences that create new choices
- The antagonist's actions create pressure that forces character choices

**Structural frameworks (synthesized):**

| Beat | Percentage | Purpose |
|------|-----------|---------|
| Opening Image | 0-1% | Snapshot of the "before" world |
| Setup + Theme Stated | 1-10% | Establish world, characters, sacred flaw |
| Catalyst | 10% | Inciting incident targets the flaw |
| Debate | 10-20% | Character resists change (flaw defense) |
| Break Into Two | 20% | Character commits to new world/approach |
| Fun and Games | 20-50% | Promise of the premise fulfilled |
| Midpoint | 50% | False victory or false defeat; stakes rise |
| Bad Guys Close In | 50-75% | Internal and external pressure intensifies |
| All Is Lost | 75% | Lowest point — flaw fully exposed |
| Dark Night of Soul | 75-80% | Forced to confront the sacred flaw |
| Break Into Three | 80% | Synthesis of want and need |
| Finale | 80-99% | Transformation tested through action |
| Final Image | 99-100% | "After" snapshot — change made visible |

**Scene-level structure (Story Grid):**
Every scene contains: Inciting Incident → Progressive Complications → Crisis → Climax → Resolution

---

### Layer 4: Mystery (Information Management)

**What it is:** The systematic control of what the reader knows, suspects, and wonders about at every point. Mystery is NOT just for mystery novels — it is the engine of reader engagement across ALL genres.

**How it works (from Storr):**
- The brain automatically fills gaps in information
- Presenting incomplete information triggers "theory of mind" — readers construct hypotheses
- The gap between "what we know" and "what we want to know" is narrative tension
- Confirmation, subversion, or expansion of reader hypotheses creates satisfaction

**Types of mystery to manage:**
- **Primary mystery:** The central question driving the whole story (who killed X? will they survive? will they find love?)
- **Secondary mysteries:** Supporting questions that maintain engagement between primary mystery beats
- **Micro-mysteries:** Scene-level hooks — unanswered questions at chapter/scene boundaries
- **Character mysteries:** "Why does this character act this way?" (often tied to origin wound)
- **World mysteries:** "How does this thing work?" (especially in fantasy/sci-fi)

**Milestones to map:**
- Mystery introduction points (when each question enters the reader's mind)
- Clue plants (information that will matter later)
- Red herrings (false trails that maintain uncertainty)
- Partial reveals (enough to redirect hypotheses, not enough to satisfy)
- Full reveals (satisfying resolution of accumulated tension)
- Mystery-mystery handoffs (resolving one mystery while introducing another)

**The "incomplete information" principle:** Never give the reader all the information at once. Every scene should leave at least one question unanswered.

---

### Layer 5: World (Setting, Politics, Rules)

**What it is:** The physical, social, and systemic environment in which the story takes place. Not just scenery — the world should create pressure on characters and reflect/challenge themes.

**How it works:**
- World elements exist to serve story, not as decoration
- Political systems create external conflict that mirrors internal conflict
- Physical environments reflect and pressure character states
- Magic systems/technology/social rules create constraints that force creative problem-solving

**Sanderson's Laws (for fantasy/sci-fi):**
1. An author's ability to solve conflict with magic is directly proportional to how well the reader understands said magic
2. Limitations > Powers (what you CAN'T do is more interesting)
3. Expand what you have before adding something new

**Milestones to map:**
- World establishment (just enough to orient, not infodump)
- Progressive world revelation (new aspects revealed as story needs them)
- World-as-pressure (how environment forces character choices)
- World-change moments (when character actions alter the world itself)

---

### Layer 6: Relationships (Bonds and Pressure)

**What it is:** How key relationships between characters evolve, create pressure, and illuminate character. From Dramatica: the Relationship Story is one of four essential throughlines.

**How it works:**
- Key relationships are miniature stories with their own arcs
- The "influence character" challenges the protagonist's sacred flaw
- Status games (Storr) — characters constantly negotiating position
- Relationships create emotional stakes that make plot events matter

**Types of relationship arcs:**
- **Primary:** Protagonist + Influence Character (often love interest, mentor, or rival)
- **Antagonistic:** Protagonist + Antagonist (competing sacred flaws)
- **Supporting:** Protagonist + allies (reflect different responses to theme)
- **Background:** Secondary character relationships (enrich world)

**Milestones to map:**
- Relationship establishment (first meeting, initial dynamic)
- Tension points (disagreements that expose competing worldviews)
- Deepening moments (vulnerability, shared experience)
- Crisis moments (relationship tested — will it survive?)
- Resolution (new equilibrium — closer, broken, or transformed)

---

### Layer 7: Prose (Style, Rhetoric, Voice)

**What it is:** HOW the story is told at the sentence level. This is where the Elements of Eloquence figures live — the "toolbelt" that transforms competent prose into memorable language.

**How it works:**
- Prose style is configured per project via Aesthetic Profiles
- Rhetorical figures are deployed strategically at high-impact moments
- Anti-cliche system prevents generic, predictable language
- Voice consistency is maintained through style guidelines

**Key principles:**
- Memorable lines are ENGINEERED, not accidental (Forsyth's thesis)
- Strategic deployment > constant deployment (save the fireworks for key moments)
- Dialogue and prose use different figure profiles
- Genre affects density and type of rhetorical deployment

**See:** `RhetoricalFigures.md` for the full toolbelt
**See:** `AntiCliche.md` for freshness enforcement
**See:** `AestheticProfiles.md` for style configuration

---

## Layer Interaction Rules

1. **Every scene advances at least 2 layers.** A scene that only advances plot is wasted space.
2. **Character change is primary.** All other layers exist to pressure the sacred flaw.
3. **Mystery sustains between beats.** When plot slows, mystery carries engagement.
4. **Theme emerges, never preaches.** The meaning layer is visible through action, not exposition.
5. **World serves story.** Every world detail should eventually matter for character or plot.
6. **Relationships create stakes.** Without emotional bonds, plot events are abstract.
7. **Prose matches moment.** Simple prose for fast action, rich prose for emotional peaks.

## Mapping Template

For each major story beat, map ALL seven layers:

```
BEAT: [Name] at [percentage]

MEANING:      What thematic element is present/advanced?
CHARACTER:    Where is the sacred flaw? What pressure?
PLOT:         What event? What causes it? What does it cause?
MYSTERY:      What questions open? Close? Redirect?
WORLD:        What environment detail matters? New revelation?
RELATIONSHIP: Which bonds are tested/deepened/broken?
PROSE:        What rhetorical emphasis? What voice register?
```

This mapping, done for every major beat, creates the Story Bible.
