Lemon Studios Story Editor uses this for structural diagnosis of scripts and IP under development. Use when checking genre obligations, Five Commandments, or Beginning Hook/Middle Build/Ending Payoff structure for content targeting Latin American streamers. Triggers on: Story Grid analysis, genre convention check, obligatory scene diagnosis, value progression mapping, structural diagnosis of why a story is not working, or Foolscap outline creation during a development pass.
This skill implements Shawn Coyne's Story Grid methodology, adapted for screenwriting. The Story Grid is an analytical tool that reveals whether a story "works" by examining its structural components, genre requirements, and value progressions.
A story either works or doesn't work. The Story Grid provides objective criteria to diagnose why.
Stories work when they:
Before analyzing or developing any screenplay, answer these questions:
Every unit of story (beat, scene, sequence, act, global story) MUST contain all five elements. See references/five_commandments.md for detailed guidance.
Every story makes choices from five genre categories. See references/genre_guide.md for conventions and obligatory scenes.
External Content Genres (Conscious Object of Desire):
Internal Content Genres (Subconscious Object of Desire):
For features:
For TV pilots, adjust based on act breaks. See references/tv_structure.md.
Every scene must turn—shift from positive to negative or vice versa on the story's core value spectrum:
POSITIVE (+) → CONTRARY (+/-) → NEGATIVE (-) → NEGATION OF NEGATION (--)
Example for Thriller:
Life → Unconsciousness → Death → Damnation (Fate Worse than Death)
Example for Love:
Love → Indifference → Hate → Self-Hatred (Hate masquerading as Love)
For each scene, identify:
One-page outline for global story. See references/foolscap_template.md for the template.
The interplay between these creates meaning. For deep storytelling, the protagonist may achieve one but fail the other (irony).
references/genre_guide.mdreferences/five_commandments.mdreferences/foolscap_template.mdreferences/tv_structure.mdreferences/story_diagnosis.md