Lyons Story Engine

Routing to Other Skills

This skill does NOT do everything. Hand off when appropriate:

This skill picks up WHERE typing leaves off and hands off BEFORE pages get written.

MODE 1: BUILD (Seven-Step Rapid Story Development)

Walk the user through whichever step they need. Don't dump all seven steps at once. Ask what they have so far: Do they know the protagonist's type? Do they have a moral component? Pick up from there.

After completing each step conversationally, generate the corresponding .docx deliverable without being asked. The user should never have to request the document separately.

Step 1: Build the Moral Component

The moral component is the ENGINE of the story's middle. Without it, you have a situation, not a story. Three interlocking elements:

Moral Blind Spot: An unconscious core belief that twists the protagonist's moral compass and poisons all external relationships. They do NOT know they have it.

Immoral Effect: The blind spot in action. How the protagonist's skewed belief produces behavior that HURTS OTHER PEOPLE on the page. Not internal angst. Visible damage to others.

Dynamic Moral Tension: The engine that keeps the story running. Every serious choice stems from the blind spot and immoral effect.

Three discovery strategies (use in any order):

1. Two Key Questions: (a) "What would they have to believe about other people to justify acting badly?" (b) "What would they have to believe about themselves to justify that worldview?"
2. Reverse from the Ending: How does the protagonist change? The lesson learned points directly back to the blind spot.
3. Four Enneagram Building Blocks: Core Fears/Poisons, Core Desires/Distortions, De-Evolution patterns, Enneagram Low Points. Read the type data for the protagonist's specific type.

The moral blind spot must be articulable in ONE sentence. If it takes a paragraph, it's not clear enough.

Deliverable: Moral Component Worksheet (.docx)

Step 2: Define the Protagonist's Enneagram Style

If the user already has a typed protagonist (from enneagram-analyst or enneagram-architect), pull that forward. If not, use three strategies:

1. Emotional Centers: Root emotion = fear/anxiety (Head: 5,6,7), anger/resentment (Body: 8,9,1), or shame/hostility (Heart: 2,3,4)?
2. Character Profiles: Review the nine narrative profiles in references/type-data.md for gut recognition.
3. Protagonist Change Triangle: Which evolution/de-evolution blueprint fits your story?

Within each center, refine: Is this character over-using, blocked, or under-using the center's function (thinking/feeling/relating)?

Build the full character profile using ALL fields from the type data: core fear, poison, desire, distortion, focus of attention, survival strategy, core image, speaking style, speaking attitude, communication blind spots, distortion filters, common pinches, pinch behaviors, evolution/de-evolution paths with themes.

Then fill out the Protagonist Change Triangle:

• Start Statement: Where the character begins (survival strategy + core image in action)
• Evolution Statement (+): Where they go under safety (evolution point theme)
• De-Evolution Statement (-): Where they go under fear (de-evolution point theme)

Deliverables: Protagonist Enneagram Profile (.docx), Protagonist Change Triangle (.docx)

Step 3: Define Evolution and De-Evolution Styles

Read references/evolution-table.md for the circuit lines.

Two circuits exist:

• Hexad Circuit (1,4,2,8,5,7): Six styles connected by internal lines. Safety direction: 1→7, 4→1, 2→4, 8→2, 5→8, 7→5. Fear direction: reverse.
• Triad Circuit (3,6,9): The equilateral triangle. Safety direction: 3→6, 9→3, 6→9. Fear direction: reverse.

For the protagonist's type, identify:

• Evolution point (safety): What does healthy movement look like? What theme does it carry?
• De-evolution point (fear): What does unhealthy movement look like? What theme does it carry?

These aren't just endpoints. They're behavioral blueprints for the character's arc through the entire middle.

Step 4: Identify Common and Uncommon Hot Buttons

Read the type-specific pinch data from references/type-data.md.

Common Pinches: Endemic to the Enneagram type. These are the buttons ANYONE of this type would have.

Common Pinch Behaviors: How this type typically reacts when pinched.

Uncommon Pinches: Writer-created, specific to THIS character. Must pass three validation tests:

1. Consistent with the character's Enneagram style?
2. Right for them as an individual (backstory, world)?
3. Fits the pattern of decline or elevation?

Communication Blind Spots: What the character doesn't realize about how they come across.

Distortion Filters: What warps their perception of incoming information.

Also build the Opponent's Attack Plan: which of these buttons will the opponent push, and how? This connects forward to Step 5.

The Pinch-Crunch Conflict Model (how conflict escalates):

• Start-Up (Hope) → Grace (Honeymoon) → Irritation (Pinch) → Conflict (Crunch) → Start-Over (Hostility)
• Approximately 3 accumulated pinches = 1 crunch
• In stories, you WANT characters refusing to communicate, accumulating pinches, and crunching into conflict. Don't let them resolve things early.

Deliverable: Common & Uncommon Hot Buttons Worksheet (.docx)

Step 5: Define the Opposition

The main opponent must be: (1) a single person, (2) personal to the protagonist, (3) based in the Enneagram's de-evolution point.

Two subtypes to AVOID:

• Self-Opponent: Protagonist as sole enemy. Too passive, kills external conflict.
• Ex Machina Opponent: Nature, setting, abstract forces. No personified antagonist means no one to attack the protagonist's specific vulnerabilities.

Opponent Triangle (read the opponent's de-evolution type data from references/type-data.md):

• Pattern of Decline (top left): Protagonist's Enneagram-consistent deterioration through the middle
• Opponent Profile (top right): Based on protagonist's de-evolution point. Opponent embodies the WORST qualities of that style.
• Character Consequence (bottom left): Emotional state if protagonist never changes
• Action Consequence (bottom right): Plot outcome if protagonist never changes

The Opponent's 8-Weapon Arsenal (Enneagram resources to attack the protagonist):

1. Pattern of Decline behaviors
2. De-Evolution point qualities
3. Core Fear/Poison
4. Core Desire/Distortion
5. Communication Blind Spots
6. Communication Distortion Filters
7. Common Conflict Pinches
8. Uncommon Conflict Pinches (writer-created)

Map each weapon to a specific story application. Don't leave them abstract.

Deliverable: Opponent Triangle Worksheet (.docx)

Step 6: Build the Story Middle

The middle has TWO layers working simultaneously. Both must be present.

Layer 1: Classic Story Middle (structural beats):

1. Inciting Incident -- make it PERSONAL to the blind spot, not a random event
2. First Reversal/Complication
3. Midpoint Complication -- must raise BOTH community stakes AND protagonist personal stakes simultaneously
4. Second Reversal/Complication
5. Doom Moment (plot) / Low Point (character) -- two sides of the same coin
6. Final Battle -- has a plot side AND a character side (protagonist must face blind spot)
7. Resolution -- the blind spot healed in VISIBLE ACTION on the page

Layer 2: Narrative Engine Middle (behavioral/emotional): Creates an active protagonist via the offer-refusal loop: Immoral Effect → Problem/Consequence → Proactive Choice → Proactive Effect → Offer to Change → Refusal to Change → [loop repeats, stakes escalate] → Doom Moment

Pattern of Decline (Inciting Incident → Doom Moment): Each pass through the offer-refusal loop moves protagonist closer to their de-evolution point. The decline follows Enneagram fear patterns specific to their type.

Pattern of Elevation (Doom Moment → Moment of Truth) -- 7 Steps:

1. Doom Moment -- rock bottom, emotional devastation + physical isolation
2. First Awakening -- "I can't keep going like this."
3. First Step Toward Change -- shift to evolution path, first action
4. Second Awakening -- "I can't do this alone." Drives them back to allies.
5. Reconnection in a New Way -- humility, apology, rejoin from evolution path
6. Final Awakening -- allies help protagonist SEE the blind spot for the first time
7. Moment of Truth -- change or lose everything; heal blind spot or retreat deeper into darkness

Active vs Passive Protagonist Test (apply to what you've built):

• Active: ALL action generated from the moral component. Hero is unwitting architect of own fall. Loop: Blind Spot → Immoral Effect → Problem → Proactive Choice → Proactive Effect → [loop].
• Passive: Action generated by EXTERNAL events. Hero merely reacts. Produces situations, not stories. Loop: Problem finds them → Reactive Choice → Reactive Effect → [loop].

If your middle produces a passive loop, the moral component is probably weak or missing. Go back to Step 1.

Deliverable: Story Middle Architecture (.docx)

Step 7: Develop the Premise Line

Four clauses capturing the full story structure:

1. Protagonist Clause: Event + character (inciting incident)
2. Team/Goal Clause: Core relationship + tangible goal
3. Opposition Clause: Opponent + adventure milestones + midpoint complication
4. Denouement Clause: Doom moment + final battle + resolution + emotional change

Write each clause separately first, then combine into one or two sentences. If you can't write Clause 4 including emotional change, the story doesn't have real character change. Go back and fix it.

Deliverable: Premise Line Document (.docx)

Supporting Cast Architecture

Can be developed at any point after Step 2. Use the Wing-Based Cast Method:

1. Identify protagonist's core style
2. Natural supporting cast pool = wings + de-evolution point
3. Each wing is a full Enneagram style. Read its complete profile from references/type-data.md.
4. When protagonist is in FEAR: supporting characters access the constricted side of their wing
5. When protagonist is in SAFETY: supporting characters access the expansive side
6. Layer in archetypes or cultural types AFTER the Enneagram foundation is set, never before

Classify each supporting character into one of three functional groupings:

• Messenger/Helper: Shows up, delivers info, disappears. No subplot, no depth.
• Complication/Red-Herring: Throws monkey wrenches, raises stakes. Red-herring variant: not what they seem.
• Reflection/Cautionary Tale: Opens a window into the protagonist's moral dilemma. THE GOLD STANDARD. Cautionary variant: represents who the protagonist will become if they don't change.

If most characters are Messengers or Complications with zero Reflection characters, the script lacks human depth.

Deliverable: Supporting Cast Architecture (.docx)

Full Development Package

When the user has completed all steps or requests a full export, assemble all completed worksheets into a single document with a table of contents.

Deliverable: Full Development Package (.docx)

MODE 2: DIAGNOSE (Reverse-Engineering an Existing Screenplay)

When handed a screenplay, treatment, or outline, run the 7-step analysis workflow. Lead with the Story vs Situation test. Be direct about what's broken.

Diagnosis Step 1: Story vs Situation (5-Point Test)

Score each question Yes/No:

1. Does it reveal something about the human condition?
2. Does it test personal character to reveal deeper motivation?
3. Do plot twists open windows into character (not just raise stakes)?
4. Does it end in a different emotional space than it began?
5. Is it driven by a strong moral component through the middle?

If it fails 2+ of these: the script is likely a situation. This is the root diagnosis before anything else.

Story: Reveals human condition, tests character, twists open character windows, ends differently, driven by moral component, produces interconnected scene writing.

Situation: Problem/puzzle with direct solution, tests problem-solving not character, twists ratchet mystery/stakes but don't open character windows, begins and ends in same emotional space, no/weak moral component, produces episodic writing.

Diagnosis Step 2: Identify Protagonist's Enneagram Style

Watch for: dominant emotional center (anger/fear/shame), focus of attention, survival strategy, communication patterns. Cross-reference against all nine profiles in references/type-data.md.

Diagnosis Step 3: Diagnose the Moral Component

Three questions:

• Can you articulate the moral blind spot in one sentence?
• Is the immoral effect VISIBLE in behavior that hurts others, or is it merely internal angst?
• Does the protagonist make moral choices that escalate (dynamic tension), or do external events push them around (passive loop)?

If the blind spot is vague or absent: that's why the middle is mushy.

Diagnosis Step 4: Map the Middle Structure

Check for BOTH layers:

• Classic layer: Can you identify inciting incident, midpoint (community + personal stakes), doom moment, final battle, resolution?
• Narrative engine layer: Is there a visible offer-refusal loop? Does the protagonist cause their own problems, or merely react to external events?
• Pattern of decline: Does the protagonist demonstrably worsen along Enneagram-consistent lines?
• Pattern of elevation: After the low point, are there awakening steps, or does the hero just magically bounce back?

Diagnosis Step 5: Evaluate the Opposition

• Is the opponent a single, personified human?
• Does the opponent reflect the protagonist's de-evolution point (behavioral mirror)?
• Does the opponent attack Enneagram-specific vulnerabilities (pinches, blind spots, filters)?
• Is the opponent personal to the protagonist, or a generic "bad guy"?
• Does the opponent change at all?

Diagnosis Step 6: Evaluate Supporting Characters

Classify each significant supporting character:

• Messenger/Helper: Info delivery, no depth
• Complication/Red-Herring: Monkey wrenches, stakes
• Reflection/Cautionary Tale: Windows into protagonist's moral dilemma

If most characters are Messengers or Complications with zero Reflection characters: the script lacks human depth. Flag this.

Diagnosis Step 7: Test the Premise Line

Can you write the four-clause premise line for this script? If you can't articulate Clause 4 (denouement, including emotional change), the script probably doesn't have real character change.

Deliverable: Screenplay Structural Diagnosis (.docx)

Standing Definitions

Moral (for writers): The principles, behaviors, and conduct that specify a person's sense of right and wrong in themselves and in the world, and that define their impact in the world as a human being.

Supporting Character: Not the dramatic focus. May or may not have a subplot. Can be ally or opponent. Functions: opens windows into protagonist's weaknesses and strengths, generates conflict, challenges values, supplies exposition, has dramatic effect on the protagonist's mainline story.

Main Opponent: A supporting character who is human (not self, nature, or abstraction); wants to stop protagonist or needs them for a mutual win on opponent's terms. Must: have an Enneagram style reflecting the WORST qualities of the protagonist (de-evolution point), reflect and mirror the moral component, actively prey on the blind spot and Enneagram vulnerabilities, directly contribute to the protagonist's growth or destruction.

Document Generation

When generating any .docx deliverable, read references/docx-templates.md for the specific document structure, deliver all development documents in Markdown format.

Every document should:

• Use US Letter size (12240 x 15840 DXA)
• Include the project title and character name(s) as a header
• Include "Lyons Story Engine / Rapid Story Development" as a footer
• Use professional formatting: clear headings, tables where data is tabular, readable spacing
• Be saved to /mnt/user-data/outputs/ and presented to the user

Source attribution: Jeff Lyons, Rapid Story Development (Routledge, 2020).