Story Structure: Seven Key Steps

This skill helps writers analyze and develop story structure using John Truby's seven-step framework from The Anatomy of Story. These steps represent the organic DNA of story—the sequence any human being must work through to solve a life problem.

Purpose

Truby's seven steps are based on human action—the natural process of how people address problems in life. They help create stories with organic, internally generated structure, ensure heroes undergo meaningful character change, build dramatic conflict through competing desires, link all story elements to the premise line, avoid mechanical plot formulas, and achieve the greatest emotional impact on the audience.

When to Invoke This Skill

Invoke this skill when writers need to:

• Develop a new story idea and find its structural foundation
• Address stories that feel reactive or lack clear dramatic drive
• Develop characters who aren't changing or growing meaningfully
• Strengthen opponents/antagonists that feel generic or unclear
• Clarify what a story is really about
• Build scenes toward a unified endpoint
• Deepen psychological and moral dimensions
• Identify what's missing in story structure

Bundled Resources

References:

• references/truby-framework.md - Detailed explanation of all seven steps (weakness/need, desire, opponent, plan, battle, self-revelation, new equilibrium), important principles, examples (The Godfather, Chinatown, Saving Private Ryan, The Verdict), and guidance for non-traditional narratives

Assets:

• assets/structure-template.md - Comprehensive template for seven-step structure analysis

Task Instructions

When this skill is invoked, follow these steps to analyze or develop story structure.

Step 1: Detect Environment & Understand Context

Determine the environment:

• With access to project directory and file system tools (Read, Write, Edit, Glob, Grep): Claude Code environment
• With uploaded files or chat without direct project access: Claude Desktop/Web environment

Understand the story context:

1. Ask which story to analyze or develop
2. In Claude Code: If not specified, search for story files in the project (narrative drafts, outlines, character notes)
3. In Claude Desktop: Ask to describe the story or share existing materials
4. Understand whether this is:
   • A new story idea needing structure
   • An existing draft needing structural analysis
   • A story in development with some elements defined

Step 2: Determine Analysis Approach

Based on what the writer has, choose the appropriate approach:

A. Forward Development (New Story) If the writer has only a basic idea or concept:

1. Start by working on the self-revelation (Step 6)—determine the endpoint first
2. Then work backward to figure out need (Step 1) and desire (Step 2)
3. Build the rest of the structure from this foundation

B. Reverse Engineering (Existing Draft) If the writer has a draft or substantial material:

1. Read/analyze the existing story material
2. Identify which of the seven steps are present (explicitly or implicitly)
3. Assess which steps are missing or underdeveloped
4. Show how existing elements map to the seven-step structure

C. Problem Diagnosis (Stuck Story) If the writer knows something isn't working:

1. Identify which step(s) are weak or missing
2. Focus on the specific structural problem
3. Use the seven steps to diagnose and solve the issue

Ask the writer which approach best fits their situation.

Reference: See references/truby-framework.md for principle "Start at the End" - determine self-revelation first, then work backward.

Step 3: Build the Seven-Step Structure

Work through each step systematically. Consult references/truby-framework.md for detailed explanation of each step.

Step 1: Weakness and Need

Questions to explore:

• What great weakness is holding the hero back at the beginning?
• What is missing within them that is so profound it's ruining their life?
• What must they overcome/change to have a better life?

Develop both forms:

• Psychological weakness and need: What flaw hurts the hero themselves? What must they overcome internally?
• Moral weakness and need: How is the hero hurting others at the beginning? What must they learn about how to act properly toward other people?

Key reminder: The hero should NOT be aware of this need at the beginning.

Reference: See references/truby-framework.md for techniques to create moral need.

Step 2: Desire

Questions to explore:

• What does the hero want in this story (not in life generally)?
• What specific goal are they pursuing?
• What actions will this goal require them to take?

Distinction check:

• Is this goal external and visible (desire) or internal and hidden (need)?
• Does pursuing this goal create forward momentum in the story?
• Will accomplishing this goal also fulfill the hero's need?

Warning check: Make sure desire and need are distinct. Desire is on the surface (what audience thinks story is about). Need is hidden beneath (what story is really about).

Step 3: Opponent

Questions to explore:

• Who wants to prevent the hero from achieving their desire?
• What goal does the opponent want? (Must be the SAME goal as hero)
• How does the opponent attack the hero's greatest weakness?
• What makes this opponent particularly good at defeating this particular hero?

Deepest conflict question: What is the most important thing the hero and opponent are fighting about? (Often: which version of reality will everyone believe)

Complexity check:

• Does the opponent have moral complexity (not pure evil)?
• Does the opponent have their own psychological need?
• Why does the opponent believe they're right?

Reference: See references/truby-framework.md for the critical principle about same goal.

Step 4: Plan

Questions to explore:

• What strategy will the hero use to overcome the opponent and reach the goal?
• Is the plan specific and focused on defeating this particular opponent?
• Is the plan complex enough to involve multiple steps/actions?
• What happens when the plan doesn't work? How must it adapt?

Structure check: The plan should shape the middle of the story. If it's too simple, the story will be too short.

Step 5: Battle

Questions to explore:

• What is the final confrontation between hero and opponent?
• Where/when does this climactic conflict occur?
• Is it a battle of violence or a battle of words (or both)?
• How does this battle put the hero to the ultimate test?
• Who wins the goal?

Intensity check: Make sure the battle is intense enough to force the hero's self-revelation.

Step 6: Self-Revelation

Questions to explore:

• What does the hero learn about who they really are?
• How do they see themselves honestly for the first time?
• What do they understand about their flaw?
• What do they realize about how they've hurt others?

Both forms:

• Psychological self-revelation: Hero sees themselves in a new light
• Moral self-revelation: Hero realizes they've been wrong, hurt others, must change; they prove change by taking new moral action

Key reminder: Don't have the hero explicitly say what they learned. Suggest insight through their actions.

Quality check: Much of the story's quality is based on the quality of this self-revelation.

Reference: See references/truby-framework.md for connection between self-revelation and need.

Step 7: New Equilibrium

Questions to explore:

• What has fundamentally changed now?
• Has the hero moved to a higher or lower level?
• What is the lasting impact of the hero's journey?

Assessment: Positive self-revelation (hero moves to higher level) or negative self-revelation (hero falls or is destroyed)?

Step 4: Assess Organic Connections

Verify that the seven steps connect organically (not mechanically):

Connection tests:

• Need ’ Desire: How well connected?
• Desire ’ Opponent: Competing for same goal?
• Opponent ’ Plan: Plan designed for this opponent?
• Battle ’ Self-Revelation: Battle intense enough to force revelation?
• Need ’ Self-Revelation: Endpoint addresses beginning?

Identify weak connections and suggest how to strengthen them.

Step 5: Provide Structural Analysis and Recommendations

Based on the analysis:

For new stories:

• Which steps are well-defined?
• Which steps need development?
• What should be worked on first?
• Are there any missing connections?

For existing drafts:

• Which steps are present and working well?
• Which steps are missing or underdeveloped?
• How can weak steps be strengthened?
• What revisions would improve structural integrity?

For stuck stories:

• Which step is the source of the problem?
• How can that step be fixed?
• What ripple effects will fixing it have on other steps?

Reference: See references/truby-framework.md for key principles like "Don't skip that first step. Ever."

Step 6: Create Seven-Step Structure Documentation

If in Claude Code (project directory access):

1. Get current date using date +%Y-%m-%d command
2. Ask where to save structure analyses (suggest structure/ or process/structure/)
3. Create the chosen directory if it doesn't exist
4. Save with descriptive filename using actual date: YYYY-MM-DD-[story-name]-7-steps.md
5. Use the structure from assets/structure-template.md
6. Include both the step-by-step breakdown and recommendations
7. Confirm the save location

If in Claude Desktop/Web (no project directory):

1. Create the analysis as a formatted markdown artifact or downloadable file
2. Present it in the chat for review
3. Suggest saving with filename using current date: YYYY-MM-DD-[story-name]-7-steps.md
4. Use the structure from assets/structure-template.md
5. Offer to explore any specific step in more depth if requested

Important Reminders

• Start at the end: Determine self-revelation first, then work backward
• Organic, not mechanical: Seven steps exist IN the story, not imposed from outside
• Character change is central: Need = beginning of change, Self-revelation = endpoint
• Both psychological AND moral: Better stories include both forms of need
• Don't skip weakness/need: "Don't skip that first step. Ever."
• Desire ` Need: Two unique steps with different functions
• Same goal: Opponent must want the SAME goal as hero
• Show, don't tell: Self-revelation through action, not statement

Reference: See references/truby-framework.md for detailed principles and key quotes.

What This Skill Does NOT Do

• Replace the writer's creative vision or storytelling instincts
• Guarantee a "good" story (execution still matters)
• Work for all story types (particularly suited for character-driven drama)
• Provide scene-by-scene plotting (it establishes structural foundation)
• Eliminate the need for other story elements (theme, world-building, etc.)

Integration with Other Skills

This skill works alongside:

• symbol-web - Symbols deepen character arcs and thematic resonance
• narrative-inventory - Catalogues what exists; seven steps shows if structure is present
• narrative-keywords - Identifies conceptual threads; seven steps ensures they build toward self-revelation
• narrative-maps - Shows spatial structure; seven steps shows dramatic structure
• Character development tools
• Scene planning tools

Based on John Truby's "The Seven Key Steps of Story Structure" from The Anatomy of Story: 22 Steps to Becoming a Master Storyteller