You've Got Plenty of Inspiration. You Just Need Structure.
Find out which scenes actually matter, how to pace your plot, and how to build characters that bring your themes to life.
You don't need generic advice. You need systems that turn great ideas into gripping stories.
Free tools are free forever · Instant access · Premium toolkit also available
Free tools are free forever · Instant access · Premium toolkit also available
Free tools are free forever · Instant access · Premium toolkit also available
What These Frameworks Produce
Your character: A healer who can't stop helping people, even when it destroys her.
The Core Wound Blueprint Reveals:
Her brother died because she couldn't save him
"My worth comes from being needed"
To have value without sacrifice
Being useless when it matters
Codependency, solving everyone's problems
"If I save this person, my failure is redeemed"
Now every scene writes itself. Her helping isn't kindness—it's compulsion. Her arc isn't "become nicer"—it's "learn she's worthy without sacrifice."
Your story: A detective who must solve a case that mirrors her own buried trauma.
The Hurricane Model Maps Her Journey:
She's built a career on cold logic—emotions are for victims. Her thesis: "Distance keeps you safe."
A case arrives that echoes her sister's unsolved disappearance. She can't stay distant.
She thinks she's solved it. False victory. But the real killer is someone she trusted.
Everything collapses. Her distance didn't protect her—it blinded her. She must feel to see.
23 stages total. Each one serves the theme. No more "something happens in Act 2"—you know exactly what and why.
Your scene: The mentor gives the hero a cryptic warning before disappearing.
The Scene Purpose Framework Scores It:
3/5
Warning creates stakes, but no immediate action
4/5
Hero's doubt deepens, mentor's sacrifice foreshadowed
2/5
Thematic argument present but not tested
Borderline. The framework suggests: add a choice that tests the theme, or cut and redistribute the content.
No more guessing. Score every scene. Scenes below 9/15 need work. You'll know exactly where your draft is weak.
Your character: A knight who abandoned his post to save a child. Now he's hunted.
The Character Values Wheel Identifies Him As:
Protection, Duty, Sacrifice — but whose duty? The crown's or his conscience?
To shield the innocent — even when "innocent" conflicts with "lawful"
Guardian vs. Loyalist — he values both protection AND order. He broke one to serve the other.
Overprotection becomes control. He may smother those he saves.
24 archetypes. Built-in conflicts. Know what your character values, what they'll sacrifice, and where they'll break.
Your beta reader says: "The pacing drags in the middle. I almost stopped reading."
The Story Diagnosis Framework Finds:
"Pacing drags" = Reader's engagement dropped. They felt time passing without investment.
Stakes plateau after Act 1. The protagonist isn't making choices — things happen TO them. No escalation.
Add a midpoint choice that costs something. Make the protagonist complicit in the rising stakes — not a passenger.
50 common problems mapped. From "characters feel flat" to "the ending doesn't land" — each with symptoms, causes, and fixes.
25,000+ Creators Use These Tools
" I used the Character Values Wheel to build my campaign's villain. He's a Warden who values Safety and Loyalty above all. My players spent three sessions trying to figure him out. Best villain I've ever run. - Marcus, DM for 8 years
" Beta readers kept saying my protagonist was 'hard to root for.' The Core Wound Blueprint showed me she's a Rescuer with an abandonment wound. Her pushiness isn't a flaw. It's armor. Next feedback: 'I finally get her.' - Sarah, novelist
" I've read Save the Cat and the Hero's Journey. Understood them intellectually, couldn't apply them. The Hurricane Story Model clicked because it's organized around theme, not plot beats. - James, screenwriter
Integrated Frameworks, Not Isolated Tips
Each tool connects to the others. Your character's wound drives their arc. Their arc shapes your plot. Your plot serves your theme.
23 Thematic Story Stages
The Hurricane Story Model tracks your protagonist through Stasis → Trigger → Quest → Surprise → Eye of the Storm → Inflection → Darkness → Reversal → Resolution. Each stage serves your theme.
6-Layer Character Psychology
The Core Wound Blueprint connects Wound → Lie → Longing → Fear → Armor → Surface Goal. When readers ask "why did she do that?"—you'll know.
100+ Frameworks. Organized by What You're Building.
Every tool is designed for immediate use. Pick a category, find what you need, apply it to your current project.
Character
Psychology, values, flaws, voices, relationships, and development arcs.
Plot & Structure
Story stages, scene analysis, pacing, twists, and narrative architecture.
Theme & World
Moral arguments, worldbuilding systems, cognitive frameworks, and symbolic depth.
Game Mastering
Session planning, encounter design, NPC creation, and player engagement tools.
75+ free tools · 30 premium frameworks · See what premium includes
Not Invention. Synthesis.
These frameworks synthesize 15 years of research from established psychology and narrative theory: