# General Storytelling — Script Core

> Universal principles that apply to ALL script types regardless of category. Loaded with every script generation.

## The fundamental contract

A story = **a character with a problem who tries to solve it**.

Every script, regardless of length or format, needs:
1. A protagonist (someone we follow)
2. A goal (what they want)
3. An obstacle (why it's hard)
4. A change (what's different at end)

## 3-Act structure (universal)

### Act 1 — Setup (25%)
- Establish protagonist's normal world
- Introduce problem / inciting incident
- Protagonist commits to action

### Act 2 — Confrontation (50%)
- Obstacles increase
- Protagonist tries and fails
- Stakes raise
- Midpoint reversal (things change direction)
- Crisis (lowest point)

### Act 3 — Resolution (25%)
- Final attempt
- Climax
- Resolution / new normal

## Fundamental rules

### 1. Show, don't tell
- Characters reveal themselves through action, not exposition
- Visual storytelling > dialogue explanation
- Trust the audience

### 2. Conflict drives story
- No conflict = no drama
- Internal conflict (within character) + external conflict (with world)
- Conflict can be subtle (silence, glance) or extreme (fight)

### 3. Specificity creates universality
- "She drank coffee" is generic
- "She wrapped both hands around the chipped Karavan mug, her grandmother's mug" — universal feeling, specific detail

### 4. Want vs Need
- What the protagonist WANTS (their conscious goal)
- What they NEED (what would actually fulfill them)
- Best stories: they get the need, not always the want

### 5. Cause and effect
- Each scene caused by previous, causing the next
- "Therefore" or "But" — never "And then"
- Bad: A happens, AND THEN B happens
- Good: A happens, BUT B intervenes; THEREFORE C results

### 6. Stakes
- Why does this matter?
- What does the character lose if they fail?
- Make stakes specific and personal

## Scene anatomy

Every scene has:
- **Goal**: what does protagonist want in THIS scene
- **Conflict**: what stops them
- **Outcome**: do they succeed (Yes), fail (No), or partial (Yes But / No But)

If a scene has no goal/conflict/outcome — it's not a scene, it's exposition. Cut it.

## Dialogue purpose

Every line of dialogue should do at least 2 of these:
1. Reveal character
2. Advance plot
3. Provide subtext (what's NOT being said)
4. Create conflict

If a line does only 1, consider cutting.

## Subtext

Characters rarely say what they mean.
- Two people talking about the weather might really be talking about their relationship
- A father commenting on his son's tie might really be expressing pride
- Subtext is what makes scenes resonate

## Pacing principles

- Open scene late (in the middle of action)
- Close scene early (before resolution explained)
- Cut anything that isn't essential
- Let tension breathe before payoffs

## Character motivation

Every character (even minor) wants something. They have:
- A worldview (how they see things)
- A wound (what hurt them in the past)
- A want (what they're chasing)
- A need (what they actually need)

These shape every line they speak.

## Universal pitfalls

- Exposition dumps ("As you know, Bob...")
- On-the-nose dialogue (saying exactly what you mean)
- Convenient coincidences (in Act 2 or 3)
- Passive protagonist (things happen TO them, not BY them)
- No stakes / no urgency
- Telling instead of showing
- Generic characters (no specific traits)