# Plot Graph

## Emotional arc

```
Intensity
    |
  5 |                                                          *
    |                                                        /   \
  4 |                                                      /       *
    |                                                    /
  3 |                              *---*               /
    |                            /       \           /
  2 |          *---*           /           \       /
    |        /       \       /               *---*
  1 |  *---*           *---*
    |
  0 +----+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+----->
         Sc.1    |      Sc.2    |      Sc.3    |     Sc.4   |  Sc.5
              Letter         Workshop       Pier         Clock  Reunion
```

## Scene-by-scene arc

### Scene 1: The Letter
- **Arc position:** Opening / Inciting incident
- **Emotional trajectory:** Low (routine) --> Shock (letter) --> Stunned stillness
- **Key beat:** Elias's hands tremble -- a watchmaker's hands that never tremble
- **Tension level:** 1 --> 3
- **Dominant emotion:** Disruption

### Scene 2: The Workshop
- **Arc position:** Rising action
- **Emotional trajectory:** Retreat (descending to workshop) --> Memory (Lena, the past) --> Weight (the letter beside the unfinished clock)
- **Key beat:** Elias places the letter next to the unfinished carriage clock on the workbench
- **Tension level:** 2 --> 2 (sustained, interior)
- **Dominant emotion:** Grief, unresolved past

### Scene 3: The Pier
- **Arc position:** Midpoint / Turning point
- **Emotional trajectory:** Restlessness (walking) --> Clarity (watching the tide) --> Decision (he will write back)
- **Key beat:** The tide turns. Elias turns with it.
- **Tension level:** 2 --> 3
- **Dominant emotion:** Resolve

### Scene 4: The Clock
- **Arc position:** Rising action / Pre-climax
- **Emotional trajectory:** Purpose (reopening the workshop) --> Focus (the repair) --> Hope (the clock ticks)
- **Key beat:** The carriage clock ticks for the first time in years -- the workshop is alive again
- **Tension level:** 3 --> 4
- **Dominant emotion:** Cautious hope, craft as expression

### Scene 5: The Reunion (planned)
- **Arc position:** Climax / Resolution
- **Emotional trajectory:** Anxiety (waiting) --> Shock (first sight) --> Awkwardness (two strangers) --> Connection (the clock gift) --> Fragile hope (sitting together)
- **Key beat:** The clock changes hands -- from maker to daughter
- **Tension level:** 4 --> 5 --> 4 (climax then soft landing)
- **Dominant emotion:** Vulnerability, tentative belonging

## Thematic threads across arc

| Theme | Sc.1 | Sc.2 | Sc.3 | Sc.4 | Sc.5 |
|-------|------|------|------|------|------|
| Lost Time | Clock stops | Stopped clocks everywhere | Tide as time | Clock restarts | Clock given |
| Parenthood | Letter reveals daughter | Memory of Lena | -- | Gift-making as fatherhood | First meeting |
| Second Chances | Door opens | Door stays open | Decision to respond | Building something new | Sitting together |

## Pacing notes

- Scenes 1--3: Slow, contemplative. Long paragraphs, few dialogue beats.
- Scene 4: Medium pace. Detailed craft description creates forward momentum.
- Scene 5: Fastest pace. Shorter paragraphs, most dialogue. But still restrained -- this is not a sprint.

---
*This graph tracks the emotional shape of the story. Use it alongside OUTLINE.md when planning or revising individual scenes.*