# Narrative Frameworks Catalog # Comprehensive reference for all storytelling methodologies # Version: 1.0.0 catalog: version: "1.0.0" last_updated: "2026-03-05" frameworks: heros_journey: name: "The Hero's Journey (Monomyth)" creator: "Joseph Campbell" agent: joseph-campbell source: "The Hero with a Thousand Faces (1949)" best_for: "Epic transformations, mythic scale, archetypal narratives" stages: - order: 1 name: "Ordinary World" description: "The hero's normal life before the adventure begins" purpose: "Establish baseline so transformation is visible" - order: 2 name: "Call to Adventure" description: "Something disrupts the ordinary world" purpose: "Create initial tension and desire" - order: 3 name: "Refusal of the Call" description: "The hero hesitates or refuses the challenge" purpose: "Show the stakes and fear — makes acceptance meaningful" - order: 4 name: "Meeting the Mentor" description: "A guide appears with wisdom, tools, or encouragement" purpose: "Provide the hero with what they need to cross the threshold" - order: 5 name: "Crossing the Threshold" description: "The hero commits and enters the unknown world" purpose: "Point of no return — the adventure truly begins" - order: 6 name: "Tests, Allies, and Enemies" description: "The hero faces challenges, makes friends, discovers foes" purpose: "Build the world and develop character through trials" - order: 7 name: "Approach to the Inmost Cave" description: "The hero prepares for the major challenge" purpose: "Build anticipation and raise stakes" - order: 8 name: "The Ordeal" description: "The hero faces the greatest challenge — death and rebirth" purpose: "Central crisis that transforms the hero" - order: 9 name: "Reward (Seizing the Sword)" description: "The hero gains what they sought" purpose: "Payoff for the ordeal — but the journey is not over" - order: 10 name: "The Road Back" description: "The hero begins the return, often with new challenges" purpose: "Show the journey has consequences" - order: 11 name: "Resurrection" description: "The final test — the hero is transformed and purified" purpose: "Ultimate proof of transformation" - order: 12 name: "Return with the Elixir" description: "The hero returns home changed, bringing a gift" purpose: "The transformation benefits the community, completing the circle" archetypes: - Hero - Mentor - Threshold Guardian - Herald - Shapeshifter - Shadow - Trickster - Ally beat_sheet: name: "Save the Cat! Beat Sheet" creator: "Blake Snyder" agent: blake-snyder source: "Save the Cat! (2005)" best_for: "Commercial screenplays, tight plotting, audience-friendly structure" beats: - order: 1 name: "Opening Image" page: "1" description: "A visual that represents the world and tone before the journey" purpose: "Visual thesis — establish 'before' state" - order: 2 name: "Theme Stated" page: "5" description: "Someone states the theme, often to the hero who doesn't understand yet" purpose: "Plant the thematic seed" - order: 3 name: "Set-Up" page: "1-10" description: "Introduce the hero, their world, their flaws, and what needs fixing" purpose: "Build empathy and establish stakes" - order: 4 name: "Catalyst" page: "12" description: "The event that disrupts the status quo" purpose: "Inciting incident — life will never be the same" - order: 5 name: "Debate" page: "12-25" description: "The hero wrestles with the decision to act" purpose: "Build suspense and show reluctance" - order: 6 name: "Break into Two" page: "25" description: "The hero makes a proactive choice and enters the new world" purpose: "Act break — commitment to the journey" - order: 7 name: "B Story" page: "30" description: "A secondary story (often love) that carries the theme" purpose: "Theme explored through relationship" - order: 8 name: "Fun and Games" page: "30-55" description: "The promise of the premise — what the audience came to see" purpose: "Deliver the concept — this is the trailer material" - order: 9 name: "Midpoint" page: "55" description: "A false victory or false defeat that raises the stakes" purpose: "Pivot point — stakes become life-and-death" - order: 10 name: "Bad Guys Close In" page: "55-75" description: "External pressure mounts, internal flaws worsen" purpose: "Escalating complications" - order: 11 name: "All Is Lost" page: "75" description: "The lowest point — whiff of death (literal or metaphorical)" purpose: "Maximum despair before transformation" - order: 12 name: "Dark Night of the Soul" page: "75-85" description: "The hero processes the loss and finds the strength to continue" purpose: "Emotional rock bottom — catharsis before clarity" - order: 13 name: "Break into Three" page: "85" description: "The hero discovers the solution, combining A and B stories" purpose: "Fusion of plot and theme — the answer" - order: 14 name: "Finale" page: "85-110" description: "The hero executes the plan, defeats the bad guys, transforms" purpose: "Climax and resolution — all threads resolved" - order: 15 name: "Final Image" page: "110" description: "Opposite of the Opening Image — proof of change" purpose: "Visual antithesis — the 'after' state" genres: - "Monster in the House" - "Golden Fleece" - "Out of the Bottle" - "Dude with a Problem" - "Rites of Passage" - "Buddy Love" - "Whydunit" - "The Fool Triumphant" - "Institutionalized" - "Superhero" story_circle: name: "Story Circle" creator: "Dan Harmon" agent: dan-harmon source: "Channel 101 / Community writers' room" best_for: "TV episodes, character-driven arcs, relatable journeys" steps: - order: 1 name: "YOU" description: "A character is in a zone of comfort" purpose: "Establish the protagonist and their world" - order: 2 name: "NEED" description: "But they want something" purpose: "Create desire and motivation" - order: 3 name: "GO" description: "They enter an unfamiliar situation" purpose: "Leave the comfort zone — the adventure begins" - order: 4 name: "SEARCH" description: "They adapt to the new situation" purpose: "Struggle and growth through challenges" - order: 5 name: "FIND" description: "They get what they wanted" purpose: "Achieve the goal — but at a cost" - order: 6 name: "TAKE" description: "They pay a heavy price for it" purpose: "Consequences — nothing is free" - order: 7 name: "RETURN" description: "They return to the familiar situation" purpose: "Come home — but everything is different now" - order: 8 name: "CHANGE" description: "Having changed" purpose: "Transformation is complete — they are not who they were" principle: "The circle represents descent and return — going into the unconscious and coming back transformed" sparkline: name: "Sparkline (Presentation Structure)" creator: "Nancy Duarte" agent: nancy-duarte source: "Resonate (2010)" best_for: "Presentations, keynotes, data storytelling, TED talks" structure: what_is: "The current reality — the world as it exists today" what_could_be: "The possible future — the world transformed" alternation: "Toggle between pain (what is) and promise (what could be)" star_moment: "One unforgettable moment — the emotional peak" new_bliss: "The transformed future after the audience acts" call_to_action: "The specific step the audience must take" principle: "Great presentations create a gap between what is and what could be, then build desire to cross it" public_narrative: name: "Story of Self, Us, Now" creator: "Marshall Ganz" agent: marshall-ganz source: "Harvard Kennedy School / Community Organizing" best_for: "Movements, activism, collective action, organizational change" stories: story_of_self: purpose: "Why I care — personal origin and values" elements: ["Origin experience", "Choice point", "Values expressed", "Emotional honesty"] story_of_us: purpose: "Why WE care — shared identity and values" elements: ["Shared experiences", "Collective values", "Common challenges", "Sense of belonging"] story_of_now: purpose: "What we must do NOW — urgent action" elements: ["Urgent challenge", "The choice we face", "Hope vs fear", "Specific call to action"] principle: "Narrative is the way we translate values into action — connecting personal to collective to urgent" abt: name: "And-But-Therefore (ABT)" creator: "Randy Olson / Park Howell" agent: park-howell source: "Houston, We Have a Narrative (2015)" best_for: "Brand storytelling, business narratives, content marketing, elevator pitches" structure: and: "Set up the context — the status quo (agreement)" but: "Introduce the conflict — the problem or tension (contradiction)" therefore: "Present the resolution — the action or solution (consequence)" example: "We want to grow our business AND we have a great product, BUT customers can't find us, THEREFORE we need a new marketing strategy." anti_patterns: aaa: "And-And-And — boring, no conflict (death by agreement)" dht: "Despite-However-Thus — academic, no narrative energy" principle: "All compelling stories follow ABT structure. Conflict (BUT) is what makes a story a story." story_grid: name: "Story Grid" creator: "Shawn Coyne" agent: shawn-coyne source: "The Story Grid (2015)" best_for: "Story editing, genre analysis, structural diagnosis" content_genres: - name: "Action" core_value: "Life / Death" core_emotion: "Excitement" - name: "Horror" core_value: "Life / Damnation" core_emotion: "Terror" - name: "Love" core_value: "Love / Hate" core_emotion: "Intimacy" - name: "Performance" core_value: "Respect / Shame" core_emotion: "Admiration" - name: "Society" core_value: "Power / Impotence" core_emotion: "Social satisfaction" - name: "Status" core_value: "Success / Failure" core_emotion: "Admiration" - name: "Worldview" core_value: "Meaning / Meaninglessness" core_emotion: "Transcendence" five_commandments: - "Inciting Incident (causal or coincidental)" - "Progressive Complication (turning point)" - "Crisis (best bad choice or irreconcilable goods)" - "Climax (the decision made)" - "Resolution (the aftermath)" principle: "Every scene must have a value shift. A scene without change is not a scene."