Storypoints

Storypoints in Subtxt represent the core ideas and themes that run throughout your story, providing a way to express its deeper meaning and thematic essence. Organized by Throughline, Storypoints help authors pinpoint and articulate the unique aspects of conflict from various perspectives, reinforcing how and why the story unfolds.

Understanding Storypoints by Throughline

Each Throughline—Objective Story, Main Character, Obstacle Character, and Relationship Story—has its own set of Storypoints, which reflect a unique view on the central conflict. While all Throughlines may share thematic similarities, their expressions and interactions differ according to their narrative roles and the Dynamics that influence them.

The Essential Four Storypoints

For each Throughline, there are four primary Storypoints essential to developing your narrative:

1. Domain: The overarching context of the Throughline’s conflict.
2. Concern: The primary area of focus or interest within the Domain.
3. Issue: A thematic problem that provides depth and nuance to the story’s main conflict.
4. Problem: The source of conflict driving the Throughline.

Completing these four Storypoints offers a strong foundation for your narrative. Once established, you can surface these into a Storypoint Overview, which provides a high-level summary of each Throughline’s thematic essence.

Additional Storypoints for Depth

To add further detail, each Throughline can include additional Storypoints:

• Focus, Direction, Solution, and Benchmark: These Storypoints provide deeper insight into how the conflict develops and resolves.
• Unique Abilities and Critical Flaws (specific to the Main Character and Obstacle Character Throughlines) tie these personal arcs to the broader Objective Story.
• Catalysts and Inhibitors (specific to the Objective Story and Relationship Story Throughlines) affect the pacing and progression of conflict.

Special Relationship Story Appreciations

The Relationship Story Throughline has unique Storypoints that differ from the standard structure:

• Instead of Problem, you have Condition, and instead of Solution, you have Adjustment. This reflects the relational focus on growth and movement rather than direct problem-solving.
• Resistance and Flow replace Focus and Direction, emphasizing the balance and dynamics of the relationship’s evolution.

These modifications highlight that the Relationship Story is less about problem-solving and more about the conditions and adjustments that bring characters together or pull them apart.

Female Mental Sex and its Influence

In narratives where the Main Character Mental Sex is set to Female, all Throughlines adopt the Condition/Adjustment/Resistance/Flow framework. This approach better represents the non-linear growth and thematic exploration typical of such stories.

Objective Story Static Story Points

The Objective Story Throughline features additional Static Story Points that contribute to a richer understanding of your story's plot:

• Story Goal: The outcome the characters strive for to resolve the main conflict.
• Story Consequence: What happens if the Story Goal is not achieved, with the initial Problem taking precedence over the Solution.

In Female Mental Sex stories, these points are reframed: the Condition for conflict is represented as Story Intention, and its balance becomes Story Overwhelm. These changes help convey the unique challenges and outcomes present in such narratives.

Additional Static Plot Points

While not essential for a strong Objective Story Throughline, developing these additional Static Story Points can enrich your story:

• Story Requirements: What must be accomplished to achieve the Goal.
• Story Prerequisites, Preconditions, and Dividends: Conditions and rewards tied to progressing toward the Goal.
• Story Costs and Forewarnings: The sacrifices required and signs of impending failure.

These Storypoints offer tools to refine your story’s plot and deepen its thematic impact.

Working with Storypoints in Subtxt

Storypoints are organized by Throughline and can be found within the Forming section in the Develop Workspace or above a Storyform in the Muse Workspace. After developing the essential Storypoints, Subtxt allows you to surface them into a Storypoint Overview that visually summarizes each Throughline’s core ideas. This structured approach helps ensure your story’s narrative argument is consistent and compelling.