Story Shapes
Kurt Vonnegut argued that most stories follow one of a handful of emotional shapes. Story Shapes are those curves, built into the Shape Workspace as overlays to compare your own Arc against.
The six shapes
Section titled “The six shapes”- Man in Hole: things get worse before they get better
- Boy Meets Girl: a rise, a fall, and a rise again
- Cinderella: steady rise, sudden drop, steady rise to a high
- Tragedy: a long, steady fall
- Creation Story: a flat, steady climb
- Oedipus: a fall, a partial rise, then a steeper fall
Comparing your Arc
Section titled “Comparing your Arc”In the Shape Workspace, toggle one or more shapes on top of your own Arc. You’ll see whether your middle actually sags the way it feels like it does, or whether your Tragedy is quietly turning into an Oedipus.
Toggle more than one at once to compare candidates, and clear the selection just as easily. The overlay is a reference line, not an edit; nothing about it changes your Arc.
Every Arc in your project gets its own shape comparison, since every plotline has its own emotional journey worth checking.