story-check

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This skill provides the 12 critical story questions for screenplay evaluation. Covers concept, theme, audience reaction, beginning, ending, rising tensions, characters, protagonist, motivation, antagonist, and believability. Use when: evaluating a screenplay draft, identifying story weaknesses, preparing for rewrites, or validating fundamentals before submission.

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Sourcebybren-llc/story-systems-template

Added on2026-03-24

NPX Install

npx skill4agent add bybren-llc/story-systems-template story-check

SKILL.md Content

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Story Check Skill

Invocation Triggers

Apply this skill when:

Evaluating a screenplay draft
Identifying story weaknesses
Preparing for rewrites
Validating story fundamentals before submission

The 12 Story Questions

Here are twelve great questions you should ask yourself about your script/story while you are developing it. You should actually chart it out.

Question 1: Story Elements

What are the elements of my story?

What is my story's concept?
What genre is my story?

CONCEPT: ___________________________________
GENRE: ___________________________________

Question 2: Message

What do I want to say with my script or story?

The state of the world?
Relationships?
Governments?
Religions?
Life in general?
People?

THEME/MESSAGE: ___________________________________

Question 3: Audience Reaction

How will audiences or readers react to my story?

Interesting?
Believable? Is it a true story?
Credible?
Compelling?

Criterion	Rating (1-5)	Notes
Interesting
Believable
Credible
Compelling

Question 4: Beginning

Where does my story begin?

What is the setup?
Is the protagonist in a crisis?
Have you established your world? The rules?
The restrictions?

SETUP: ___________________________________
WORLD RULES: ___________________________________

Question 5: Ending

Where does my story end?

What is the outcome or resolution? And why?
Do you answer any and all questions presented?
Did you fulfill the premise of the story?

RESOLUTION: ___________________________________
QUESTIONS ANSWERED: [ ] Yes [ ] Partial [ ] No
PREMISE FULFILLED: [ ] Yes [ ] No

Question 6: Rising Tensions

Are there rising tensions?

Are there surprises?
How does the conflict escalate?
Is there a climax?

SURPRISE COUNT: ___
ESCALATION PATTERN: ___________________________________
CLIMAX: ___________________________________

Question 7: Characters

Who are my characters?

Are they likable?
Interesting? Unique or different?
Bigger than life?
Will an audience care about them?

Character	Likable	Interesting	Unique	Care Factor

Question 8: Protagonist

What or who is my protagonist like?

Can audiences empathize with them?
What do they want?
What are their goals in life? Needs?
What's at stake for them?
Are they tied to the problem they face?
Are they in a position of no turning back?

EMPATHY: [ ] Strong [ ] Moderate [ ] Weak
WANT: ___________________________________
NEED: ___________________________________
STAKES: ___________________________________
POINT OF NO RETURN: Page ___

Question 9: Motivation

What are my characters' motivations?

Are these motivations shown?
Justified or unjustified?
Built into the story?

PROTAGONIST MOTIVATION: ___________________________________
SHOWN ON SCREEN: [ ] Yes [ ] No
JUSTIFIED: [ ] Yes [ ] No
BUILT INTO STORY: [ ] Yes [ ] No

Question 10: Antagonist

Who or what is the antagonist in my story?

Why are they trying to stop your protagonist?
Is the antagonist a worthy foe?
What drives them?
What do they want or need?

ANTAGONIST: ___________________________________
MOTIVATION: ___________________________________
WORTHY FOE: [ ] Yes [ ] No
WANT: ___________________________________

Question 11: Over-Explanation

Do I over-explain my story?

Is everything spelled out too clearly?
Is the setup "messy" and too busy?
Do events get explained or unfold dramatically?
Do too many key events take place off screen?

Issue	Present?	Page(s)
Over-explanation
Messy setup
Told not shown
Key events off screen

Question 12: Believability

If my story and characters are fictitious, can I now believe that they are real?

BELIEVABILITY SCORE: ___/10
AREAS TO IMPROVE: ___________________________________

Story Check Summary Template

markdown

## Story Check Summary: [TITLE]

### PASS/FAIL Assessment
| Question | Status | Notes |
|----------|--------|-------|
| 1. Elements | | |
| 2. Message | | |
| 3. Audience Reaction | | |
| 4. Beginning | | |
| 5. Ending | | |
| 6. Rising Tensions | | |
| 7. Characters | | |
| 8. Protagonist | | |
| 9. Motivation | | |
| 10. Antagonist | | |
| 11. Over-Explanation | | |
| 12. Believability | | |

### Critical Issues
1. ___________________________________
2. ___________________________________
3. ___________________________________

### Recommended Actions
1. ___________________________________
2. ___________________________________
3. ___________________________________

### Overall Assessment
[ ] Ready for submission
[ ] Needs minor revisions
[ ] Needs significant rewrite
[ ] Fundamental story issues

Validation Checklist

All 12 questions answered honestly
Issues documented with specific page references
Action items prioritized
Overall assessment reflects reality