Day 1: The Hook (30 minutes)

Write two sentences (18 words max each):

• Sentence 1: What happens that challenges your protagonist’s lie
• Sentence 2: The question they must answer to survive Don’t overthink. You’ll revise later.

Day 2: The Five-Sentence Core (1 hour)

Expand your hook:

1. Character’s lie (setup)
2. THEREFORE → action based on lie
3. BUT → reality punishes lie
4. THEREFORE → doubles down
5. BUT → only truth saves them

Day 3: Character Foundations (2 hours)

For protagonist only:

• Wound: What specific moment broke them?
• Lie: What they believe because of it
• Want: What they think fixes them
• Need: What actually fixes them
• Identity Arc: Who they pretend to be → Who they become

Day 4: One-Page Plot (2 hours)

Seven paragraphs, each connected by THEREFORE or BUT:

• Living the lie
• Lie creates problem
• Problem challenges lie
• Trying harder with lie
• Lie fails spectacularly
• Must face truth
• Truth requires sacrifice

Day 5: Scene Connections (1 hour)

List 10 key scenes. Between each, write THEREFORE, BUT, or MEANWHILE. If you write “and then,” that scene doesn’t belong.

Day 6: Conflict Check (30 minutes)

Answer: How does every plot event challenge your character’s lie? If a scene doesn’t pressure the lie, cut it or fix it.

Day 7: The Test (30 minutes)

Explain your story using only “because” and “but.” If you can’t, you have connection problems.

That’s it. You now have a story skeleton that works. Everything else is execution.