HURRICANE STORY MODEL 1.

OPENING HOOK
A visual that represents the struggle
13. DARKNESS APPROACHES
Doubt, jealousy, fear, foes both
& tone of the story. A snapshot of the physical and emotional regroup to
character’s Thesis (antitheme), before defeat the main character’s goal. The
the adventure begins. Their history has theme fails where the antitheme would
taight them to live by the antitheme. have succeeded.
01
2. ORDINARY WORLD 14. ALL IS LOST
The character and their
STASIS 02 thematic world is in
balanced stagnation.
Expand on the Thesis snapshot. This is
the character’s world as it is, and what
A dramatic inversion from the false
victory. The character realizes
is missing in their life. The character the victory was false, they’ve lost
has achieved a stasis with acceptable everything they gained, or everything
03 imperfection. The theme statement
is spoken to the main character
they now have has no meaning. The
initial goal now looks even more
or in their presence, but they don’t impossible than before. They doubt
understand the truth - not until they both the theme and the antitheme.
04 The old world is
disrupted, and the
have some personal experience and And here, something or someone dies.
TRIGGER character is thrust context to support it. It can be physical or emotional, but the
death of something old makes way for
into action.
something new to be born.
3. MISSION CATALYST
05
The moment where life as it is 15. THEME TEST
SUMMER changes. The “before” world is no
more, and change is underway. The character is faced with a situation
exploration 06 where they can choose the Theme.

A plan is formed, and for 4. MISSION DOUBT

16. TEST FAILED
QUEST 07 better or worse they
decide to follow it. Change is scary and for a moment
the character doubts the journey they They fail to choose the Theme because
must take. Can I face this challenge? they don’t truly believe it yet.
Do I have what it takes? Should I go
08 at all? It is the last chance for them to
chicken out. 17. NIGHTMARE MANIFEST
The character hits bottom, and
5. CROSSING THE THRESHOLD
09 wallows in hopelessness. They
The character puts everything they mourn their losses. They are trapped
The plan falls victim to a have towards getting their stasis back between rejection of the old and
SURPRISE 10
setback or diversion. Things and the journey begins. We leave the acceptance of the new. Their original
goal to reestablish stasis is exposed
aren’t straightforward. “Thesis” world and enter the upside-
down, opposite world. as a sham, and their true goal is too
AUTUMN enormous to grapple with. Their worst
fear is coming true, and they are
denial 11 6. WRESTLING WITH THEME
giving up.
A discussion about the Theme –
the nugget of truth. Usually, this
discussion is between the main 18. SHORTCUT TEMPTATION
EYE 12 The character falsely
believes they have reached character and the love interest, or The character faces a relapse
equiibrium. someone they are vulnerable to. temptation that offers them their
stasis from the beginning, avoiding all
13 7. ANTITHEME REINFORCEMENT hardship of true change.

Dangers along the way reinforce and

19. ANTITHEME DEATH
prove the character’s need for their
14 The character undergoes
the essential, painful
stasis. They yearn for how things were. An epiphany. The character rejects
INFLECTION change that begins to
transform them into their
the temptation, denying themselves
what they thought they wanted in the
beginning. Thanks to a fresh idea, new
15 end state. 8. GAMECHANGER
inspiration, or last-minute advice, the
The character encounters a character, character chooses to try again.
society, or other embodiment of the
theme. The theme becomes a living
WINTER 16 force in their life. 20. THEME REBIRTH
despair This time around, the character
9. THEME ATTRACTION incorporates the Theme – the nugget
17 The jaws of defeat. All hope is The character sees the beauty of the of truth that now makes sense to
DARKNESS lost, allies fall, and the quest
seems impossible.
theme, but still holds on to their own them – into their fight for the new
goal because they have experience
antitheme.
from the Plot and context from their
18 emotional journey.
10. THEME VALIDATION
A moment occurs where theme saves 21. HERO PREVAILS
19 the day, where antitheme would have
The character prevails by becoming an
failed.
embodiment of the Theme.
The character finds the
REVERSAL 20
power within themselves
to change and succeed.
11. ANTITHEME DOUBT
The character doubts their worldview. 22. NEW WORLD
The character sees the new world they
21 12. FALSE VICTORY have ushered in. It’s like the old world,
but with more wholeness. There are
SPRING The character is lulled into a love affair ripple effects.
The character and their
with the theme. They do not truly have
growth
RESOLUTION 22 world has reached a
new equilibrium.
what they need yet, even if they think
they do. A false victory. 23. SYNTHESIS
The opposite of Opening Hook, proving
visually that a change has occurred
23 within the character. The character
is rewarded with a new synthesized
stasis better than the old, living life in
accordance with Theme.