NCP carries a storyform as structured context. These components separate exploratory ideas, deep authorial meaning, and audience-facing storytelling so tools can exchange the same intent without collapsing it into a generic plot summary.
The top-level `story` object identifies the project and holds its shared metadata. It can include title, logline, genre, creation timestamp, reusable settings, ideation, and one or more narratives.
{
"schema_version": "1.3.0",
"story": {
"id": "story_123e4567",
"title": "Echoes of the Past",
"logline": "A detective links a cold case to his own haunted history.",
"created_at": "2025-12-01T12:34:56Z",
"narratives": []
}
}Optional beginner concept space for authors who are still forming ideas. It lives inside `story`, above and outside formal narratives, with four domains: character, theme, plot, and genre.
"ideation": {
"character": [
{
"id": "idea_char_001",
"summary": "A protector whose need for control masks grief.",
"title": "Lead Character Seed",
"tags": ["character_arc", "inner_conflict"]
}
],
"theme": [],
"plot": [],
"genre": []
}Optional reusable story-level places or environments. Moments keep their own free-text `setting` and can also reference a shared `setting_id`.
"settings": [
{
"id": "setting_precinct_archive",
"name": "Precinct Archive",
"description": "A dimly lit archive room where old case files preserve institutional memory."
}
]A single story may contain one or more Dramatica storyforms. Each narrative can be `candidate`, `draft`, or `complete`, and each one separates Subtext from Storytelling.
"narratives": [
{
"id": "narrative_AbnHJ147",
"title": "Central Form",
"status": "draft",
"subtext": {
"perspectives": [],
"players": [],
"storypoints": [],
"storybeats": [],
"dynamics": []
},
"storytelling": {
"overviews": [],
"moments": []
}
}
]Authorial points of view that frame thematic conflict. NCP keeps perspective separate from character identity so the structural point of view can travel cleanly.
{
"id": "12345678-1234-1234-1234-123456789012",
"author_structural_pov": "i",
"summary": "John Marlowe",
"storytelling": "John is a seasoned detective whose past is as mysterious as the cases he solves."
}Character identity records. Players carry role, sensory description, motivations, biography, storytelling expression, and links back to structural perspectives.
{
"id": "abcdef12-3456-7890-abcd-ef1234567890",
"name": "Detective John Marlowe",
"role": "Main Character",
"visual": "A rumpled trench coat and tired eyes that miss nothing.",
"audio": "Measured speech with an edge of impatience.",
"summary": "A dedicated detective haunted by unresolved cases.",
"bio": "A veteran investigator whose discipline masks unresolved grief.",
"storytelling": "John exudes a stoic demeanor, masking inner turmoil.",
"motivations": [
{
"narrative_function": "Consider",
"illustration": "weighing every lead against the emotional cost of reopening old wounds",
"storytelling": "John keeps circling the evidence."
}
],
"perspectives": [
{ "perspective_id": "12345678-1234-1234-1234-123456789012" }
]
}Story-level decision vectors such as resolve, growth, approach, limit, driver, outcome, and judgment. Dynamics encode the author's intended direction.
{
"id": "dynamic_00112233-4455-6677-8899-aabbccddeeff",
"dynamic": "story_outcome",
"vector": "success",
"summary": "The case concludes with John uncovering the truth.",
"storytelling": "A climactic revelation ties together past and present."
}Canonical Appreciations such as Objective Story Problem, Main Character Symptom, and Relationship Story Catalyst. Storypoints preserve thematic intent in stable form.
{
"id": "storypoint_11223344-5566-7788-99aa-bbccddeeff00",
"appreciation": "Main Character Symptom",
"narrative_function": "Consider",
"illustration": "John ponders over a crucial piece of evidence.",
"summary": "Personal history intersects with the case.",
"storytelling": "An old photograph sparks memories and hidden truths.",
"perspectives": [
{ "perspective_id": "12345678-1234-1234-1234-123456789012" }
]
}Sequenced structural turns. Storybeats can carry scope, throughline, sequence, narrative function, summary, storytelling, and perspective links.
{
"id": "beat_001",
"scope": "signpost",
"sequence": 2,
"throughline": "Main Character",
"narrative_function": "Preconscious",
"summary": "The past resurfaces, influencing the current investigation.",
"storytelling": "Present-day tension blends with haunting memories.",
"perspectives": [
{ "perspective_id": "12345678-1234-1234-1234-123456789012" }
]
}High-level storytelling components such as Logline, Genre, and throughline summaries. They orient an audience or system before individual moments begin.
{
"id": "12345678-1234-1234-1234-123456789010",
"label": "Logline",
"summary": "A dark and atmospheric mystery unfolds in a rain-soaked city.",
"storytelling": "The narrative juxtaposes gritty realism with introspective flashbacks."
}Storytelling units like acts, scenes, chapters, sequences, or interactive beats. Moments can reference Storybeats and optional shared Settings.
{
"id": "moment_001",
"act": 1,
"order": 1,
"maximum_steps": 3,
"summary": "The inciting discovery",
"synopsis": "John uncovers an old case file tied to his own past.",
"setting": "A dimly lit precinct archive room.",
"setting_id": "setting_precinct_archive",
"timing": "Late night, after hours.",
"imperatives": "Investigate the link before the evidence disappears.",
"storybeats": [
{ "sequence": 1, "storybeat_id": "beat_001" }
]
}Optional custom terminology that keeps canonical meaning while supporting other frameworks, custom vocabularies, or tool-specific namespaces.
{
"custom_appreciation": "Refusal of the Call",
"custom_appreciation_namespace": "heros_journey",
"appreciation": "Main Character Symptom"
}This is the canonical `examples/example-story.json` fixture from the NCP repository. It shows story metadata, settings, ideation, a draft narrative, Subtext, Storytelling, and cross-links.
{
"schema_version": "1.3.0",
"story": {
"id": "story_123e4567-e89b-12d3-a456-426614174000",
"title": "Echoes of the Past",
"genre": "Mystery Thriller",
"logline": "A hardened detective uncovers clues linking a cold case to his own haunting history.",
"created_at": "2025-12-01T12:34:56Z",
"settings": [
{
"id": "setting_precinct_archive",
"name": "Precinct Archive",
"description": "A dimly lit archive room where old case files preserve institutional memory and unresolved history."
}
],
"ideation": {
"character": [
{
"id": "idea_char_001",
"summary": "A detective whose methodical control hides unresolved personal guilt.",
"title": "Lead Character Core",
"notes": "Potentially pairs with a foil who embraces uncertainty.",
"tags": [
"protagonist",
"trauma"
]
}
],
"theme": [
{
"id": "idea_theme_001",
"summary": "Control versus vulnerability as a path to truth.",
"title": "Theme Thread",
"tags": [
"identity",
"truth"
]
}
],
"plot": [
{
"id": "idea_plot_001",
"summary": "A reopened cold case escalates into a personal reckoning.",
"title": "Plot Spine"
}
],
"genre": [
{
"id": "idea_genre_001",
"summary": "Neo-noir mystery with psychological thriller pressure.",
"title": "Genre Blend"
}
]
},
"narratives": [
{
"id": "narrative_001",
"title": "Central Narrative",
"status": "draft",
"subtext": {
"perspectives": [
{
"id": "12345678-1234-1234-1234-123456789012",
"author_structural_pov": "i",
"summary": "John Marlowe",
"storytelling": "John is a seasoned detective whose past is as mysterious as the cases he solves."
}
],
"players": [
{
"id": "abcdef12-3456-7890-abcd-ef1234567890",
"name": "Detective John Marlowe",
"role": "Main Character",
"visual": "A rumpled trench coat and tired eyes that miss nothing.",
"audio": "Measured speech with an edge of impatience.",
"summary": "A dedicated detective haunted by unresolved cases.",
"bio": "A veteran investigator whose professional discipline masks unresolved personal grief.",
"storytelling": "John exudes a stoic demeanor, masking the inner turmoil of his past.",
"motivations": [
{
"narrative_function": "Consider",
"illustration": "weighing every lead against the emotional cost of reopening old wounds",
"storytelling": "John keeps circling the evidence, unable to separate the current case from his unresolved history."
}
],
"perspectives": [
{
"perspective_id": "12345678-1234-1234-1234-123456789012"
}
]
}
],
"dynamics": [
{
"id": "dynamic_00112233-4455-6677-8899-aabbccddeeff",
"dynamic": "story_outcome",
"vector": "success",
"summary": "The case concludes with John uncovering the truth.",
"storytelling": "A climactic moment of revelation that ties together past and present."
}
],
"storypoints": [
{
"id": "storypoint_11223344-5566-7788-99aa-bbccddeeff00",
"appreciation": "Main Character Symptom",
"narrative_function": "Consider",
"illustration": "John ponders over a crucial piece of evidence.",
"summary": "A turning point in the investigation where personal history intersects with the case.",
"storytelling": "The discovery of an old photograph sparks memories and hidden truths.",
"perspectives": [
{
"perspective_id": "12345678-1234-1234-1234-123456789012"
}
]
}
],
"storybeats": [
{
"id": "beat_001",
"scope": "signpost",
"sequence": 2,
"throughline": "Main Character",
"narrative_function": "Preconscious",
"summary": "A moment where the past resurfaces, influencing his current investigation.",
"storytelling": "A blend of present-day tension and haunting memories creates a surreal experience.",
"perspectives": [
{
"perspective_id": "12345678-1234-1234-1234-123456789012"
}
]
}
]
},
"storytelling": {
"overviews": [
{
"id": "12345678-1234-1234-1234-123456789010",
"label": "Logline",
"summary": "A dark and atmospheric mystery unfolds in a rain-soaked city.",
"storytelling": "The narrative juxtaposes gritty realism with introspective flashbacks."
},
{
"id": "12345678-1234-1234-1234-123456789011",
"label": "Genre",
"summary": "Mystery pacing with thriller turns built on memory and regret.",
"storytelling": "Each reveal tightens the emotional stakes as the genre shifts between introspection and pursuit."
}
],
"moments": [
{
"id": "moment_001",
"act": 1,
"order": 1,
"maximum_steps": 3,
"summary": "The inciting discovery",
"synopsis": "John uncovers an old case file that hints at deeper connections to his own past.",
"setting": "A dimly lit precinct archive room.",
"setting_id": "setting_precinct_archive",
"timing": "Late night, after hours.",
"imperatives": "Investigate the link before the evidence disappears.",
"storybeats": [
{
"sequence": 1,
"storybeat_id": "beat_001"
}
]
}
]
}
}
]
}
}