Fichtean Curve

Best for: any first draft when you don't yet know what shape your story is. The classic setup / confrontation / resolution. Flexible enough for any medium; light enough to adapt.

Best for: adventure, fantasy, sci-fi, and myth. Christopher Vogler's 12-stage adaptation of Joseph Campbell's monomyth. Star Wars, The Matrix, and Lord of the Rings all walk this path.

Best for: literary fiction and stage plays where the climax is revelation, not action. Gustav Freytag's classical model of dramatic structure, formalized from Shakespeare and Greek tragedy. Lighter scaffolding than Save the Cat.

Best for: any story, in any medium, that wants a clear spine without heavy scaffolding. Nigel Watts's eight-point arc from 'Writing a Novel and Getting Published' - stasis to resolution through a critical choice. A simple, teachable shape taught in countless writing courses.

Best for: slice-of-life, mood pieces, and atmospheric work without antagonists. A Japanese four-act structure that does NOT require conflict. Common in anime, manga, and literary work. The story's engine is contrast and revelation rather than antagonism.

Best for: short stories, treatments, pitches, or gut-checking a longer outline. Emma Coats's six-sentence story spine, popularized as Pixar's internal pitch tool. Tiny but rigorous; forces causality between beats.