The STORIGEN framework

Give an idea
a shape you can explore.

The Seven Lenses offer a shared language for asking questions about a story. Each lens brings a different part of the idea into focus.

Seven Lenses

Questions before
perfect answers.

A character has a goal. An obstacle complicates it. Stakes give the choice weight. Perspective and world change how we interpret it. An outcome asks us to consider what happened—and what could happen differently.

Try the interactive example
01

Character

Who is at the center of this story?

02

Goal

What does the character want?

03

Obstacle

What gets in the way?

04

Stakes

Why does the outcome matter?

05

Perspective

Whose view shapes what we understand?

06

World

How does the setting shape the choices?

07

Twist / Outcome

What changes, and where does the story lead?

From a question to a creation

Notice. Make. Reconsider.

01

Explore an idea

Use a lens to notice a character’s intention, a missing perspective or a meaningful choice.

02

Give it form

Organize the idea into a story that another person can follow, discuss and respond to.

03

Try another view

Change a lens, revisit an assumption or imagine a different outcome. Explain what changed and why.

This is an introduction to the framework. Grade-level instruction, materials and assessment depend on the particular program and agreed scope.

What could your learners create?

Tell us about your students, your setting and the experience you have in mind.

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