Although the questions posed here are thought-provoking, the notation of + and - feels a bit reductionist. In the vein of lambda calculus, it would be more inte

Although the questions posed here are thought-provoking, the notation of + and - feels a bit reductionist. In the vein of lambda calculus, it would be more interesting to determine the smallest, most atomic patterns with which you can compose plot lines that are broader in scope, but in a way that will maintain clarity as you compose more and more patterns together. Additionally, categorizing events in a plot in terms of good or bad makes it difficult to apply this in general without very specific definitions. I know it may seem obvious that the boy getting the girl is a positive, but that is from the perspectives of the boy and girl. Stories are usually made of many characters whom all respond and feel differently about a given event, and the audience relates with that array of characters in a variety of ways based on their own life experience, identity, etc. that informs their idea of what is good or bad. When you are analyzing the structure of a plot, ideally this should be done in a way that focuses on aspects of the story that will not vary from person to person.