The Three Tests

Applies to: Kind Comedy (primarily); elements vary in other story types

Definition

A set of quality checks applied to the three key story devices — the Genie, the McGuffin, and the Archetype — to verify they are structurally sound before building the outline around them. Each test has sub-criteria that a valid device must pass. Failing any sub-criterion means the device needs to be redesigned, not papered over.

Why This Term Matters

The Three Tests exist because the most common outlining failure is building on a structurally weak foundation. Writers often have an intuitive sense of what their Genie or McGuffin is — but without testing it, they discover in Sequence CC or DD that it does not work: the Genie cannot be removed, or the McGuffin could have been achieved without the Habit, or the Archetype is invisible to the world. The Three Tests surface these problems early, when fixing them is straightforward rather than catastrophic.

The Genie Test

A valid Genie must pass all four sub-tests:

1. Transfer Test — does it let the Muse use the Protagonist’s Ironic Talent without actually having it? The Muse must be able to perform (or appear to perform) what they are incapable of on their own.
2. Removability Test — can the Antagonist take it away in Sequence CC? If the Genie is internal (a skill the Muse gradually learns), the Antagonist cannot remove it. It must be external.
3. Dependency Test — does the Muse fail immediately without it? If the Muse can still function without the Genie, the crisis of Sequence CC is not real.
4. Concealment Test — does it hide the Protagonist’s Bad Habit from the world? The Genie must suppress the visible evidence of the Habit, not just the Habit itself.

The McGuffin Test

A valid McGuffin must pass all three sub-tests:

1. The 80% Test — would winning it feel mostly satisfying but leave something unresolved? Not 100% (that is the ending), not less than 70% (the stakes are too low).
2. The Bad Habit Test — can it be won while the Bad Habit is still active? If shedding the Habit is required to win the McGuffin, it is Heaven on Earth — not the McGuffin.
3. The Three-Way Test — do all three Trifecta characters want it for different reasons? If only the Protagonist wants it, it is a personal goal, not a McGuffin.

The Visibility Test (for Archetype)

A valid Archetype must be immediately visible or knowable to others in the world. If the audience and the characters in the story both have to be told what the Archetype is — rather than shown it — it is too abstract to generate dramatic irony.

A Rat is visible the moment Remy enters the kitchen. A British Hitman on the run is knowable the moment Ray opens his mouth in Bruges. A South Boston janitor is legible to Harvard professors the moment Will appears. Archetypes must create instant social friction — they cannot be invisible.

In a Tragedy

The Genie and McGuffin do not apply in the same way in Tragedies. The Visibility Test for Archetype still applies across all story types.

Related Articles

• Why Your Character Feels Flat — the Visibility Test in practice

Learn More

The Three Tests are taught as practical outlining checkpoints in the Kind Comedy Course, with worked examples from Ratatouille and In Bruges. The free Fundamentals Course introduces the Genie and McGuffin concepts.