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skills/cw-brainstorming/references/chapter-planning.md

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+# Chapter Planning - Brainstorming Reference
+
+This reference helps capture chapter beat and scene exploration. User guides structure (or lack of structure) - don't impose templates.
+
+## What Gets Captured
+
+**Beats user mentions:**
+- Record those beats
+- Keep minimal - just the beat itself
+- Don't elaborate on how it plays out
+
+**Scenes user describes:**
+- Capture minimally what they said
+- Don't invent dialogue or blocking
+- Preserve vague if they're vague
+
+**Flow/pacing thoughts:**
+- Record as stated
+- "Fast-paced" stays abstract
+- "Slow build" preserved as-is
+
+**Opening/ending ideas:**
+- All options coexist
+- User might not decide yet
+- Multiple possibilities are fine
+
+## Not Structure Templates
+
+The user guides chapter structure, not you. Some chapters are:
+- Single continuous scene
+- Multiple beats
+- Just "figure it out when I write"
+- Highly detailed planning
+- Barely planned at all
+
+Capture whatever level of detail they're exploring.
+
+## Common Exploration Patterns
+
+These are examples of what users might discuss, not a template:
+
+**Goal-oriented:**
+- "Chapter needs to accomplish X and Y" → capture X and Y
+- "Has to set up Z" → note setup need
+
+**Opening uncertainty:**
+- "Maybe open with scene A, or scene B?" → both noted as options
+- "Not sure how to start" → note uncertainty
+
+**Ending thoughts:**
+- "Ends with cliffhanger somehow" → vague = keep vague
+- "Resolves the argument" → capture resolution
+
+**Beat structure:**
+- "Three beats: setup, confrontation, twist" → capture those
+- "Just two scenes" → note structure
+
+**Pacing notes:**
+- "Should be quick" → capture pacing thought
+- "Linger on the emotion" → note emphasis
+
+## Using Web Search
+
+Search when helpful for:
+- Chapter pacing in similar genres
+- How other authors structure similar scenes
+- Scene writing techniques being explored
+- Narrative structures being considered
+
+Note source when including researched info (e.g., "(from [source])" or "researched:")
+
+## Still Brainstorming
+
+This is exploration, not finalization:
+- Untagged = user said it
+- Use `<AI>...</AI>` for AI suggestions
+- Multiple chapter structures coexist as options
+- "Might" stays might, "probably" stays probably
+- Skeletal is good - preserves creative freedom
+
+## Teaching Example
+
+### User Says:
+"Chapter 5 needs the protagonist to confront their guilt about the accident. Maybe starts with them alone, then their mentor finds them? Or should I open with the confrontation directly?"
+
+### ✅ Good Capture:
+```markdown
+# Chapter 5 Planning
+
+Purpose:
+- Protagonist confronts guilt about the accident
+
+Opening options:
+- Protagonist alone, then mentor finds them
+- Open directly with confrontation
+
+<AI>Alone scene could show internal struggle before external conversation. Direct opening could increase tension immediately.</AI>
+```
+
+### ❌ Bad Capture:
+```markdown
+# Chapter 5: Guilt and Confrontation
+
+Opening (250 words):
+Protagonist sits alone in their quarters, staring at the data logs from the accident. Their hands tremble as they replay the moment everything went wrong.
+
+Transition (150 words):
+Mentor notices the protagonist hasn't reported for duty. Walks down the corridor, concerned. Knocks on the door. "We need to talk."
+
+Main confrontation (800 words):
+"I can't do this anymore," protagonist says.
+"Yes, you can," mentor replies...
+
+[Full dialogue and blocking invented]
+```
+
+**Why bad?** User said they were thinking about opening options - you wrote the entire chapter with invented details.
+
+## Beats vs Scenes vs Structure
+
+**User might discuss:**
+- Individual beats ("X confronts Y about the lie")
+- Scene structure ("Two scenes: first is calm, second is explosive")
+- Overall flow ("Build tension throughout")
+- Or nothing specific ("I'll figure it out while writing")
+
+All are valid. Capture what they're exploring.
+
+## When They're Not Sure
+
+User: "I don't know how this chapter should go yet"
+
+✅ Good:
+```markdown
+# Chapter 6 Planning
+
+Structure and beats: not decided yet
+- Needs to show relationship strain
+- Somewhere between chapters 5 and 7
+```
+
+❌ Bad:
+"Let me suggest a three-act structure with an emotional opening, rising conflict, and bittersweet resolution..."
+
+Don't fill uncertainty with suggestions unless they ask for help.
+
+## Notice Beyond the List
+
+If user mentions something about chapter planning not covered here - capture it. These are common patterns, not limits.