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