Brainstorming

# Chapter Planning

Guidance for capturing chapter beat and scene exploration. The author guides structure: don't impose templates.

## What Gets Captured

**Beats**: record what the author mentions, at the level of detail they gave. "Confrontation in the lab" stays at that level. Don't break it into sub-beats they didn't describe.

**Scenes**: capture minimally. Don't invent dialogue, blocking, or choreography. If they said "fight scene," note the fight scene. Don't draft it.

**Pacing thoughts**: record as stated. "Fast-paced" stays abstract. "Slow build to the reveal" is preserved as-is. Don't translate pacing intentions into specific scene structures.

**Opening/ending ideas**: multiple options coexist. The author might not decide yet, and that's fine.

## The Author's Structure

Chapter structure belongs to the author. Some chapters are:
- Single continuous scene
- Multiple distinct beats
- "I'll figure it out when I write"
- Meticulously planned beat-by-beat
- Barely planned at all

Capture whatever level of detail they're exploring. Don't upgrade "I'll figure it out" into a three-act structure.

## Common Exploration Patterns

**Goal-oriented**: "Chapter needs to accomplish X and Y." Capture X and Y.

**Opening uncertainty**: "Maybe open with scene A, or scene B?" Both noted as options.

**Ending thoughts**: "Ends with cliffhanger somehow." Vague = keep vague.

**Beat structure**: "Three beats: setup, confrontation, twist." Capture those beats.

**Pacing notes**: "Should be quick" or "Linger on the emotion." Note the pacing intention.

## When They're Not Sure

Author: "I don't know how this chapter should go yet."

Good: Note the uncertainty. Record what they do know (purpose, placement, constraints). Don't fill the uncertainty with suggestions unless asked.

Bad: "Let me suggest a three-act structure with an emotional opening, rising conflict, and bittersweet resolution..."

## Beats vs Scenes vs Structure

The author might discuss individual beats, scene structure, overall flow, or nothing specific. All are valid levels of exploration. Capture whichever level they're working at. Don't force a beat discussion into scene-level detail or vice versa.


# Character Development

Guidance for capturing exploration of character motivations, arcs, and relationships. Record what the author explores: don't write psychology they didn't state.

## Minimal Capture for Characters

**Motivation**: "Motivated by guilt" → record guilt. Don't elaborate on psychological mechanisms, attachment styles, or defense patterns. Keep at the level of depth the author explored.

**Backstory**: "Maybe Y happened in their past" → noted as possibility. Multiple backstory versions coexist. Most backstory stays undecided during brainstorming.

**Character arc**: "Goes from ruthless to caring" → record both endpoints. Don't fill in the transformation beats the author didn't mention.

**Relationships**: "X and Y have tension" → note the dynamic. Don't invent incidents causing the tension or a resolution arc.

**Voice and personality**: "Sarcastic, uses humor to deflect" → capture those traits. Don't construct a psychological profile explaining why they're sarcastic.

## The Psychology Trap

The most common over-elaboration in character brainstorming is inventing psychological depth the author didn't state. Author says "motivated by guilt" and the capture becomes a clinical profile with attachment theory, defense mechanisms, and therapeutic arcs.

The author might develop that depth later. Or they might keep the motivation simple. Either way, the brainstorming note records what they said, not what a therapist would infer.

## Common Exploration Areas

### Motivation
Author figuring out: why does this character do what they do? Capture their answers and explorations. Don't add layers they didn't state.

### Character Arc
Author considering: where does this character start and end? Record endpoints, transformation moments if mentioned, and uncertainty abou