Working with Narrova

Narrova operates like many other AI chatbots you're familiar with—type in your questions or requests, and it responds intuitively. However, there's one major difference that sets Narrova apart: between your input and the powerful AI models that generate responses lies a unique layer of narrative intelligence. This means your interactions are guided by sophisticated narrative understanding, helping you craft deeper, more meaningful storytelling outcomes rather than generic responses.

Our Unique Approach to Structure

Many storytellers wonder how Narrova differs from general AI large-language models like ChatGPT or Claude. Can generalized AI offer the same storytelling experience, or is there something distinctly advantageous about Narrova?

At the core of Narrova is a specialized narrative expertise layer, serving as an intelligent intermediary between your questions and the answers you receive. Unlike generalized AI, this layer is specifically designed to deliver responses that are intelligent, context-sensitive, and precisely tailored to your storytelling needs. It achieves this by interpreting your questions through an extensive understanding of narrative theory and storytelling practice.

Narrova's narrative expertise layer incorporates decades of accumulated narrative theory, practical storytelling experience, and thorough analysis of diverse narrative forms, including film, literature, and digital media.

In contrast, general AI models typically rely on a broad yet superficial accumulation of information, making educated guesses regarding narrative structure. This wide-ranging approach can often lead to inaccuracies due to inadequate narrative frameworks. For example, when asked to identify the Main Character of The Shawshank Redemption, ChatGPT incorrectly identifies Andy Dufresne. While Andy is indeed the Protagonist, from the objective viewpoint of Dramatica theory, the true Main Character is Red. Narrova avoids such pitfalls by applying over 30 years of dedicated narrative expertise to accurately address your story development questions.

Moreover, general AI systems often mix multiple narrative structures and paradigms, sometimes conflating incompatible methodologies. Popular story paradigms like the Hero’s Journey and Save the Cat! provide subjective, audience-centered views of conflict. In contrast, Narrova offers objective, author-centered interpretations of narrative conflict.

Many writers naturally gravitate toward subjectivity, enjoying the immersive experience of developing characters and worlds. However, discussing subjective storytelling with a general AI can feel vague or unproductive. Conversely, objectivity—understanding narrative from a clear, external standpoint—is an area where many writers seek guidance. Narrova uniquely addresses this need by providing precise, objective narrative analysis and actionable guidance to enhance your storytelling process.

Core Benefit of the Narrova Approach

The value of using Narrova versus a general AI approach isn't merely about referencing narrative theory. General AI models frequently provide incomplete or contradictory interpretations of narrative concepts.

For example, a response from ChatGPT might initially appear correct when analyzing a narrative's Four Throughlines. However, closer inspection often reveals a blending of distinct Throughlines, such as conflating the Main Character with the Objective Story. Narrova ensures clarity and accuracy, reflecting the most accurate understanding of advanced narrative theory.

Narrative Intelligence

When you engage with Narrova, your queries are processed not just literally but through an understanding of underlying narrative principles. This approach takes into account your story’s context, narrative challenges, and theoretical foundations, ensuring highly tailored responses.

Unlike broader AI capabilities, Narrova’s narrative intelligence draws from curated content including scholarly articles and practical case studies, providing reliable, specialized narrative guidance akin to consulting a seasoned narrative expert.

Fine-tuning Content Moderation

Narrova includes a tailored content moderation system designed explicitly for storytelling, unlike general AI tools with broad moderation policies. This customization accommodates essential narrative elements found in genres such as horror, thriller, and dark fantasy, which general-purpose AI might censor unnecessarily.

This nuanced moderation approach ensures writers can authentically explore complex and mature themes without restraint, maintaining narrative integrity and allowing storytelling to flourish.

Using Your Favorite Prompting Techniques

Writers experienced with prompt crafting for general AI systems may initially find Narrova’s approach distinct due to its emphasis on narrative structure over generic storytelling. However, by setting up a Narrova Persona dedicated solely to storytelling, users can simulate a general AI interaction, avoiding deeper theoretical engagements.

Ideally, use Narrova to deeply understand narrative conflicts, then apply your refined prompting skills to create expressive storytelling content. This method aligns with the philosophy of using Narrova to know your story, not simply to write it.

Getting Started

New to Narrova? Here’s a simple path to value in minutes:

1. Create a Story

• Go to Stories, click Create Story, give it a working title. This becomes your hub for documents, conversations, and structure.

2. Add Documents (optional, recommended)

• Upload notes, research, and snippets under Story → Documents. Keep it focused: only what you want the AI to consider right now.

3. Shape a Storyform

• Use Storyform Builder to explore choices and lock an initial direction. You can always iterate later.

4. Set Context in Narrova

• In the chat, tap Context and toggle on Story and/or Storyform. This ensures responses honor your actual project, not generic patterns.

5. Start a Conversation

• Ask specific questions (audit a beat, refine an angle, clarify a theme). Save useful results back to Documents.

6. Iterate

• When insights shift your thinking, update the Storyform (or lock key choices) and keep going.

Tips

• Keep context lean; use concise docs and focused prompts.
• Save outputs you reuse (loglines, beat sheets, treatments) into Documents for continuity.

Recent and Tasks Tabs

Narrova offers two primary navigation tabs to organize your workflow:

• Recent Tab – quickly access your latest stories and ongoing narrative conversations. Each entry clearly shows the title and last updated date, providing a convenient way to pick up right where you left off.
• Tasks Tab (Coming Soon) – soon you'll be able to manage specific narrative goals and to-do long-range tasks (like writing out your complete Objective Story Throughline plot) directly within Narrova, enhancing your workflow and productivity.

Navigating Conversations with the Dropdown

At the top of each conversation, you'll find a handy dropdown menu designed to make navigating and managing your interactions simple and intuitive. Here's what you can do with it:

• Back to Top: Jump effortlessly back to the beginning of your conversation with a single click, ideal for reviewing how your ideas evolved.

• Move to Other Contexts: Easily transfer your current conversation into different contexts such as specific Stories or Storyforms. This helps organize your content better and keeps related conversations grouped together.

• Favorite Conversations: Mark important conversations by clicking "Favorited". These selected favorites will conveniently appear on your Narrova home page under "Favorites," giving you quick access to the conversations you revisit most.

• Download Conversations: Want to keep a permanent record or reuse conversation content elsewhere? Select the "Download" option from the dropdown. Currently, Narrova supports downloads in Markdown format (.md), a straightforward text file format (.txt) enriched with markup familiar to AI models. Looking ahead, we plan to expand download capabilities to include multiple file formats for greater flexibility.

• Delete Conversations: If you need to tidy up your workspace, conversations can also be deleted directly from the dropdown, helping you maintain a clean and organized environment.

Here’s a clean, combined “Starting from Scratch” section you can drop into Working with Narrova (place it right above “Outputs: What do we get out of this?”). It keeps the fast, concrete flow from the first version and folds in the “spectrum” options from the second.

---

Inputs: Starting from Scratch with a Colleague (cold script → actionable plan)

Giving a colleague a quick Narrova tour? This walkthrough turns a cold script PDF into an executive diagnosis, a candidate spine, and a two-week fix plan—live, in one sitting. You drive the screen-share; Narrova supplies receipts (page-level evidence), targeted questions, and ready-to-use outlines. Use the prompts below exactly as written; they double as a solo checklist when you’re working on your own.

Session plan (fast)

1. Upload PDF (text-based if possible).
2. Paste Kickoff Diagnosis (default below).
3. Paste Disambiguation Qs (Narrova asks targeted questions).
4. Pick a candidate spine → run Rewrite Outline.
5. Run Scene Surgery + Heatmap and the Dialogue Pass.
6. Finish with a Prioritized Fix Plan (owners, effort, dependencies).

1) Kickoff Diagnosis (copy-paste)

Default (blunt, evidence-driven):

You are a blunt but constructive script doctor.
Read the attached PDF in full and produce an Executive Diagnosis with two buckets:

A) STRUCTURE (story logic): premise, goal/obstacle clarity, cause→effect, escalation, set-ups/payoffs, protagonist/antagonist forces, Four-Perspective balance (Objective story events, Main Character interior stakes, Influence Character pressure, Relationship tension).
B) EXECUTION (storytelling): scene purpose, value shifts, pacing, POV consistency, dialogue authenticity, exposition weight, tone, visual storytelling.

For each issue, give:
• Severity (1–5) • Evidence (page/scene + excerpt) • Why it hurts comprehension/engagement • A specific fix (cut/merge/reorder/raise stakes/clarify want vs need/etc).

Then infer up to 3 plausible structural spines (“candidate storyforms”) with confidence %:
• Story Driver (Action/Decision), Outcome (Success/Failure), Judgment (Good/Bad),
• Four perspective domains in plain English (e.g., “World pressure is external situation; MC interior conflict is a stuck mindset”),
• The recurring method of conflict in each perspective (what people do that makes things worse).

If evidence is weak, mark unknown and ask targeted questions to disambiguate.

Return in markdown with:
1) Executive Overview (1–2 pages max)
2) Top 10 Problems (ranked, with fixes)
3) Candidate Structural Spines (table)
4) Scene List with value shifts (+/–) and purpose tags
5) Prioritized Fix Plan (Phase 1 triage, Phase 2 restructure, Phase 3 polish)
6) Machine-readable JSON at end: { "problems": [...], "candidates": [...], "scenes": [...], "fix_plan": [...] }

Be direct. No flattery. Avoid heavy theory terms unless a parenthetical helps.

If they want even less Dramatica theory (plain English):

Deliver an Executive Diagnosis with:
A) STRUCTURE (logic of events): premise clarity, goal/obstacle, cause→effect, escalation, set-ups/payoffs, hero vs opposing force.
B) EXECUTION (how it’s told): scene purpose, value shifts, pacing, POV, dialogue, exposition, tone, visual economy.

For each issue: Severity 1–5 • Evidence (page + excerpt) • Why it harms engagement • A concrete fix.
End with Top 10 Problems, a scene list with value shifts (+/−), and a 2-week plan (Phase 1 triage / Phase 2 restructure / Phase 3 polish). Return markdown + JSON {problems, scenes, plan}. Be blunt and evidence-driven.

If they’re open to labels (light theory with parentheticals):

Include: Driver (Action/Decision), Outcome (Success/Failure), Judgment (Good/Bad),
four perspectives in plain English (World/MC/Pressure Figure/Relationship),
and a short note on “method of conflict” in each. Provide up to 3 candidate spines with confidence %,
Top 10 Problems, scene shifts, and a prioritized plan + JSON. Ask targeted questions where uncertain.

2) Disambiguation Questions (Narrova asks you)

Use when the diagnosis marks unknowns. Pick the style that fits the room.

Hidden-theory, yes/no or multiple choice (no jargon):

Ask up to 10 tight questions to lock the spine:
• Is the final feeling for the hero emotionally “worth it” or “hollow”?
• Does a key action force the last choice—or does a key choice trigger the last action?
• What single pressure keeps making things worse: a stuck situation, frantic activity, corrosive psychology, or stubborn attitudes?
• What must change by the end: how the world is set up, what people are doing, how they’re thinking, or a brittle relationship?
• When the hero finally “gets it,” what truth becomes undeniable?

After my answers, restate the recommended spine with confidence % and what it implies for act turns.

Light-label version (with parentheticals):

Ask up to 10 items:
• Driver: Action or Decision (which flips Act 1/2/3 turns)?
• Outcome: Success/Failure • Judgment: Good/Bad (for the MC)?
• World pressure feels like: Situation (Universe) / Activity (Physics) / Ways of thinking (Psychology) / Fixed attitudes (Mind).
• MC Approach: Do-er or Be-er? • MC Resolve: Change or Steadfast? • Growth: Start or Stop?

Return the most probable storyform sketch and the forced implications at each act turn.

3) “No-Jargon Mode” Overview (optional)

If theory talk triggers resistance, reframe like this:

Using plain English only, summarize:
• What the movie is really about (1 sentence)
• What the hero wants vs actually needs
• What force keeps making things worse
• The 3 hardest choices the hero will face
• Where the story must turn (4 turns) to feel inevitable

4) Rewrite Outline (pick your level)

8-Sequence (fast, concrete):

Using the chosen spine, build an 8-Sequence outline (S1–S8).
For each: Promise/Problem, Turn (reversal/irreversible answer), Throughline emphasis (world, hero interior, pressure figure, relationship), 3–5 filmable beats, value shift (+/−).
End with a 1-paragraph “argument of the film” the sequences prove.

Signposts/Journeys (mid-theory):

Map 4 Signposts + 3 Journeys for World/MC/Pressure/Relationship using the recommended order.
For each Signpost: turning point, illustrative beats, and how it pressures the other perspectives.
Show cross-throughline echoes at each act break.

5) Scene Surgery + Heatmap (editor-friendly)

From the current draft, produce:
A) Cut/Keep/Merge list with rationale and expected runtime savings
B) Reorder suggestions (and the cause→effect it restores)
C) A page-number heatmap of conflict intensity and novelty; flag dead zones
D) Orphaned set-ups/payoffs and how to close the loop
Return a compact table I can work from.

Optional thematic integrity add-on (for theory-curious): tag the active Issue/Counterpoint per scene and note if the action expresses Problem vs prematurely drifting to Solution; propose swaps.

6) Dialogue & Surface Pass (tight, surgical)

Give a dialogue polish plan:
• 10 worst offenders (on-the-nose, exposition dumps, same-voice)
• For each: the subtext intention and a suggested rewrite line
• “Rules of mouth” for each major character (syntax, rhythm, taboo topics, power tells)
• Beat-caps for scenes where silence or business should replace speech

7) Final Prioritized Fix Plan (2-week cap)

Produce a 3-phase plan limited to 2 weeks:
• Phase 1 (Structural triage): must-do changes to make the story watchable
• Phase 2 (Restructure): sequence-level re-beats to deliver the argument
• Phase 3 (Polish): cutlines, dialogue trims, visual economy
For each task: owner (writer/editor), effort (S/M/L), expected gain, dependency.

Show them the money

Demo vibe: show, don’t sell. Paste each prompt, point to Narrova’s page-referenced evidence, let it ask 3–10 clarifying questions, then lock a spine and auto-generate the 8-Sequence plan. Close by producing the prioritized two-week fix plan with owners and effort—so your colleague leaves seeing how Narrova turns critique into a concrete roadmap. Running solo? The exact same flow gives you fast, repeatable momentum from diagnosis → outline → actionable next steps.

Inputs: Once You Have a Storyform

Once your Storyform is locked and set as the active context, Narrova can encode, iterate, and package your story quickly. Below are ready-to-use inputs (prompts) that show what you can ask for—moving from throughline encoding to alternative explorations, a global pivot, and producer-friendly summaries. Before each block, you’ll find a short note on when to use it.

1) Encode a Throughline and break down Signpost 1

Use this to start turning abstract structure into concrete beats. You’ll ask Narrova to invent a plausible Domain/Concern for the MC (as a working take) and to break down Signpost 1 into four Progressions.

storyencoding:
Assume the Main Character (MC) Throughline centers on James Bond. Invent a plausible MC Domain and Concern, then break down Signpost 1 into its four Progressions using your breakdown tool. For each Progression, write 1–2 sentences that align with the current Storyform and clearly show the beat’s conflict.

2) Continue the breakdown for later Signposts

Once you like the first pass, continue the structural detail. This keeps the encoding consistent with the current Storyform choices.

Continue the MC Throughline breakdown by detailing Signposts 3 and 4. For each Signpost, list the four Progressions with concise 1–2 sentence beats that honor the locked Storyform so far.

3) Clarify why Domain & Concern are personal problems

Ask Narrova to articulate the why it hurts—the subjective pressure your MC experiences because of the chosen Domain and Concern.

Explain the MC’s Domain and Concern in this Storyform and why, from Bond’s personal perspective, they create an ongoing problem. Keep the explanation grounded in internal stakes and lived experience, not plot summary.

4) Explore alternate Domain/Concern directions

When a take feels familiar, explore new angles. This input asks for multiple viable options and the flavor each would bring—without breaking the rest of the Storyform.

Offer five alternative MC Domain/Concern pairs that would yield a brand-new take on the Bond franchise. For each option, include:
- a one-sentence rationale for why it suits this MC,
- the likely tonal shift,
- and how it would reframe key conflicts.
Keep all options consistent with the current global Storyform constraints.

5) Pivot globally to a chosen alternative

After exploring options, tell Narrova which one to adopt. This triggers a holistic rewrite of Signposts/Progressions to reflect the new intent, while preserving any compatible beats.

Adopt alternative #2 from the list above. Rewrite all MC Signposts and their Progressions to reflect this new Domain/Concern. Preserve act order and carry forward any previously approved beats that still fit; otherwise, replace them and briefly note key structural deltas introduced by the pivot.

6) Package both versions for stakeholders

Producers often want to compare the “before” and “after.” This input asks Narrova to deliver two clean, engaging one-pagers—no theory jargon—each standing on its own.

Create two engaging one-page executive summaries (one page each, separate sections):
1) The latest revised version (using alternative #2).
2) The prior version.
For each one-pager, include:
- logline/premise,
- MC journey and personal stakes,
- act-by-act spine (Signposts with a short throughline of Progressions),
- why this version is compelling/marketable (unique angle).
Avoid theory terminology; write for a busy producer.

---

Tip: Replace “James Bond” with your MC, or swap MC for another Throughline (OS/OC/RS) as needed. If you’ve set the Storyform as Context, Narrova will automatically keep all outputs aligned with your locked choices.

Outputs: What do we get out of this?

There are countless valid outputs (and just as many articles about how each “should” look). Narrova doesn’t lock you into one format. Instead, Narrova is the narrative brain—your documents, presets, and third‑party tools can plug into that brain to generate whatever you need: cards, beat sheets, bibles, treatments, pitch decks, and more.

Below is a starter catalog of copy‑paste prompts you can run directly in Narrova once you’ve set Story and/or Storyform context. Use them as‑is, or adapt and save your own presets.

1) Logline Pack (3 angles) — Early discovery

Use when you’ve got a Storyform direction and want crisp market‑ready loglines.

Ask Narrova:

Using the current Storyform, generate 3 loglines:
• High-concept market pitch
• Character-driven prestige pitch
• Art-house/awards pitch
Each must imply the OS conflict, MC drive (Resolve/Growth), and stakes. 35 words max each.
Return in markdown with headings.

2) One‑Page Synopsis — After initial Storyform lock

Sanity‑check the spine before longform writing.

Ask Narrova:

Write a 1-page synopsis that balances all Four Throughlines (OS/MC/IC/RS).
Honor Driver, Outcome, Judgment, and Domains.
Flag where the method of conflict surfaces in each movement.

3) “Save the Cat” 15‑Beat Sheet — Familiar commercial map

Industry‑standard outline many teams expect.

Ask Narrova:

Map the story to the Save The Cat 15 beats.
For each beat give: beat name, purpose, page/min range (feature length),
throughline emphasis, and a 2–3 sentence beat description that aligns with the Storyform.
Return as a markdown table.

4) 8‑Sequence (Mini‑Movie) Outline — Pre‑scene planning

Great bridge from beats to cards.

Ask Narrova:

Generate an 8-Sequence outline (S1–S8).
For each sequence include: Problem setup, Value shift, OS/MC/IC/RS focus,
and 3–5 anchor moments. End each sequence with a clear reversal or answer.

5) Scene Card Deck — Production‑ready beats

What you pin to the board.

Ask Narrova:

Create scene cards from the current outline.
For each card include: ID, Location/Time, Goal, Opposition (source of inequity),
Value shift (+/−), Throughline tag, Stakes, and a “why now” trigger.
Return as a JSON array and a human-readable markdown list.

6) Character Dossiers — Before dialogue and blocking

Ensure behavior tracks with intent.

Ask Narrova:

Produce character dossiers for MC, IC, Protagonist, Antagonist, and key Players.
Include: Objective (want), Subjective (need), Lie/Truth, Pivotal Elements,
pressure points by throughline, and 3 behavior tells. One page each.

7) Theme / Argument Map — Polishing coherence

Keeps scenes arguing the same case.

Ask Narrova:

Build a theme/argument map: list premise statements per throughline,
value pairs in conflict, and example scene moments that prove each premise.
Return as a matrix with cross-refs to scene IDs.

8) 3–5 Page Treatment — Share with collaborators

Readable document that still honors structure.

Ask Narrova:

Write a 3–5 page treatment. Preserve Storyform intent, track all four throughlines,
and foreground the method of conflict. No dialogue; vivid present-tense prose.
Add section breaks at movement turns.

9) TV: Season Roadmap (10 eps) — Series planning

Zooms out before the pilot.

Ask Narrova:

Create a 10-episode season roadmap: season logline, thematic spine,
episode loglines, A/B/C stories, and season-long reversals.
Note how each episode services the Storyform’s argument.

10) Revision Checklist — Before draft hand‑off

Objective QA against the Storyform.

Ask Narrova:

Generate a revision checklist that tests scenes against the Storyform:
goal/obstacle clarity, conflict source integrity, value shifts,
IC pressure on MC, RS progression, and evidence for Outcome/Judgment.
Return as a numbered list I can check off.

If you have a favorite format, add it as a preset. The point of the platform is choice: Narrova keeps your story logically, emotionally, and thematically aligned—the output layer is whatever helps you ship.