Preferences

Preferences controls how the platform speaks to you, how Narrova defaults behave, and how your account handles training-related consent. This is where you tune the platform to your workflow instead of forcing your workflow to match someone else's.

If you are new to Dramatica terms, Preferences is one of the fastest ways to make the platform feel more usable immediately. If you already know Dramatica well, you can keep things mostly untouched and work with the default language directly.

TIP

Open Account → Preferences as soon as you create an account. A few small changes here can make every Narrova response easier to use.

Personalize Your Experience

The Preset Personas setting changes the voice and assumptions Narrova uses when it responds to you. In plain language, this tells the platform what kind of storyteller or professional you are so it can explain structure in the way that is most useful to you.

This matters because Dramatica can be extremely precise. Precision is useful, but not every writer wants every answer delivered in dense theory language. A Persona lets you keep the structural rigor while changing the explanatory surface.

In the platform, go to Account → Preferences. In the Personalize Your Experience section, click Preset Personas, choose a Persona, and review the text that appears in the custom instructions box.

• Location: Account → Preferences → Personalize Your Experience.
• Action: Click Preset Personas, then select a Persona.
• Outcome: The platform inserts that Persona's instruction set into your custom instructions and saves it.
• Validation: The text area updates immediately, and future Narrova responses should start reflecting that perspective.

Persona Examples

Some Personas are intentionally broad. Others are designed to translate Dramatica for a very specific way of thinking.

Structure-Focused Writer

Use Structure-Focused Writer if you want the full structural benefit of Dramatica without wading through theory vocabulary in every answer. This Persona asks Narrova to connect Dramatica directly to character development, plot structure, thematic meaning, and conflict management while translating specialized terms into everyday writing language.

This is the best choice for many experienced writers who care deeply about structure but do not want to think in formal Dramatica terminology all day. It keeps the architecture while reducing the jargon barrier.

Writing use: Choose this Persona if you want answers like "this Throughline is the story's external conflict arena" instead of answers that assume you already speak fluent Dramatica.

Experienced Dramatica User

Use Experienced Dramatica User if you want the platform to speak with minimal translation. This is the most direct mode for writers, analysts, and teachers who already know the model and want speed over interpretation.

If you are comfortable with terms like Throughline, Signpost, Concern, and Problem without explanation, you may not need a Persona at all. Leaving custom instructions blank effectively keeps the platform closest to its default Dramatica-native voice.

New to Dramatica

Use New to Dramatica if you want the platform to teach the theory as it helps you write. This Persona keeps the canonical term, then bridges it into familiar story language so you can gradually build fluency.

This is useful when you want to learn the model rather than just use the output. It slows the conversation down in a good way.

Experienced Writer

Use Experienced Writer if you already understand craft and want Narrova to engage you at a higher level. This Persona assumes you can work with nuance, but still benefits from theory being connected directly to narrative construction instead of being left abstract.

This is a good fit if you want deeper structural commentary but still want the platform to remain practical.

Story Analyst

Use Story Analyst if you are examining scripts, films, novels, or drafts and want Dramatica translated into evaluative language. This Persona is useful when your goal is diagnosis: what is missing, what is misaligned, and what argument the story is currently making.

Creative Executive

Use Creative Executive if you are making development decisions rather than writing line by line. This Persona pushes Narrova toward practical answers about what is not landing in the story and what needs to change.

IMPORTANT

A Persona changes explanation style, not your Storyform. If you switch Personas, the underlying structural model does not change. Only the guidance and framing change.

Common Mistakes

The most common mistake is choosing a Persona once and forgetting you can change it. If Narrova starts sounding too basic, too abstract, or too theory-heavy, return to Account → Preferences and switch Personas.

Another common mistake is stacking a Persona with highly conflicting custom instructions. If the results feel inconsistent, simplify your custom instructions so the Persona has a clear job to do.

Writing use: Match the Persona to the kind of work you are doing right now. Use Structure-Focused Writer while drafting, then switch to Story Analyst when diagnosing a revision problem.

Narrative Agent Preferences

Different Narrova agents are optimized for different tasks. Narrative Agent Preferences lets you set a default Thinking level per agent so you do not have to reconfigure that choice every time you switch.

This matters because some work benefits from speed while other work benefits from deeper deliberation. A fast exploratory conversation and a careful structural diagnosis do not need the same reasoning depth.

In the platform, go to Account → Preferences → Narrative Agent Preferences. Set the Thinking level you want for each listed agent, then click Save Agent Preferences.

• Location: Account → Preferences → Narrative Agent Preferences.
• Action: Choose a Thinking level for one or more agents, then click Save Agent Preferences.
• Outcome: Each selected agent receives that default when you switch to it in Narrova.
• Validation: When you open Narrova and change to that agent, the Narrative Efficiency modal reflects your saved default with a note such as Set to Deliberate per your preferences for this Agent.

If you see Frontier in the selector, remember that visibility is not the same as access. Frontier appears in the menu, but it requires Pro to be selectable.

Common Mistakes

If an agent does not feel like it picked up your setting, check whether you actually saved after choosing the value. The selector can change before the preference is persisted.

If a level behaves differently than expected, remember that Narrova may normalize a request in the background to satisfy model or agent constraints. Your preference is still being applied as the starting intent.

Writing use: Set exploratory agents lower when you are brainstorming and diagnostic agents higher when you are pressure-testing a Storyform or revision path.

Training and Data Controls

The Training and Data Controls setting lets you decide whether new interactions may be used to improve system performance and response quality. In plain language, this is your consent setting for product improvement, not a transfer of story ownership.

This matters because the platform does not need training access to help you build or analyze stories. Dramatica works without it. Training is optional and off by default.

In the platform, go to Account → Preferences → Training and Data Controls. Turn the training switch on or off based on your comfort level.

• Location: Account → Preferences → Training and Data Controls.
• Action: Toggle the training setting.
• Outcome: Your choice applies to new interactions going forward.
• Validation: The toggle remains in the selected state after the preference updates.

Your Storytelling content, including the Storytelling field and submitted Illustrations, is not used to train or improve our systems unless you explicitly enable this setting.

Support and Reliability Access

Operational access is separate from training. Authorized staff may access limited portions of logs, traces, or content when needed for support, debugging, abuse prevention, security, or legal compliance.

This does not mean your content is being used for model training. It means the platform can still be operated and supported responsibly.

IMPORTANT

Turning training off does not delete past interactions. It prevents new interactions from being used for training or system improvement going forward.

Common Mistakes

The most common mistake is assuming "not used for training" means "never accessible under any circumstances." That is not what this setting does. Support and reliability access may still occur when necessary to operate the service.

Another mistake is assuming training consent changes how Narrova reasons about your current story. It does not. The feature controls future improvement use, not whether Narrova can help you right now.

Writing use: If you are working on confidential client or studio material, review this setting before you begin serious drafting or analysis sessions.

Narrative Framing Lens

The Narrative Framing Lens controls how Storyform language appears across cards, prompts, and guidance. In plain language, it changes how the platform names things, not what the Storyform actually is.

This matters because the same structural relationship can be described in more than one useful way. Some writers think more clearly in classic Dramatica terms. Others think more clearly in character-oriented or plot-oriented language. The Framing Lens helps the interface meet you where you think.

In the platform, go to Account → Preferences → Narrative Framing Lens and choose the framing mode you want to use by default.

• Location: Account → Preferences → Narrative Framing Lens.
• Action: Select Auto, Plot-focused / Linear, or Holistic / Character-focused.
• Outcome: Labels and guidance across the platform adopt that framing.
• Validation: Storyform cards and prompts show the updated wording while your underlying Storyform data remains unchanged.

Current Options

Setting	What it does
Auto	Uses the story's Main Character Problem-Solving Style to choose the most fitting default language. Linear stories lean Plot-focused. Holistic stories lean Character-focused.
Plot-focused / Linear	Forces Plot-focused terminology regardless of story style. Useful when you want traditional Dramatica-flavored phrasing or a single shared vocabulary across a team.
Holistic / Character-focused	Forces Character-focused terminology regardless of story style. Useful when relational and experiential wording helps you think more clearly about conflict.

What Changes On Screen

You will see labels update in cards, prompts, and other guidance surfaces. For example, Throughline Problem/Solution/Symptom/Response labels can be shown with more character-oriented translations such as:

• Dissonance
• Relief
• Friction
• Accommodation

You will also see more explicit label prefixes in places where clarity matters, such as MC Resolve, MC Growth, Story Driver, and Story Outcome.

Common Mistakes

Do not use the Framing Lens as a substitute for changing the Storyform itself. If the story's structure is wrong, a different label set will not fix it.

Do not assume one framing is objectively better. The best setting is the one that helps you see the story's conflict clearly enough to make stronger writing decisions.

Writing use: If Dramatica terms feel dense, pair Structure-Focused Writer with Holistic / Character-focused or Auto framing to keep the structural power while reducing terminology friction.

For the full terminology mapping and rationale, see Framing Terminology: Plot-focused and Character-focused.